XpatAthens

XpatAthens

Thursday, 26 September 2019 15:46

2019 Global WINConference In Athens

The WINConference provides inspiration, context, tools, knowledge and a generous network of support for women to contribute authentically, integrating their feminine values and global awareness into all that they do. It is the most innovative and interactive program on leadership you will see this year, bringing together influential change-makers and pioneers to create a world in which we all flourish.

Do you want to be part of a larger shift in women's lives taking place on a global scale. Do you feel like widening your horizons, learning something new and creating a more gender-balanced world for future generations. Do you simply have a desire to be a part of it - now!?

Perhaps you work for a large company and have substantial leadership experience or, you have just started your own company and are wondering how to proceed. Perhaps you are in transition and curious about your next steps. You will be in the right place. The conference will help you get up to speed on emerging trends in business, technology and society as well as the latest thinking on the future of work and careers, and new practices in individual growth. The conference is designed to help participants generate new awareness, skills, and connections in an inspiring and nurturing environment, enabling them to accelerate their impact in the world, at work and in their lives.

The WINConference is not only about connecting you to a magic energy and sense that everything is possible. It is about business, how to run the world and companies in a more integrated fashion, where women’s voices are heard and our common future is taken seriously. It is about realizing our individual and collective dreams.

1. Special Package Offer For XpatAthens Readers

a) Join the first day only (2nd October): €195 special offer (with the same exceptions mentioned in the item B above). To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.

b) Sponsored ticket (Scholarship): people from your network can also apply for a sponsored ticket for the full conference. We have a small number of limited entry tickets that can be granted for €295. To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.

2. Special Package Offers For Greek Nationals

HOST COUNTRY TICKET: A limited number of tickets are given to host country delegates at a discounted price.

a) Fully subsidized ticket €1095: access to all learning material, all workshops, coaching, award dinner, gala dinner and cocktail – includes everything – application needed.

b) Limited Entry tickets for individuals €595 (3 days): access to all plenaries and working forums. No gala dinner, workshops or coaching sessions included – application needed.

Please write to participant@winconference.net to apply for a ticket with the following: a brief explanation as per why you are in need of financial support to attend the conference. Your motivation on why you want to join our event. How you believe you can contribute to WINConference 2019.

WIN Participants Say They Come Back With:
  • Inspiration, a sense of calm, grace and clarity.
  • The spark to start new projects and the readiness to take on new roles.
  • An impactful community of support, meaningful connections and nourishment.
  • Courage to make bolder decisions.
  • Confidence to lead more holistically.
  • Motivation to mentor other colleagues or your teams.
  • The understanding that ‘I am enough’.
  • The guts to take authentic action within your company, your community and for yourself.
 
For more information about the 2019 Global WINConference click HERE!
To register please click HERE.
 
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 13:46

Kimbra Live At Gazarte

On September 29th, the Main Stage of Gazarte proudly presents one of the decade's best performers and musical phenomenon, Kimbra. All the way from New Zealand and with a wide portfolio of awards, including 2 Grammys, and the voice of the global hit ''Somebody That You Used To Know'', Kimbra will mainly present her latest piece of work Primal Heart.

The album follows a more minimal approach and talks about returning to the core of our humanity. Making it seem like the perfect chance for someone to explore the artist within him or her.

Throughout her career, Kimbra has combined pop with classic R&B, jazz, and musical rock elements. Her influences vary, ranging from Prince to Minnie Riperton and Jeff Buckley.

Kimbra's show will be opened by the dream pop project of Daphne Lz, Daphne, And The Fuzz.
Wednesday, 18 September 2019 17:07

“Mother Puce” - FoKiaNou Art Space

FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present a three-day-long installation and performance piece, “Mother Puce: Chapter 1 – Rhymes for Fleas and Pests”, a project by American artist Ella Goodine-Richardson that brings together a series of hand-made costumes, a cantastoria, as well as a performance element.

“Mother Puce” (like Mother Goose) uses the metaphor of 
nursery rhymes to tell stories based on real events against a backdrop of fabric-constructed scenes and large textile props. Gaining inspiration through research in the history of dress and tastemaking, Goodine-Richardson uses textiles, performance, sound and video to re-examine and question the meanings conventionally assigned to everyday objects and sounds.

She will 
be performing her cantastoria Mother Puce: Rhymes for Fleas and Pests on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 2-4 October, at various times. Wine and refreshments will be served each day and there will be opportunities to speak to the artist. Ella Goodine-Richardson is from Indianapolis, Indiana.

She received her Bachelor’s of Art at 
Hampshire College in Aesthetic Philosophy and Costume. She has held public performances in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Amherst, Massachusett. She has exhibited her work at L’Etna in Paris, France, The Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis, The Wonder Box in Farmville, North Carolina, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. She is currently working with People’s Puppets of Occupy Wall Street in New York City on a cantastoria about climate justice and capitalism, as well as a puppet performance on health care and access in the United States. 

FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris.
The Washington Oxi Day Foundation is offering the following scholarships to five Greek-American students (Grades 6-12) who best describe “philotimo”
 
First Place: $2,000 scholarship and an invitation to the Foundation’s October 24 black tie gala in Washington, DC, where the winner will be recognized
Second Place: $1,000 scholarship (two)
Third Place: $500 scholarship (two)

How To Apply

1. Watch the Foundation’s video ‘The Greek Secret’ on the subject of philotimo here

2.
In 500 words, or less, answer one of the following questions:
• What does philotimo mean to you?
• What are some extraordinary examples of philotimo that you have seen?
• What are some of the things you can do in your daily life to exhibit philotimo?
• How can philotimo improve your life?

3. Submit your answer to the Foundation via email by Friday, October 4

To learn more about Washington Oxi Day Foundation, please click here


 

Monday, 23 September 2019 20:00

WWF Initiative Aims To Reduce Food Waste

In collaboration with Unilever Food Solutions, the Greek branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has launched an initiative that aims to reduce food waste at 3 Greek hotels.

The initiative that started in late May involves a detailed daily record of food waste, at Grecotel Cape Sounio, Aquila Rithymna Beach Resort, and the Athens Marriott. Food waste is recorded in terms of food thrown-out during the meal preparation process, leftovers on the buffets and restaurants as well as on guests' plates.

"It was quite shocking when I realized how much waste we had. Almost all the guests only eat half of what they put on their plates, and the rest ends up in the trash," says Sakis Tzanetos, the chef at Grecotel Cape Sounio.

"If the customer understands that this is being done for the sake of sustainability and in respect for all of the things the planet gives us, they may start to appreciate food differently," explains WWF's Vicky Barboka, who's responsible for the program.

The action includes leaving a note for guests on the tables, at the buffets, and elsewhere asking them not to select more than they can eat.

Two years ago, the same program was implemented at 10 American hotels, helping them curb food waste by between 17 and 38 percent.

Today, food production is considered the number one threat to the environment; it uses up 34% of the planet's land and 69 % of its clean water, and is accountable for 24-30 % of greenhouse emissions.

 

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com


To learn more about the actions of WWF Greece, please click here


 

The ACS Athens Virtual School officially inaugurates its programs for the academic year 2019-2010, under the auspices of The Institute of ACS Athens.

Today’s high school and middle school students need to be prepared for a world that exponentially depends on technology, an ever-changing environment with multi-faceted demands.

Well-designed courses provide great opportunities for students to learn through authentic and diverse teaching and learning modalities that constitute and further extend the i²Flex methodology. Developed 12 years ago at ACS Athens, this blended teaching methodology specifies that student learning occurs in the following dimensions:

· i: independent, yet teacher-guided learning;
· i: inquiry-based learning;
· Flex: flexible learning in a continuum from face-to-face to virtual classroom settings

The Virtual School offers online courses that come to meet the individual needs of students worldwide for high school credit. The exceptionally skilled faculty of ACS Athens, trained to teach both i²Flex and online courses, bring the academic excellence of ACS Athens courses to the online mode by promoting learner-centered instructional designs and experiences, while at the same time maintaining student-teacher contact through synchronous and asynchronous virtual class projects and meetings. Continuous support and monitoring of the student provides a holistic approach to student learning and performance.

The first group of 11 online courses begins this October and runs for 15 weeks in order to secure up to one high school credit. The second group begins in February 10, 2020 and, again, runs for 15 weeks for up to one high school credit.

Accelerated summer courses are offered, beginning in the second week of June 2020 and will end the last week of July (8 weeks) for a one-semester, 0.5 high school credit.

In the following semesters, the ACS Athens Virtual School will be offering Undergraduate College credit courses and Graduate credit courses in collaboration with top US Universities. Moreover, EFL/ESL modules, IB modules, and AP preparatory courses will be available in the following academic year 2020-21.

Detailed information about the courses available here
Register Online here

 
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), known in English as Doctors Without Borders, recently welcomed Dr. Christos Christou as their new International President, according to a press release dated September 9. Dr. Christou was elected President during MSF’s International General Assembly in June 2019 and started his tenure in September.
 
Born in Trikala, Greece, Dr. Christou graduated from the Aristotle University medical school in Thessaloniki, Greece, and holds a Ph.D. in Surgery from the Kapodistrian University of Athens. He also holds a Masters in International Health – Health Crisis Management from the University of Athens and is a member of its faculty. Dr. Christou later specialized in general and emergency surgery in the Surgical and Transplant Unit of Evangelismos Hospital in Athens.
 
Dr. Christou joined MSF in 2002 and has held several positions in the field. His first assignment was in Greece as a field doctor, working with migrants and refugees. He then worked as a doctor in an HIV/AIDS project in Zambia in 2004 and 2005. From 2013 he has joined MSF missions in various conflict zones such as South Sudan, Iraq and, most recently, Cameroon, as an Emergency and Trauma surgeon.

Initially, Dr. Christou was appointed General Secretary, then Vice-President, and finally President of MSF Greece’s Board of Directors until his election as International President in June 2019.


To read this article in full, please visit: msf.org

Photo: Isabel Corthier/MSF

Swimming is one of the most beneficial forms of exercise; it has many health benefits and is known to improve the condition of people with various health problems. Swimming is an ideal physical activity all-year-round. Although swimming in the sea is common in Greece, during the fall and winter, many prefer public or private swimming pools.

In Greece there are certain health requirements that are necessary in order to join a pool. When registering to use a public or private pool facility, you will be required to complete an application and provide some documents, which we've included for you below. Even though requirements are standardized, we suggest that you contact the pool's administration to confirm their enrollment process.

For children under 12 years old, the typical documents you will need to provide are:

1. A recent pediatrician's certificate that your child is healthy and does not suffer from heart and/or dermatological condition
2. 2 photographs
3. Birth Certificate

For teenagers and adults, the typical documents you will need to provide are:

1. A recent medical assessment from a general practitioner or cardiologist that you are healthy and capable of physical activity
2. A recent certificate by a dermatologist that you don't suffer from a skin condition
3. Two Photos
4. A photocopy of your id or passport, or green card for foreigners
5. Women also need a recent gynecological evaluation

“Oresteia” welcomes the international audience – along with the Athenian citizens- in an iconic open-air venue of the city. The large-scale production folds the summer season tour in Attica and will be  presented with English surtitles, inviting everyone to an encounter with Ancient Greek Drama.

An innovative concept from the National Theatre of Greece: the only extant example of an ancient dramatic trilogy, Aeschylus’ Oresteia, in a single production by three directors staging their work for the first time at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Agamemnon directed by Io Voulgaraki, The Libation Bearers directed by Lilly Meleme, and The Eumenides directed by Georgia Mavragani.

Agamemnon
Agamemnon, the first part of the timeless masterpiece that is Aeschylus’ Oresteia, is the starting point for a multi-layered theatrical experience. With the myth of the Trojan War at its core, it was an immediate success when it was written (in the Athens of the 5th century BCE) and has remained so in every era up to the present day. After ten years, a king returns victorious from the most terrible of wars, only for his wife to murder him in his own home. This is a poetic universe in which man is an unsolved enigma and human actions do not take place under godless skies, where there is slippage between the roles of victim and persecutor. This slippage is observed by a ruling class that is silent until it loses its power and ultimately its very existence. Who has the right to commit a crime and where does this right derive from?

Libation Bearers
The action of the second part of The Oresteia takes place ten years after the end of Agamemnon. This is the bloody, beating heart of the trilogy. The ground has already been prepared for the arrival of Orestes, the young avenger who must follow the ancient law of duty and take blood for blood. The dead father seeks vengeance and his presence in the play is just as powerful as it is in Agamemnon, although in a different way. The landscape in The Libation Bearers is bleak and threatening. The illicit lovers who, with blood-stained hands, seized power from the legitimate king, now preside over a regime of brutality, terror and fearful silence, as the country is plunged into darkness and chaos.
The old world has reached a tragic impasse and is morally, socially and politically bankrupt. The appalling act that Orestes is to commit is required by the gods and the very universe. Violence begets violence and the Furies demand blood vengeance for Agamemnon’s death. The bright light of the new justice that will reconcile the old world with the new is still a long way off, and the road that must be traveled to reach it involves great suffering. But there is no other choice. The repetition of horrific violence becomes a ceremony of purification for an entire society that will reconcile the old world with the new one that is dawning is still a long way off, and the road that must be traversed before it can be reached is extremely painful.  There is no other choice. The repetition of the horrific violence becomes a ceremony of purification of an entire society that will travel from darkness to light.

Eumenides
Orestes is at Delphi, having been pursued there by the Furies. He prays at the sanctuary of Apollo, seeking the god’s protection, and is told to go to Athens, where he begs at the feet of the statue of Athena. The enraged Furies follow him, spurred on by the ghost of Clytemnestra. His fate will be decided at the highest court of Athens, the Areopagus, where he and the Chorus of Furies argue their cases. The result is a hung jury, and Athena, who has the casting vote, finds Orestes innocent. He praises Athens and announces that the city and his homeland shall henceforth be bound together in an unbreakable alliance. Athena honors the Furies and declares them the kindly ones, or “Eumenides”. 
The trilogy ends with the restoration of balance amidst an atmosphere of reconciliation, bringing an end to a tragic conflict which human beings were unable to resolve. It is significant that the trilogy was written shortly after 462 BCE when the system of government changed and one of the reforms was that cases of murder were now tried at the Areopagus

Summer Tour | Tickets:
15€ General Admission
12€ (students, over 65 years old, unemployed, Disabled & Groups)

Two Day Admission Ticket – Discount
25€ General Admission
22€ (students, over 65 years old, unemployed, Disabled & Groups). 

 




Sunday, 08 September 2019 21:46

Art Athina 2019 Aftermath

Art Athina 2019 ended on September 16th at Zappeio Hall and the aftermath can only be described as positive, with a great number of visitors and loads of art!

Throughout these 4 days, the biggest art festival in Greece organized by the Hellenic Art Galleries Association and Art Director Stamatia Dimitrakopoulou, managed to impress the public with its artists and galleries. It wasn't just a festival showcasing Greek modern art, but a celebration.

Even from the first hours after the big opening, Zappeio Hall was filled with people. However, the biggest moment was that of the opening where the President of The Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, was present and supported Art Athina mentioning that the organizers have contributed a lot to art, in Athens and Greece in general, but even more to culture. He was also aware of the conditions under which the institution was created and, above all, was kept alive and thrived even during the crisis. For him, cultural creation is an act of resistance against any kind of corruption that threatens man.

Also present at the opening was Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakogiannis, while amongst the visitors were many high-profile people, such as the Minister of Education and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Art Athina will be present once again, for artists and visitors, at Zappeio Hall in September 2020.

The galleries that participated in the 24th Art Athina:

a. antonopoulou.art (Athens), Agathi Kartalos (Athens), Alibi (Athens), Alma Contemporary Art Gallery (Athens- Trikala), Anna Pappas Gallery (Μελβούρνη), Argo Gallery (Athens), Αrt Appel Gallery (Athens), Arusha Gallery (Scotland), Astrolavos Art Galleries (Athens), Cheapart (Athens), Citronne Gallery (Athens), Crux Gallerie (Athens), Donopoulos International Fine Arts (Thessaloniki), ekfrasi-yianna Grammatopoulou (Athens), Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery (Athens), Eleni Koroneou Gallery (Athens), Epsilon Art Gallery (Loutraki), Evripidis Art Gallery (Athens), Gallery “7” (Athens), Gallery Art Prisma (Pireaus), Gallery d’ Arte (New Jersey) Genesis Gallery (Athens), i-D Projectart (Athens), Ikastikos Kiklos Sianti (Athens), Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center (Athens), Kalfayan Galleries (Athens-Thessaloniki), kaplanon5 art gallery (Athens), Mihalarias Art (Athens), N, Papatzikou Gallery (Veria), PeriTechnon Karteris (Athens), Renatino Gallery (Cyprus), Skoufa Gallery (Athens), Skoufa Gallery Mykonos (Mykonos), Τechnohoros  Art Gallery (Athens), The Breeder Gallery (Athens), Zina Athanassiadou Gallery (Thessaloniki). 




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