Please tell us about yourself.
I am currently a History teacher at an upper secondary school in Thessaloniki, Greece. I focus on teaching, of course, and work as a Teacher’s Mentor and School Librarian. I was also a Deputy Headmistress of the school until 2023.
With a degree in History and Archeology and a MA in Educational Studies (Continuing Learning), I have spent the last 25 years dedicated to teaching history with new technologies and through that, promoting cultural heritage to my students and colleagues. This aim is reinforced by my membership of the Association of History Education in Greece (since 2018), EuroClio (2018), the Historiana Teaching and Learning Team (2022) and Europeana Network Association (2018).
In recent years, I have participated in several conferences focused on teaching history digitally, and I have designed several lesson plans for the Teaching with Europeana platform. I maintain an educational and literary blog in Greek , since a parallel interest of mine is reading and writing literature. I am also a PEN Greece member and I have published several short stories and book reviews in Greek literature e-magazines.
Why did you join the Europeana Network Association?
I joined the Europeana Network Association to contribute to the collective effort of preserving and sharing Europe's rich cultural heritage. I was drawn to ENA's vision of making cultural treasures accessible to everyone, and the opportunity to collaborate with professionals across Europe who share my passion for heritage and technology.
How has being an ENA member benefitted you professionally or personally?
Being an ENA member has been enriching both professionally and personally. Professionally, it has connected me with a network of experts and resources that have enhanced my projects and broadened my perspective on cultural heritage management. Personally, it's been inspiring to be part of a community that values heritage as much as I do and is committed to its preservation and accessibility.
How have you got involved in the Europeana Network Association?
I have been actively involved in ENA through participation in the Education Community. Through the community, I learned about different educational projects, among them Teaching with Europeana.
This prompted me to get involved and learn more about the Network Association. Through its informative newsletters, I discovered the wide range of its activities, its openness to everyone and how encouraging and supportive it was to its members. I downloaded the Impact Playbook as soon as I was accepted as an ENA member. The critical question, ‘What is your critical contribution to society?', made me take searching for my own personal contribution to its culture and heritage seriously .
Because I felt that I would be able to offer more as a member of the Council, and with the profound belief in the importance of cultural heritage in shaping our identities and fostering cross-cultural understanding, I stood for election to the Members Council. I saw in ENA a pivotal force for safeguarding and disseminating heritage for future generations. I believe that with technology as our ally, we can ensure that cultural treasures from every corner of Europe are accessible to all. To my great satisfaction, I was elected!
What is your best ENA memory/experience?
My best ENA experience was attending Europeana’sTech conference 2023: Explore, Engage, Experience: cultural heritage in the data space and beyond in the Hague. During this unique event, I had the chance to meet many passionate professionals, get the latest updates around the digitisation and preservation of European cultural heritage, exchange ideas and work on innovative solutions for cultural heritage challenges. It was a moment that reinforced my commitment to ENA's mission and showcased the impact of our collaborative efforts. After the conference, my decision to apply to stand to become an ENA Member Councillor was crystallised!
Why should someone join ENA?
You should join ENA to become part of a vibrant community that is making a real difference in the world of cultural heritage. ENA offers unique opportunities for networking, professional development and collaboration. By joining, individuals can contribute to important projects, learn from leading experts, and help shape the future of how we preserve and share cultural heritage. It is totally free, very easy to apply and, believe me, you will benefit from opportunities to stay up-to-date in your topic and to positively and progressively influence it!