Thank you Letter
This year the DHIA festival had a different approach and closed a large cycle of actions, initiatives and activities with a positive impact and optimism influencing or even challenging the local communities to approach integration policies in different ways that obviously work constructively in benefit of everyone.
In 2023 we celebrated 10 years since the day of the foundation of the festival, 20 Years since the Foundation of the CHANIA Club of Sign Language Dissemination. This year's situation was also an occasion to renew the consortium with more commitments.
The coordinators of the festival are: Chania DISABLED ASSOCIATION, Club for the Promotion of Sign Language, General Secretariat of Sports, Institute of Nutritional Studies and Research and the Cultural Organization of Macedonia Thrace ESAEI EN ROI, which last has taken over the legal issues of establishing the festival, maintaining original material and the keeping the central archive since 2013.
During the festival days and for the first time, the stakeholders and DHIAfest associates were mainly involved in the preparation phase rather in implementation process. As a result, the participation was based on the degree of response of the citizens and their free will to respond to our invitation. Unfortunately, it turned out that the free invitation and the reliability effect of unknown participatory groups did not work well highlighting the social dilemma of CITIZENs' commitment unreliability on participation. The framework of volunteering and guided actions have also been put under meta-evaluation hoping to develop better risk management and marketing strategies for ensuring commitment of participation and positive social effect.
Nowon, the treasure hunt game is established and its success is a MUST for us, promising to our funs and followers that the members of the steering committee will work even harder for the coming year, creating a DHIAfest structure for 2024 that can be much more attractive and challenging.
Our goals are
- To improve exploratory learning and discovery of local history and sociopolitical status through the treasure hunt game and by involving cities from other countries with expatriate Greeks
- To make a special tribute every year to a prominent personality in the field of Special Education with an emphasis on the issues of deafness and hearing impairements.
- To bring back post-covid artistic activities that take place in local monuments and outdoor theater stages of the archaic, Roman or Byzantine era.
Therefore, we sincerely thank everyone who supported us this year in particular
For the patronage: the ministries of
- EDUCATION AND RELIGIONS
- CULTURE AND SPORTS (GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF SPORTS)
- FOREIGN AFFAIRS (GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF HELLENICISM IN EXAMINATION AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY)
- TOURISM
- INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT
- HEALTH
-INTERNAL (SECTOR OF MACEDONIA THRACE)
for cooperation, assistance and support we thank:
(1) the Prefectures of Crete (Regional Unit of Chania), Central Macedonia (Thessalonica Tourism Organization), Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Regional Unit of Kavala) highlighting their fervent support as well as the Prefefcture of Attica for their positive intention to support the actions in Elefsina.
(2)Holy Metropolis of
a. Kydonia and Apokorono,
b. Philippi, Neapolis and Thassos,
c. Nicopolis & Preveza,
d. Corfu, Paxos and Diapontia Islands and
e. Kitrous, Katerinis and Platamonos.
(3) Ephorates of Antiquities of Chania, Chios, Argolis, Rhodope, West Attica, Preveza, Pieria who substantially supported us in various phases of treasure hunt preparation as well as for their positive intention, the Ephorates of Kavala, Athens, Thessaloniki, Corfu
(4) Municipalities of Chania, Platanias, Thessaloniki, Athens, Dion Olympus, Preveza, Chios, Corfu, Nafplio, Maronia and Elefsina as well as the municipal services PAKPA of the Municipality of Elefsina, KEPPEDHI KAM of the Municipality of Chania, Deputy Mayor of Tourism (Traditional Strates), municipal enterprise of the European Capital of Culture 2023
(5) the Regional Education Directorates of Crete, Attica, Peloponnese, Central Macedonia, as well as Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
(6) the Unions & Associations:
· Association of Disabled Persons of Chania,
· Association of Disabled Persons of Preveza “ELPIDA”,
· Hospital for Chronic Diseases of Chania Prefecture,
· Association of Kizdervenians of Rodopi,
· "Aenaos Plefsis" and
· Chania Shadow Theater
(7) the Greek Associations of Tradition Maintenance that participated in the traditional stratas of N. Chania (Aug-Sep) and specifically: Arodamos, Psiloritis, Rodon, Viglatores, Zalos, Dale Passo, Stavraetii, as well as the organizations: Friends of the Trails of Chios (local co-organizer), KDAP of Platon Xanthi, Radamanthys Publications, Center for Environmental Education of Homeropolis of Chios, Greek High School of Corfu,
(8) the Volunteering Groups:
· Scientific Network of Adult Education of Crete,
· Youth Council Alliance
· Skillman Network
· PROTEKTA of Ilios
· PROTEKTA of the Municipality of Pavlos Melas and Evosmos,
· Greek Red Cross of Corfu, Katerini, Kavala, Nafplio and Chania as well as the
· Scouts of Ioannina.
(9) the sponsors:
· for the transportation of participants in Elefsina and Chania, namely: the coastal shipping companies Hellenic Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, Anek LInes and ANETH, the railway services company Hellenic Train, KTEL Thessaloniki,
· GROMA reconstructions company
· General Post Office
· Gavala Foundries
· Bakery Glymidaki
· Lampaki Family Cretan Lab
· Chiotaki Dough Products,
· Sklavenitis Super Market chain
· SYNKA Supermarket Chain
· Souroti SA.
and finally, the social media sponsors: ERT3, ERT Komotini, ERT Chania, ERT Corfu, ERT North Aegean, ERT Kavala, radio 95.8 and radio of the Holy Metropolis of Corfu Paxos and Diapontia Islands.