Tópio is empowering high-school students, training them to become the catalysts of change in their own neighbourhoods. We strongly believe that the re-use of public space can improve the physical, mental and psychological health of urban dwellers. For this reason, we focus on the importance of connecting healthy cities and “placemaking”.
The pilot version of the project took place at the 19th High school of Thessaloniki from December 2015 to May 2016. The name of the project is a combination of the Greek words “Topío” (place) and “Tópi” (ball), which points to youthfulness, games and children.
photo credits: Olympia Datsi
stencils: Pop-Up & Paper Stories
Our vision is to re-imagine the school as an open platform of discussion and interaction for the whole neighbourhood, where students lead the transformation both inside and outside its premises. We wish to get youngsters caring for their local community and public space, by initiating cultural and other activities. At first, these take place inside the school building and yard, and are then transferred out to the neighbourhood, eventually empowering them to invite the local community inside the school.
Our team focuses on enriching original and location-specific ideas with data, information and constant interaction between the local community and the public space. Based on previous experience, we develop various educational tools for “placemaking” that are not previously known to the local communities.
Although the whole process meets several obstacles, such as bureaucracy, we remain focused on our vision, trying to seek collaboration with the municipality and other local authorities. However, it is very important for us to preserve our self-organization and encourage bottom-up action.
photo credits: Vivian Doumpa
Who benefits from Tópio?
- Youth (school kids & university students) wishing to become catalysts of change in their own neighbourhood in collaboration with their teachers.
- Local communities wishing to contribute to social cohesion and upgrading the urban landscape.
- Everyone who wants to be active and participate in the development and co-formation of public spaces.
Tópio kick-started as a pilot project within the framework of the START: Create Cultural Change, by Robert Bosch Stiftung conducted in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki and the Bundesvereinigung Soziokultureller Zentren e.V. (German Association of Sociocultural Centers). So far, the project has attracted the attention of the press and several European organisations. For example, we are very proud of our involvement in the project “The City at Eye Level” working with Dutch “Stipo” and other practitioners.
We are reaching out to citizens through a dedicated website and our Facebook page, which includes all information that needs to be transferred to potential beneficiaries.
photo credits: Callie Vei & Alexandr Emmanouilidis
The people behind the idea
My name is Vivian Doumpa and in my early 30s, I have a degree in Urban-Regional Planning & Development Engineering, and I am a post-graduate in Urban Geography specialised in music in public spaces. I have a long-life education in music, and I am currently participating in a project of the research team “Critical Music Histories”. I am also the co-founder of “Creativity Platform”, a non-profit, collective scheme, seeking to function as an interdisciplinary platform of exchanging ideas, actions, research and applications related to the “creative capital” and the “creative economy” in the city of Thessaloniki as well as the whole of Greece in general. Since 2016, Tópio is a significant part of this collective scheme. Being in charge of the project, I had the chance to enrich my professional experience with technical seminars in Project Management (Germany), in the field of Cultural Management. It was a great challenge to combine Urban-Regional Planning and enhancement of active citizenship with creative means.
My partner, Olympia Datsi, works as a freelance trainer and mentor in the european/international volunteering field and non-formal education, co-ordinating youth projects. Moreover, her educational background based on Landscape Architecture, Interior Design and Fine Arts. She is in charge of the educational activities of Tópio, dealing with communication, training and empowerment of high-school students and citizens. Since 2013, she is also co-founder of the “Creativity Platform” and has a massive interest for sociology and public space.
photo credits: Victoria Datsi
As with all like-minded people, our professional relationship and friendship run on the basis of trust and respect. After all these collaborations in multiple projects, we have learned many things from each other’s capacities. We have taught ourselves what is the best way to move forward with the project: from sensing children’s needs and stimulating their interest in the public space, to approaching municipal stakeholders.
This good spirit of synergy and way of thinking and acting helps us to make progress. And we enjoy this feeling of pleasure and satisfaction when people get motivated by our ideas. One of them is my mother, who is really supportive and active in our interventions in the neighbourhood. Although in the first place it was quite hard for her to understand what actually “placemaking” is about.
photo credits: Vivian Doumpa
Artworks: Theano G. & Felix Felis