Current Problems facing
young people considering living in the Amfilissos Area
The Amfilissos
area has many attractions as a place to live for people of
all ages, particularly those associated with its natural
beauty and ecological diversity. But deciding to live in
the Area means confronting many problems., which intersect
the physical and sociocultural layers of the Amfilissos
Area flow grid. The people who experience these problems
most intensively are young: in their 20’s and 30’s.
Paradoxically these are the people whom it is most
important to attract to the Amfilissos Area, as they will
be the main motivators and achievers in its revitalization
and development.
Fourni islands from Balos Beach
Specific
problems and emerging solutions
The following problems are those most
frequently cited by the young people in 2009. These are
also the problems which motivate the Amfilissos Network in
designing and implementing the projects in the Amfilissos
Project Compendium to overcome them.
Access
internet access.
This lack has made
difficulties for both work and leisure activities, which
increasingly rely on live high speed digital connectivity.
However all this has now changed with the provision of 3G
broadband wireless networking for the Amfilissos area by
Cosmote with increasing covrege, starting August 2009.
Creativity
containment.
Previously, there have
been few resources or projects encouraging creativity
within the Amfilissos Area - this will now begin to change
with development of Spritivity projects, encouragement of
an influx of creative professionals bringing their own
resources and creative briefs, together the establishment
of a branch of the London Multimedia Lab for Audiovisual
Composition and Communication in the area. Studios
and workshops will also be set up through local
initiatives to provide resources for creative
practitioners.
Lack
of any educational and professional development.
Apart from the schools for
primary and secondary education in Skoureika and Koumeika
there are no facilities on institutes supporting life-long
educational and professional development in the area.
Provision of such educational facilities is a major aim of
the projects that will establish the Amfilissos Centre and
Laboratory for Revitalizing Villages and the Ecological
observatory planned to be developed at Nochori.
Implementation of Summer Schools, intensive courses,
on-line resources and graduate internships will be
encouraged. There is also a plan to develop teaching
components of the International Baccalaureate in the
Amfilissos Area,
Destruction
and pollution of the Area’s physical environment and
impairment of natural water supplies.
This has become a steadily
increasing problem within the Amfilissos Area as building
development and tourism increases, without substantial
infrastructures. The Amfilissos Flow Grid has been designed
to promote development, and provide for the growth of
tourism within an ecological framework, but constant
vigilance will also be necessary to pre-empt local
activities that can lead to destruction of natural and
heritage resources.
Path leading to the water
supply source pool for Neochori
In 2006, with ancient paving stones intact ........................ In 2009:
Path widened. stones gone, surface rutted by water