The first Summer Volunteers School at Tsamantas, July 22-31 2007

A pilot for a Summer Volunteers School took place in Tsamantas during the last week of July 2007. Three students and two members of staff from the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol undertook voluntary work to help identify aspects of sustainable development for this historic community. The Summer School offered to the student volunteers the opportunity of getting involved in socio-economic research, ethnographic and museum studies, and teaching English to local youth. We organised various lectures/workshops, and study visits within the village and to neighbouring communities, as well as day trips to the town of Filiates and the regional capital of Ioannina. One of the most popular activities for the students was their interaction with the local Greek and Albanian children, teaching them English (see photo). The local community had kindly offered them free accommodation, and provided locally grown food for meals. It is envisaged that the Summer Volunteers School will become a regular event in Tsamantas.

The Folklore Museum of Tsamantas

Regrettably the Museum remained closed during the summer because of lack of financial resources. It opened for a couple of days only during the August festivities. An organised campaign by local people and from the Friends of Tsamantas (I wrote to the Greek Minister of Culture) has been unsuccessful.



Activities organised by the St. George’s Hellenic Society of Tsamantas in Worcester, MA. and progress made for the ‘100 years in America’ conference.

Provisional Programme
Friday, Oct. 10, 2008
a) ‘The Journey: The Greek American Dream’ – a documentary film by Maria Iliou will be shown between 5:30-7 pm (location to TBA)

b) 7:30 pm-9 pm, Fete at the Worcester Art Museum celebrating 100 Years in America, Tsamantas - Worcester, MA, Decision-makers and opinion leaders of Greater Worcester and Massachusetts
 

Saturday, October 11, 2008

10 to 3 pm - Academic conference on immigration, ‘100 Years in America’, at the Hellenic College, Brookline (Boston), MA, for acknowledging the contributions of this Greek-American community to the larger American community


Sunday, October 12, 2008

12-2pm- St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 100 Years in America, Tsamantas in Worcester - dinner celebration to acknowledge the contributions of migrants from Tsamantas to the Greek-American community







Contact: Dr Dimitrios Konstadakopulos: University of the West of England, Bristol;

Εmail: Dimitrios.Konstadakopulos@uwe.ac.uk