THE CLUB OF “LITTLE FRIENDS OF THE ROUTES OF THE OLIVE TREE”

The “Little Friends of The Routes of the Olive Tree” was an original idea thought-up and put in place a year ago by the Cultural Foundation “Routes of the Olive Tree”.

The objectives of this project are:

1. to allow young people in Greece and other countries linked to the olive tree to get to know one another and encourage discussions

2. to develop knowledge of traditions linked to the olive tree (history, culture, gastronomy, etc.) and their diffusion in both olive-growing and non olive-growing countries by encouraging discussions amongst young people

3. to introduce the young public to the culture, values and symbolism of the olive tree and make them aware of their diffusion

4. to make people aware of the alimentary importance of products made with olivesthrough the discovery of the Mediterranean land and gastronomy.

The above objectives will be reached in the following ways:

Through a web-site/ BLOG, which will be a means of communication and dialogue between young Greeks and young people from other countries. The site will work like a discussion forum and its objective will be to diffuse all information relating to the olive tree and encourage interactivity between young people. It will also be a place to gather propositions and ideas thought up for and by young people on a number of different themes: culture/ gastronomy/ landscape and countries of the olive tree/ olive products etc.

Through the organisation of events for young people in the network of partner countries. These will be events based on propositions and initiatives by young people. The events will involve artistic and culinary competitions and games, exhibitions of paintings and photographs, cultural routes in olive-growing regions, cookery classes using olive oil, tasting of olive-related products in places frequented by young people, and so on.

Children and young people on the Routes of the Olive Tree

As part of the creation of the “Club of Friends of the Olive Tree”, an activity organised in cooperation with the Environmental Education Centre in Kalamata (Messenia, Greece), has become part of the “Routes of the Olive Tree 2008-2009” programme.

The activity will take place in the form of a olive-tree themed painting workshop for children and young people (creation ‘on canvas’ of an olive tree using handprints)and has already been set up in a number of schools in Messenia. The aim is to introduce young people to the culture of the olive tree, and the workshop has also been carried out as part of the 2008 cultural route of the Foundation with much success in countries through which “Routes of the Olive Tree” passes (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Romania).

As part of the formula “travel with us on the Routes of the Olive Tree”, hundreds of children and young people have created their own olive tree using the palm of their hand, have received detailed information on the olive tree and the Routes of the Olive Tree and as a result have sent their own message of peace!