THE UNESCO CLUB

The Hellenic Cultural and Educational Club for UNESCO is a non-profit organization based in Athens. The Club aspires to contribute to the dissemination of the work and programs of the international organization for the promotion of culture, education and science. This effort is attempted through the organization of conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures directly related to UNESCO Priorities and Programs at local and international level.

The aim is to raise the awareness of the world community and especially of young people on issues of peace, democracy, equality, freedom, acceptance of diversity and human rights.

The Hellenic Cultural and Educational Club for UNESCO, in collaboration with international and Greek organizations as well as educational institutions from around the world, hopes to make a decisive contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as described in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

In 2018 the Hellenic Cultural and Educational Club for UNESCO has launched the World Cultural Heritage Youth Symposium with the support of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO under the auspices of the International Olympic Academy (www.olympiayouthsymposium.com )

The World Olympic Summer School is the second international projected developed by the Club.

THE HELLENIC OLYMPIC ACADEMY

The Hellenic National Olympic Academy has as its main objective the dissemination of Olympic Education in Greece, the cultivation and application of the pedagogical and social principles of the Olympic movement, the passing on to the youth the principles of sportsmanship, the traditions of sports and Fair Play , the contribution to the fight against the phenomena of doping and violence in the field of sports, the promotion of the idea of sport as a fundamental social right and the contribution to the development of Olympic volunteerism.

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THE AIM

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According to the International Olympic Committee* the three core Values of Olympism are Excellence, Friendship and Respect. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture and education with a view to building a better world.

The original values of Olympism as expressed in the Olympic Charter were to “encourage effort”, “preserve human dignity” and “develop harmony”.

Over time, they have evolved and are now expressed in more contemporary terms as:

  • Striving for excellence and encouraging people to be the best they can be.
  • Celebrating friendship, which is quite unique to the Olympic Games – an event that brings people together every few years.
  • Demonstrating respect in many different manners: respect towards yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, the public, etc.

This is the idea of setting your rivalries aside. There is more that unites us than divides us.

Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

*The Fundamentals of Olympic Values Education, International Olympic Committee.

The World Olympic Summer School aims to raise awareness relating to the Olympic Values and to prepare the next generation of the Olympic Values Ambassadors. Students participating in the program will receive a participation certificate

THE R PROJECT

In the Olympic Summer School students will have the chance to learn the meaning of the three core Values of Olympism: Excellence, Friendship and Respect*.

Excellence: This is about giving one’s best, on the field of play or in your personal and professional life. It is about trying your hardest to win, but it’s also about the joy of participating, achieving your personal goals, striving to be and to do your best in your daily lives and benefiting from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind and will.

Friendship: This encourages us to consider sport as a tool to help foster greater mutual understanding among individuals and people from all over the world. The Olympic Games inspire people to overcome political, economic, gender, racial or religious differences and forge friendships in spite of those differences.

Respect: This value incorporates respect for oneself, one’s body, for others, for the rules and regulations, for sport and the environment. Related to sport, respect stands for fair play and for the fight against doping and any other unethical behavior.

*The core values of OlympismInternational Olympic Committee

Focusing on Respect (the R-Project), the students will learn the importance of respecting others, the world tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the planet (environment)

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EDUCATION

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The Educational Program of the World Olympic Summer School engages the students with the value “Respect” in an active and creative way. The program includes workshops, play, story circles and discussion, and it is reinforced by a variety of sports activities.

The designed activities motivate students to work together on specific tasks. This collaborative approach is a teaching method that introduces new knowledge and concepts by offering to the participants numerous opportunities to practice respect for others and for themselves. It also helps the students develop their communication and teamwork skills.

During the World Olympic Summer School, the students will:

  • become familiar with true Fair Play stories and impressive acts of Olympic sportsmanship
  • learn about the Ancient Greek principles and values which have formed the core values of the Olympic Movement
  • meet various aspects of the Ancient Greek Civilization
  • recognize the meaning of the World Cultural Heritage
  • develop intercultural competences in the achievement of Intercultural Dialogue
  • be introduced to sustainable practices concerning their daily dietary routines

CULTURE, SPORTS AND ENVIRONMENT

Respect, as a timeless value of the Olympic movement, permeates every field of society. It does not only concern the human beings and their cultural creations but also the wider environment in which they live and progress.

Through the program designed by the Hellenic National Olympic Academy (ΕΘΝ.Ο.Α.) students will be informed about the necessity of protecting the cultural heritage which on the one hand is achieved by providing cultural education from an early age and on the other hand by the permanent maintenance of the monuments by the competent bodies. They will come into contact (virtual) with the cultural treasures of the Peloponnese through which a retrospective will be made combined with important historical events.

In the Environmental Workshop, young men and women will have the opportunity to present the basic principles of environmental education, their positions on the environmental problem and participate in the creation of the “Youth Environmental Guide Book”. At the same time, they will get to know the main plants from the local flora, which they will try to depict on the  one side of the “Discus for the Environment” and take with them as their personal creation.

SPORTS

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Through the Sports program students will learn the meaning of fair play.

The Sports program includes:

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Volleyball
  • Athletics
  • Tennis
  • Swimming

During the day small tournaments of ping pong will also take place The students will also participate in a various sports activities.

THE 17 GOALS

The World Olympic Summer School is promoting the Sustainable Development Goals focusing on: Goal 3 – Good Health and Well- Beeing, Goal 4 – Quality Education, Goal 5 – Gender Equality, Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13 – Climate Action, Goal 15 – Life on Land, Goal 16 – Peace Justice and strong Institutions and Goal 17 – Partnerships for Goals.