Empowerment of Social Institutions 1st Local Action Group Meeting September 19, 2019
On Thursday, September 19th, the first meeting of the Local Action Group of the Poliprespa program took place in Lemos, Prespa, with the participation of external collaborators.
The Local Action Group is a platform for dialogue and consultation aimed at the more effective implementation of Poliprespa, as well as addressing concerns related to the area’s development. Both local entities and partners, along with representatives of institutions and foundations from outside Prespa, responded to the invitation and attended the meeting on Thursday afternoon in the Prespa Municipality’s conference room.
The Mayor, Panagiotis Paschalidis, coordinated the presentations and discussion.
The administrator of the SPP, Myrsini Malakou, gave a brief presentation on the two years of the program’s implementation, highlighting achievements and the issues that concerned the working group. One of the most significant positive assessments is the acquisition of experience at all levels of the collaborating entities, while the lack of human resources and unfamiliarity with institutions and procedures are among the region’s disadvantages.
The presentations by the three external collaborators of the LAG from the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation, the American Farm School, and the American College of Thessaloniki were particularly interesting. The presenters described the work of their institutions, and specifically, the American Farm School proposed specific actions (such as farmer training and innovative technologies in local product production) that could be implemented within the framework of Poliprespa.
Subsequently, all the representatives of the entities expressed their generally positive assessments of the program, as well as their main concerns about issues plaguing Prespa, such as the lack of young people, difficulties in promoting Prespa beans (adulteration, unorganized marketing), and longstanding unresolved institutional obstacles (regulations for stables, etc.).
By all accounts, the first introductory meeting between local and external collaborators in the operation of the LAG took place in a very positive atmosphere, with a spirit of cooperation and creative discussion.
The partners of Poliprespa were present at the meeting: Municipality of Prespa, Society for the Protection of Prespa, AS Pelekanos, parent associations, and cultural associations. Also in attendance were representatives of other local entities: TOEB Prespa, restaurateurs, hoteliers, eco-tourism social cooperatives, fishermen, and livestock breeders. Additionally, the program’s collaborators attended, including the Ephorate of Antiquities of Florina, the University of Western Macedonia’s School of Fine Arts, and representatives such as the Deputy Governor of Agricultural Development of Western Macedonia, Mr. Vassilis Ampas, and the President of the Prespa National Park Management Body, Mr. Panagiotis Paraschos. The LAG’s invited guests from potential collaborating institutions included Ms. Vicky Krystallidou, program manager at the American Farm School, Mr. Dionysis Papadatos, action manager at the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation, and Mr. George Kokkas, director of the entrepreneurship center at the American College of Thessaloniki.