The Environmental Education Center (K.E.P.E.A.) of Kalamata, in collaboration with KANE Social Youth Development, organized a three-day training seminar titled “Green Skills” from Tuesday, June 18 to Friday, June 20, 2025. The event took place within the framework of the Erasmus+ project “TELL Youth – Train Environmental Lifelong Learning for Youth” (Project No. 2023-1-RO01-KA220-YOU-000158579), in which K.E.P.E.A. Kalamata is a project partner.
The seminar was aimed at primary and secondary education teachers from Messinia, as well as youth trainers from Greece, Romania, and France, aged 16 to 22. The working language of the seminar was English.
The sessions were hosted at the event hall of the Vista Marina Hotel (generously provided free of charge), while several activities were carried out outdoors and within local communities in Messinia, such as the villages of Alagonia and Magganiako. The seminar lasted a total of 20 teaching hours and was based on pedagogical principles of non-formal and experiential learning.
The aim of the training was to empower participants to design and implement experiential workshops focused on environmental sustainability and green skills for youth and students in their local communities.
Participants delved into key concepts of green skills, differentiating between technical (hard) and social-interpersonal (soft) skills, explored best practices in green entrepreneurship and the circular economy, became familiar with non-formal learning tools (such as games, apps, and simulation activities), developed facilitation skills in natural settings, and collaborated in teams to create educational material for future use.
Seminar Highlights
- Day 1 included icebreaking activities, a presentation on green skills, interactive workshops, and a visit to Alagonia, where participants engaged in a sound walk and learned about acoustic ecology with Dimitris Sarris from the Taygetus Mountain Academy. They spoke with local stakeholders and were informed about community development and green job initiatives.
- A strong emphasis was placed on understanding how youth perceive climate issues and on showcasing educational methods to raise their awareness.
- Day 2 featured a hike along a Messenia Trail path in Magganiako and the collection of seasonal herbs and plants with Mr. Giannakopoulos and Mr. Dimopoulos from Nostos Social Cooperative Enterprise. A workshop titled Cultural Heritage and the Climate Crisis was delivered by Ms. Tzamouranou and Ms. Dimopoulou from Villages in Action. The day concluded with a collective cooking session using the collected plants, resulting in a Mediterranean meal promoting sustainable nutrition.
- Day 3 began with a case study at the Kalamata Railway Park, focusing on participatory green urban redesign, presented by youth consultant Amérissa Giannouli. The following session centered on mini pilot workshops, feedback sharing, and co-creation of final workshops to be implemented at local and European levels.
Honorary Awards
As part of the seminar, K.E.P.E.A. Kalamata honored six local organizations from Messinia for their outstanding contributions to Education for Sustainable Development centered on youth. The awards ceremony took place on Friday, June 20, attended by seminar participants and local media, highlighting best practices that inspire young people to engage in environmental protection, cultural heritage, and social innovation.
The awarded organizations were:
- Cultural Association of Alagonia (Municipality of Kalamata)
- NOSTOS Social Cooperative Enterprise (Municipality of Messini)
- Producer Group NILEAS (Municipality of Pylos-Nestor)
- Friends of Progress Association of Filiatra (Municipality of Trifylia)
- Volunteers of Diavolitsi Local Community (Municipality of Oichalia)
- Cultural Association “Clean Mani” (Municipality of West Mani)
The selection of awardees considered geographic coverage across all municipalities of Messinia, representation of various organizational types (cultural associations, social cooperatives, producer groups, local communities), and the recognized impact of their actions on local society. Each organization briefly presented its work during the event, fostering a meaningful exchange between the educational community and local initiatives.
The event was attended by Mr. Nikolaos Christopoulos, Regional Education Supervisor of the Peloponnese, and Ms. Theofaneia Siouti, Director of Primary Education of Messinia, who addressed the audience and presented the awards. Also in attendance were presidents, residents, and members of the honored organizations, local associations, and communities.
K.E.P.E.A. Kalamata aspires to establish this recognition as an annual institution to highlight youth- and sustainability-focused initiatives, acknowledging the numerous valuable efforts taking place in Messinia.
Closing and Acknowledgements
The seminar concluded with a collective evaluation, the distribution of YouthPass participation certificates, and an exchange of experiences among project partners, seminar participants, and local organization representatives.
The Erasmus+ “TELL Youth” project continues to enhance the capacity of educators and youth organizations to implement community-responsive environmental education initiatives. The “Green Skills” seminar paved the way for youth engagement in the green transition by linking local experience, European cooperation, and creativity.
We extend our sincere thanks to the seminar’s facilitators and coordinators, whose knowledge, experience, and communication skills greatly contributed to the program’s success:
Spyros Koutsogiannis (Social Youth Development), Amérissa Giannouli (Youth Consultant), Panagiotis Manikis (Center for Natural Farming), Dimitris Sarris (Taygetus Mountain Academy), Panagiotis Giannakopoulos and Kostas Dimopoulos (NOSTOS), Elena Tzamouranou and Konstantina Dimopoulou (Villages in Action), and the residents of Alagonia and Magganiako who welcomed us into their communities.
Through this experience, participants gained practical tools for facilitation and green-oriented educational design, developed and presented youth-oriented workshops, and built strong networks with both their peers and local organizations—strengthening prospects for local and European collaborations in environmental education.
The Erasmus+ “TELL Youth” initiative has significantly contributed to positioning Messinia as a model of good practices in green development and educational innovation, connecting young educators from different countries with local communities, and offering effective tools for implementing sustainability-themed workshops in schools and youth organizations.
K.E.P.E.A. Kalamata continues its dedicated efforts to link environmental education with local needs and empower youth as change-makers, operating under the action “Environmental Education Centers (K.E.P.E.A.)” with code MIS 6004470, part of the “Human Resources and Social Cohesion Programme 2021–2027”, co-financed by Greece and the European Union.