Kalliopi or Pipi. I graduated from the Department of Linguistic and Intercultural Studies of the University of Thessaly in 2024. Since 2021 I’m a member of «Volos Linguistic Landscape Research group» and from 2024 I became a member of the “Amalinoglossa” group which supports the learning of Romani language and culture. I grew up in the city of Xanthi, in a multicultural environment. The dominant language in Xanthi is Greek, but most of the time in the streets of the city you would not hear only Greek. Dialects such as Pomak, Thracian and Pontian are in our everyday life from the moment we leave the house. I learned from a young age to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds and my city helped me develop an interest in exploring cultures.
I speak Greek and English. During my studies I chose to take Arabic one semester, however I did not pursue it further and as a result I am unable to speak or write in Arabic.
My first experience in intercultural education was in 2022 at the “ARSIS” unaccompanied minors’ shelter, where we piloted the material “SAY IT IN BROKEN GREEK” of the “APO POINOU” team with the “Volos Linguistic Landscape Research” group, with unaccompanied minors. My second contact with intercultural communication was within the ActInPrison research project. A project through which we got a lot of food for thought and created strong bonds and many emotions, we did various activities with the people in detention, such as theatre and language and mathematical literacy lessons. Through the guidance of Mrs. Roula Kitsiou and the weekly reflections we discovered aspects of ourselves that we did not know existed.
I am now, also one of the members of the group who want to engage mainly, if not only, in non-formal education. I believe that communication is very important in life even if it is not easy or not done in conventional ways. I am a researcher with quite good organizational skills and a lot of perseverance.