Poetry as a means of integration of immigrant: A project at

Kalamata Second Chance School

Dr. Evangelia Kylintirea
1
,

Georgia Gallou
2
1
Greek Literacy Educator, General Lykeio of Dorio
2
Greek Literacy Educator, Principal of Kalamata Second Cance Scool
Conference Strand: 5. Good Teaching Practice
Key words! poetry, lifelong long learning, integration, immigrant"
Abstract
Second Cance Scool", a" a ne# yet con"ummate in"titution of lifelong education,
ave developed po#erful mecani"m" for te integration of immigrant" in local
"ociety. $ne of teir main o%&ective" i" to provide all immigrant" #it a cance to
ac'uire te lingui"tic de(teritie" and "ocial, multicultural facultie" nece""ary for
acieving lingui"tic proficiency and cultural compreen"ion. )i" #a" al"o one of te
o%&ective" of te pro&ect *+ Poem for Every Day,-, #ic #a" developed %y a team
of adult trainee" of Kalamata Second Cance Scool . )eir main o%&ective #a" to
produce #eekly %ooklet", eac containing "even poem", one for eac day of every
#eek of te program. Poetry con"titute", %ecau"e of it" inten"ely open "ocial caracter
tat not only allo#", %ut actively "eek" te individual approac, an e(cellent mean"
for cultivating te value" of a multicultural "ociety. )e trainee", Greek and
immigrant" alike, approaced poetry #itout e(clu"ion" and "tigmati.ation", tey
*conver"ed- and created #it it. Educational practice" %a"ed on te teorie" of
reception and ae"tetic" #ere u"ed to allo# te trainee" to develop "elf/activity! tey
co"e tem"elve" all te literary te(t" tey *conver"ed- #it, "aping tu" ne#
reading a%it", and created teir o#n te(t" for te poem". 0oreover, troug a "erie"
of creative activitie" 1creative #riting and poem recon"truction, creation of Dada
poem", creation of vi"ual and multimodal te(t", a" #ell a" multimedia2, te trainee"
felt teir attraction to kno#ledge gro#, teir "elf/e"teem "trengtened and teir
deci"ion to return to lifelong education reinforced. +n effort #a" made, in accordance
#it te o%&ective" of lifelong education for immigrant", to u"e 3C) a" muc a"
po""i%le 1ence te creation of te %log ttp!441poima.%log"pot.com42. La"t %ut not
lea"t! te participation of immigrant" in te pro&ect contri%uted to te creation of a
team tat approaced poetry #itout predetermined an"#er", only troug te eye" of
te %rain and te eart5 a team tat allo#ed and, often, "ougt cultural difference and
managed to render te *oter- into an e""ential component of *#e-.