Face Up Greece

Visiting a country with an ancient history, listening to Zorba, eating gyros and traditional salads, are mostly the first reasons to visit Greece. But if additionally the group of young people meet each other there to learn about media, to practice with cameras and make research about the current situation of its inhabitants, it may sounds like a unique trip.

The time for the second training of Face Up finally came. Between 22nd and 30th of April 2015 people from Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Romania and Turkey met in Thessaloniki, Greece to produce videos about ‘Civil engagement’.

Trainers from Germany and Greece started the week with theory: How to use cameras, how to set up the picture, how to ask questions and how to plan the report – these were all the aspects which before practicing, needed to be clear.

Afterwards, all participants in the groups, needed to prepare their own videos and prove that they were listening during the workshops. To make them all feel better with their new colleagues, organisers prepared a long session of ice-breaking games and intercultural evening where they could present their countries and their talents. As one of the participant from Turkey, Ibrahim Halilullah Erbay, said: ‘For me Face Up was an interesting project, I have never felt this connected to people whom I know only for a week. Personally, I do not believe in equilibrium, it does not matter how many people express how equal we are. I believe each individual is different; each of us has a unique way to live on this little blue planet in the cosmos. Moreover, I do believe that we had special people in our team, we had a bond that we spent 144 hours in a week and did not get bored even for a second.’

The products were the highlights of the training in Thessaloniki. Well produced and full of content, this is how all the groups dealt with the topic. Nowadays, Greece is one of the countries with the biggest financial problems in Europe. That is why, talking about civil engagement was a challenge for Face Up teams. Thanks to the good research and a big help of (the project partner) Media TerraNea, movies about a local independent orphanage, Faros – the support for Roma people, the inclusion of disabled people and about the event space called "We" were produced.

Apart from filming and having workshops, there was also the time for visiting the city, local restaurants and pubs. That intercultural and media experience will stay in the minds of participants for a long time. And even if it sounds tacky, this kind of projects can really change the life of some people. The best example is the story of the Romanian participant Daniela Popa: ‘You know what people say after a quite nice experience that it was one of the best moments of their lives? Even though I participated in many projects and by the nature of my job, I’m interacting with many people, the media camp in Thessaloniki was an amazing experience, work distraction-free, engaging in professional learning and development opportunities. For me, the media camp in Thessaloniki was a life-changing experience; because of this media camp I’m moving to Thessaloniki, that is how much I loved it.’

Daria Jaranowska

 

Suggestions