With the mythical queen Ypsipyli as a guide, the program “Where is Ypsipyli hiding?” was an educational journey through history, heritage and the unique landscapes of Lemnos, featuring experiential, creative and innovative activities.
Ypsipyli’s companions were students from primary, secondary and high schools, who studied the emblematic landmarks of Lemnos and contributed through various narrative means to the promotion of the island’s present identity.
MedINA has been collaborating with the NGO Places and Traces, which designed and coordinated the programme “Where is Ypsipyli hiding?”, based on a memorandum of understanding, for the implementation of Chapter III during the school year 2023-2024 and more broadly for the joint promotion of culture and education on Lemnos.
The programme was implemented for the third consecutive school year on Lemnos in collaboration with local primary and secondary schools. The programme’s actions took place under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Lemnos and were supported by an interdisciplinary team of experts and the Department of Archaeology & History of Art of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The approach was cross-thematic and incorporated methods of place-based learning. Chapter III focused on antiquity and prehistoric times, and students had at their disposal means of expression such as creative writing and its digital processing, as well as visual arts. In this context, a series of educational activities were carried out for the students of the collaborating schools, along with dissemination activities where students took the lead, highlighting different themes and raising awareness in the local community and among visitors.
Beyond the co-organization of Chapter III, MedINA also contributed to the development of topics related to the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Lemnos. Targeted actions emphasized the importance of ICH and the role of local varieties in Lemnos’ present food system.
More specifically, two webinars were held for the safeguarding of Lemnos’ ICH by its natural heirs, the children, and its valorisation for the sustainable development of the island’s food system. Moreover, ICH was one of the major touchpoints during walks around Lemnos’ landmarks. At the final event of this year’s program, ICH was presented to a wider public with talks and discussions, to highlight its role in today’s context.
MedINA had also participated as a knowledge provider in Chapter II of the programme, organising a visit to the Kastrinos’ mandra in Fakos for an experiential presentation of the mandra’s agro-ecosystem.
10 schools on Lemnos participated in Chapter III of the program: the 1st and 3rd Primary Schools of Myrina, the Primary School of Nea Koutali, the Special Primary School of Kallithea, the High Schools of Livadochori, Moudros and Myrina, the Senior High Schools of Myrina and Moudros and the Special Vocational Education Laboratory of Repanidi.