Greek retirees train as storytellers in tourism fighting social exclusion

A lively white-haired Penelope Kyritsi enchanted passers by a few months ago, standing in front of Typaldos’ tower, an abandoned early 20th century neogothic style tower building at Patisia in central Athens, narrating its fascinating story on camera.

The 72-year- old pensioner is one of the dozens participants in a two-year EU-funded program, implemented in Greece and other three European countries. Under the project they were trained to become volunteer local storytellers in the tourism sector, fighting loneliness and social exclusion.

“When we were shooting the video, people would stop, Greeks as well as foreigners who did not understand the language. I believe it was because of the thirst (to learn). They were passing in front of the tower, they did not know what it is, how it was constructed, what happened and they listened to me,” she told maritimes.gr in a recent interview here.

Kyritsi is not the stereotypical retiree who stays indoors knitting. When she became a pensioner 11 years ago, she was liberated, she said.

A mother of two who had worked as a journalist, in public relations, market research and advertising, found the time to do activities she enjoyed. She travelled, participated in photography contests and took up acting lessons, participating in popular TV programs and theater productions.

During the pandemic, stranded at home for months, she discovered zooming, online lessons, and as social life returned to normality, she enrolled in the TSITour (Training on Social Inclusion in Tourism) program to become a storyteller in tourism.

TSITour, which was concluded this spring, was implemented by six organizations in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, explained Eva Salmatani, Project Manager at the Social Action and Innovation Center KMOP, a Greek NGO with 45 years of experience in supporting vulnerable groups, which run the project in Greece.

The aim was to create a training module for students to learn how to manage projects on social inclusion using tourism as a case study. In parallel the target was to enhance the storytelling skills of elderly people to allow them to stay active members of society by becoming storytellers in tourism, providing more authentic experiences to visitors, she said.

Kyritsi was one of the six elderly participants in Greece and 29 total. Due to pandemic restrictions, the storytellers shared their stories about their cities through videos or in events with small crowds.

“The feedback was very positive. We saw that there was indeed social impact, that this is a practice that can really contribute to social inclusion, mobilization and empowerment of elderly people,” Salmatani noted.

She saw elderly who were hesitating at the beginning to narrate stories, appearing more confident at the end after the interaction with people who showed interest to listen to them.

Kyritsi was enthusiastic about the experience. She no longer blushes in front of audiences and she enriched her knowledge about the neighborhood she is living in since 1973, when she arrived in Athens from her birthplace Heraklion on Crete island.

“I had to look for information, to read, to research and I like the role of the researcher and so I learned a lot of things … Above all, I met Eva and other people. We have formed a core which I believe is strong enough and I hope that more things will happen in the future,” she said.

Kyritsi calls on the state and citizens to support such initiatives to keep retirees active. “Go out to see, to hear, to take and give… To find joy and peace by the realization ‘I am doing something too. I am also offering something after 60, 70 or 80 years old,” she urged the elderly.

“As for the state, it is time to reach out and hold our hands to help us learn skills, as they are doing with preschoolers who attend kindergarten. People who cannot use the laptop, the mobile should be taught, because from now on our lives will be like this, whether we like it or not,” she added.

Regarding the day after, the goal of partners in TSITour is to build a base of volunteers to keep the initiative going, Salmatani said. To date 29 volunteers have already registered in Greece.
State and society should take a closer look at elderly people, she added.

“A very important element is to change the attitude towards them. People have changed. They are nor like they used to be. We see very active people. We see people with a great appetite for life and we really have to give them the opportunity to do things, to learn new things, new skills and have new experiences,” she noted.

“The goal is, since we have now managed to live longer, to be able to live well for many years, with physical health and social well-being,” Salmatani stressed.