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Meeting with the High School/Junior High School students of Soufli for the school activities of the ARACNE project

10/11/2023 Soufli
Meeting with the High School/Junior High School students of Soufli for the school activities of the ARACNE project

During a boisterous, lively, 2-hour online meeting, with unprecedented participation and willingness by the students of the High School/Junior High School of Soufli to get involved with the school activities of the ARACNE project, it was decided that 3 kinds of activities will be carried out by the students.

The meeting was organized by the teachers who will act as guides to the students’ activities. 5 teachers attended the meeting: These were Mrs. Dora Theodoridou, Mrs. Lemonia Gagakou, Mrs. Anastasia Vratze, Mrs. Maria Patchia, Mrs. Athanasia Kakali and Mr. Evangellos Fakoudis.

Photo 1: Moment of the online meeting [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

A total of 26 students attended the meeting. 7 of those were from Junior High School and the remaining from High School classes. The Junior High School and High School of Soufli are housed on the same educational premises and students share common facilities.

The online meeting started with an introduction by Dr. Skarlatos Dedos (from NKUA, Athens) giving the students an introduction on the ARACNE project explaining its goals and then moving on to the specific details of what the students’ activities will be all about.

Then ideas about the activities started bouncing between the attendants until we reached a decision that there will be 3 activities carried out by the students organized in small groups of 7 students each.

Brainstorming between students and teachers on ideas about the students’ activities
Photo 2: Brainstorming between students and teachers on ideas about the students’ activities [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]
Brainstorming between students and teachers on ideas about the students’ activities
Photo 3: Brainstorming between students and teachers on ideas about the students’ activities [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

The titles of the activities were written on a blackboard and students were then asked to pick which activity they would like to participate in. Students were encouraged to be with their friends in one activity.

Students choose which activity they prefer to participate in
Photo 4: Students choose which activity they prefer to participate in [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

When the final decisions were made on the title of each activity, it was decided that educational material will be provided to the students for their activities and plenty of guidance will be provided by the teachers, NKUA and PIOP. 

The 3 activities that the students will participate in are:

– Silkworm rearing houses in Soufli
On history, architecture and functionality of the silkworm rearing houses of Soufli

– Of silk, past and present
On historical aspects of silkworm rearing in Soufli, its connections with the European Silk Road and its cultural heritage

– Sericulture and sustainability
On how to make silkworm rearing and silk production a sustainable economic activity, explore ways of using silk beyond its use in weaving industry

16/11/2023 Soufli
Follow up meeting with the High School/Junior High School students of Soufli for the school activities of the ARACNE project – Miss Danae Kaplanidi (PIOP) meets the students to explain the working plan

Miss Danae Kaplanidi from PIOP had separate meetings with students that will participate in each of the 3 activities.
In the meeting for the 1st activity, a working plan was decided on how students will carry out the proposed activity.

Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 1st activity (Silkworm rearing houses in Soufli)
Photo 5: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 1st activity (Silkworm rearing houses in Soufli) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]
Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 1st activity (Silkworm rearing houses in Soufli)
Photo 6: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 1st activity (Silkworm rearing houses in Soufli) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

In the meeting for the 2nd activity, a working plan was decided on how students will carry out the proposed activity. It was decided that photographic evidence will be collected and interviews will be carried out with stakeholders.

Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 2nd activity (Of silk, past and present)
Photo 7: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 2nd activity (Of silk, past and present) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]
Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 2nd activity (Of silk, past and present)
Photo 8: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 2nd activity (Of silk, past and present) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

In the meeting for the 3rd activity, a working plan was decided on how students will carry out the proposed activity. It was decided that through literature search and interviews with stakeholders, the issue of waste management and recycling in silk production will be explored.

Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 3rd activity (Sericulture and Sustainability)
Photo 9: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 3rd activity (Sericulture and Sustainability) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]
Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplnidi with students for the 3rd activity (Sericulture and Sustainability)
Photo 10: Meeting of Miss Danae Kaplanidi with students for the 3rd activity (Sericulture and Sustainability) [© PIOP / Danae Kaplanidi]

Last but not least, a few words about Soufli: Soufli is a small town in northeastern Greece near the border with Turkey. First mentioned by the Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi in 1667 under the name Sofulu, the name started appearing on historic maps of the area by 1853 as Sofla or Sofulu. By 1892, a total of 250000 kilograms of cocoons were produced in the municipality, equivalent to about 9000 boxes of silkworm eggs. Soufli was and still is a major cocoon producing town in Greece and is renowned as the silk capital of Greece.

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