Greek team
On the 20th September 2019, Mr Klimis Pirounakis, former Director of the Second Chance School in the women’s prison in Elaionas, visited our school, following an invitation from the pedagogical team of the Erasmus+ programme “Living in a Challenging World”.
He talked about his experience as Director at the Second Chance School and answered to intriguing questions from the students participating in the programme. From the discussion that followed, it was made clear the importance of education for the prisoners, on a personal as well as family and social level. (The question and answer that follows are indicative)
Question : Education is an inalienable right of people, therefore the education of prisoners too. What is its value and what should the state do in order to protect this right?
Answer: As we said before, it is very important for someone to be educated, even more when he/she is in prison. This leads him to freedom. Education is of fundamental importance. This is also proven by statistical data. Out of 100 prisoners who get educated and leave prison, only 3 find themselves back in there, whereas out of 100 not educated, 70 get to prison again. They make the same mistakes, they can't control their greed and so on. Education is of great importance and for this reason we urgently ask to have schools in all prisons
Mr Pirounakis is administrator of the Net for Supporting Imprisoned and Released Women, a non profit organization whose main target is to support women who have been imprisoned in the past or still are. Basic principal of the net is the feeling of solidarity, not charity, towards individuals who belong to this sensitive group. The net is aiming at increasing the means and resources, so the prisoners and those released can deal with this specific adversity in their lives, which caused them pain, made them malfunctional on a personal, family, professional and social level and turned them into outcasts of the society.
- The students studied the articles 6-15 of the Declaration of Human Rights and prepared projects.
- Focusing on the right of education in prison, they studied a research that took place in Greece entitled “Present and future benefits from education in Greek prisons”
https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/EQRarchives/Present-and-Future-Benefits-for-Adult-Inmate-Trainees-in-Greek-Prisons
- At the same time the issue of immigrants was studied and the students dramatized the story of a young immigrant from the book “Monologues from the Aegean”
- A theatrical play Mohi’s story was prepared to be performed in Holland.
The student Elena Vlassopoulou rewrote the scenario
MOHI’S INTERVIEW:
--Ladies and gentlemen today with us is the sixteen-year-old Mohi from Syria. Let’s welcome her.
--Hello, thank you for inviting me.
--Okay. Let’s start, shall we? Do you want to start telling us your story?
--Yes, of course. To begin with, I remember myself in a small village in Syria. My father’s business didn’t go well at all. So, I had to move away in a city near the sea, where my father could find a better job and I could go to school.
--But the war in your country changed your life for the second time didn’t it?
--Unfortunately, yes. It changed everything.
--Do you remember how it started?
--I wish I could forget, but those horrible memories will forever hunt me. It was little after midnight and I had just fallen asleep. Suddenly, I heard planes passing by. A few seconds later they started bombarding the whole city. People started crying and screaming and I was so afraid. I hid under my bed and started wondering: Will I ever see the sunlight again or is this my last day on this planet?
--That must have been terrible and I have to say that you are very brave. But, tell us please, what happened after?
--My family and I ran towards the nearest shelter. It wasn’t until we arrived there that we realized that my grandfather was no longer with us. He was to wick to run. That was the last time I ever saw him.
--I am so sorry for your loss. But, I am still wondering, what did you do after?
--We hid in the shelter for a few hours –until the bombardment stopped. In the meantime my father organized a plan. We had to leave the country. That was the only way we would be safe.
--How did you manage to do that?
We returned to our house and searched for any valuable possessions that we could sell in order to get us a place in small boat that would live the country the day after. My childhood house was a sight for sore eyes. Just yesterday morning, it was whole and intact, but now it was nothing more than ruins. We were searching for hours when suddenly my father found my mother’s jewellery. They were quite expensive, so we were sure that if we sold them we would have enough money for our place in the boat. We said our last goodbye to my childhood house and we walked away. The sky was blue and the air was crisp. Tears started running down my cheeks. I turned around to see my house one last time. At that very moment, my house collapsed with a thundering crash.
--I feel so bad for everything that happened. Which was your next move?
--After that, we were able to board on the boat.
--During the trip did you face many difficulties?
-- The truth is that we faced many hardships during our long trip. It was winter, the weather was very cold and we had nothing more than our clothes to keep us warm. Sometimes, the waves would reach us and make us soaking wet. We didn’t even have proper nutrition. We were starving. Some people gave in and died and I, like many others got sick. But, I told myself you can’t die. Not here, not now. I thought: “You must survive”
--How do you feel now that you remember all these horrible events?
Every time I think about the past, my heart tears apart. All the things that I just recounted are the memory pieces of the feelings of being lost, absence, suffering and insecurity of me facing my fate.
--Would you like to make a wish?
I wish that every person would realize how important leaving in peace is and how easily can war change the lives of people and create scars in their souls that will follow them forever.
https://www.calameo.com/books/005878300fc5cc867c148