Ioanna Drosaki

My name is Ioanna Drosaki and I am a graduate of the Department of Language and Intercultural Studies at the University of Thessaly. During my studies, I became interested in interculturalism and language and how it affects us in our daily lives. The questions that arose led me to become a member of the research group Language Landscape Diaries, an initiative of our professor Roula Kitsios, and to participate in research projects.
I am originally from Rethymno, which is not apparent in my speech except for a few scattered words. In addition to the greek language, I know English, Greek sign language and have a very basic knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin dialect). As a person, I consider myself to be quite creative and I am very interested in the arts, especially dance.
I participated in the ACTinPRISON programme, which was an important milestone both personally and in terms of my research. Through our weekly visits to the Kassaveteia Youth Detention Centre, I had the opportunity to meet young people with different backgrounds and experiences from my own and to reflect on the role of language, communication and education in detention facilities. In addition, my internship at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum provided me with knowledge about the procedures followed in Greece in relation to refugees and unaccompanied minors. I am very excited to be participating in the Rhizo-eduscapes programme, as I have never been to a facility for unaccompanied minors or been involved in refugee education before.