GET INVOLVED THROUGH PEER MENTORING Interviews and Narratives

1. GET INVOLVED THROUGH PEER MENTORINGInterviews and Narratives InVOLve InVOLve Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

2. INVOLVE project • Proposal text p.23: • ‘…. will be a dialogue between active and noninvolved possible learners coming from the close environment of the active ones . • What is the reason some people don’t feel that are able to contribute in common aims ? Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

3. Characteristics of involved and non-involved According to a research made by the University of Peloponnese with the topic “Research about Volunteering in Greece”, there are some personality characteristics that people that are involved in such activities have and some that non-involved have. Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

4. Characteristics of the involved • They believe in the purposes of volunteering • The action of the organization affects them • The want to be useful to the society • They want to feel useful and important • They want to take advantage of their knowledge and capabilities • They want to improve their social and professional abilities • They want to be with people and share the same social values • Because someone from their environment is a volunteer • They don’t want to stay at home • They have fun doing it • They want to fulfill some religious obligation or conviction Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

5. Characteristics of the non-involved • They don’t have enough free time • They can’t be committed to something for a specific period of time • They prefer to give money than time • They have already contributed in something • They have not been asked to do something like it • They voluntary participation has an economical cost • They don’t know how to get involved in such activities • They face some health issues themselves or someone from their family • They have family obligations • They don’t trust themselves • Are being negatively pressed from their environment Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

6. In order to satisfy the question above mentioned Partners will try • to motivate people in the circles of reference (local , regional , etc) , • by finding the reasons of inactivation so far , • to reflect on their role as citizens , as parents ,as learners , as human beings . We are not defining the vision or not being stacked to a specified mission - but only contribute in raising awareness of being active , support in becoming member of an active community , gaining self esteem by taking the decision to ask for being volunteer in a way . Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

7. Approach • Trying to organize local group meetings by inviting people and sharing experiences, knowledge and needs • Asking ‘volunteers’ to be respondents by sharing with the rest, important information about ‘ non –involve’ • Trying to provide opportunities between local or video viewing , activities – f.e EVS films – on or about volunteers sharing their positive experience from their activation so far as volunteers Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

8. CYCLISIS work activities , on project mentioned aims so far and in accordance to the above reference • Searching for good practices in local level – interview of a Leader from ASTO – Youth NGO • Organizing a core group of 5 fresh members in the approach of non directed discussions on volunteering and active citizenship • Virtual attendance of European Conference on Social Economy as practice for creative and social oriented way of working today • Framing the meetings of the ‘core group’ under the title ‘ Apo Koinou’ meaning :Together With In. Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

9. Apo Koinou ‘ Together With In’ • Who : Non directed , independent and positive thinking people as group of persons in searching meaningful ways to express them selves locally and further [European ] for common aims targeting peers – f.e students in schools as peers , neighbors as peers , coworkers as peers, etc • Why : to be motivated in order to become active as human beings, as citizens , to understand reasons for being inactive , to share negative experience respecting to , to learn from peers . To be connected , to share , to enrich the sense of belonging • How : coming in contact with other organizations , reflecting on experience as observers , self digging to find reasons to become more open . Mutual cooperation wit other initiatives - together – with – in Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

10. Approach : Narratives [ life stories] • Main concepts behind ‘words’ of ‘informants’ lifewords Motivation [ need , mistrust , visions,values sharing , ideologies ..] Commitment [ tasks sharing, common aim, understanding , participation and equality , leadership and hierarchy , democracy and social values ] Physical attainment [ presence , activation ] Concentration [ Deeping into the aim ,focus , common understanding , critical thinking , independence / dependence , etc] Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

11. Narratives • Life stories : personal writing • Visual narrative tecqniques : Listening to individuals tell their stories visually mean toattend closely to the ambiguities, complexities, difficulties, and uncertainties embeddedin visual images – imagery and visual expressions that reflect the uniqueness ofan individual’s life (John-Steiner 1985); ambiguities is no means by which wecan standardize or classify images or visual thought Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

12. Personal stories [ autobiography] 1 • The autobiography has always been in the humanity’s history: since the ancient times humans have needed to fix their own experience, not only to try to overcome the impermanence of their existences, but also to think about theirs own lives, to understand the sense of their lives and to gain new vital impulse. • Not only the people who have given to the autobiography an artistic form, but everyone who has tried to write a diary, maybe during a particular period of own life, has experienced a feeling of quiet and of an inner order and he has convinced himself, if not of the healing power of writing, at least of its utility or of the pleasure that writing brings. Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

13. 2 • Narrative practices produce self-esteem: the writer is helped to discover his subjectivity through the discover of own life. They feel themselves authorized to discover the dignity of the use of the first person and it is a pleasure for them. • The autobiographic method has a positive effect on the esteem of the other people when the writer and protagonist of the story meet people interested to listen to the story who, maybe, will tell it again adding own story and own experience. • In addition, autobiographic method allows to discover that thoughts, desires and values often are common to the human condition in spite of culture and of different countries of origin1 1 [community “L’Ancora” “Raccontiamoci” project Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

14. CYCLISIS • 1st Narrative (20 year-old student) • 2nd Narrative (middle aged woman) Narratives will be organized in an action research approach , meaning that through the whole process , we will try to reflect and see the ‘change’ in persons attitude Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

15. Good Practices • ASTO • Ark of the World (Kivotos tou Kosmou) • Scale (KLIMAKA) • Sunday School for Immigrants (Kyriakatiko Sxoleio Metanaston ) Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012

16. As conclusion Circles of sharing for Social and personal Quality of life ! Thank you CYCLISIS ANKARA 2012 Anastasia Giannakopoulou & Angeliki Giannakopoulou Ankara 2012