The creative collaboration between AUEB and Diazoma bears fruit

PRESS RELEASE

“Cataclysms we never accounted for

We got into it all and went through

And we have a violator on our mast

forever the Sun the Iliator!”

Odysseas Elytis

On 27/06/2024, the innovative research article entitled “The “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative: Eleusis 2023 European Capital of Culture was published in the prestigious scientific journal Sustainability, of the Swiss publishing house MDPI (with impact factor 3.9).

A team from the Athens University of Economics and Business and a team from Diazoma participated in the writing of the article. Specifically, the team leader was the Scientific Coordinator of the Teacher Education Program of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Dr. Brinia Vasiliki, the members of the Association “DIAZOMA”, Mr. Mary Belogianni, Philologist, Dr. archaeologist, responsible for its educational programs and Manolopoulou Georgia, M.Sc Ph. Dc Museologist, member of the Board of Directors of the Association “Diazoma”, Mr. Tziros Georgios, economist, professor of Pierce, as well as the members of the Scientific Team of the Teacher Education Program of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Kasiola Eirini, Georgogala Sofia, and Marinopoulou Stavroula. This is a significant success of the scientific team of the Teacher Education Program (https://www.dept.aueb.gr/tep), the Association “DIAZOMA” (www.diazoma.gr), the entrepreneurship center of AUEB ACEin and the economic magazine “Xenophon” in the context of their collaboration for the development of the innovative action “Education, Entrepreneurship and Culture”. 

The vision of this collaboration, which began in 2017 by Dr. Vasiliki Brinia, the president of Diazoma Mr. Stavros Benos, Dr. Theodoros Benos, and Dr. Mary Belogianni and was later staffed with remarkable personalities, is the joint support of voluntary educational actions in the field of holistic cultural management of monuments and their utilization in the training of teachers of economics and informatics. The vision of the collaboration is the joint design and implementation of educational activities that will support the holistic approach to the cultural management of monuments in Greece. This approach concerns, on the one hand, the connection of the country’s cultural reserve with the business sector, which is expressed through the philosophy of integrated management programs of monuments, such as the Cultural/Environmental Routes and the Archaeological Parks, proposed by the Association “DIAZOMA” and contributes to their design and implementation, and on the other hand to highlight and strengthen the new entrepreneurship emerging through the Creative Industries, the products that can be produced through them and their connection to the “experience economy”. This emerging model of economic activity is based on creating “intangible” value, which enriches traditional products and services. These goods are associated with the environment, tourism, agri-food, monuments, museums, theme parks, etc. Therefore, the synergies created for the innovative introduction of entrepreneurship in education through the exploitation of the cultural reserve of Greece, start from the University with the design of a project where groups of students prepare original business plans based on the cultural routes proposed by the Association “DIAZOMA”, with an innovative educational and entrepreneurial character. The aim is to formulate proposals for the exploitation of monuments to achieve sustainability and sustainable development of the examined areas of cultural interest. We believe that this innovative approach is another look at the introduction of entrepreneurship in education.

The purpose of the research article published is, through qualitative research, to study the perceptions of students who participated in the innovative action “Education, Entrepreneurship and Culture” during the years 2018-2022. Specifically, the students developed in groups business plans with innovative ideas for the cultural exploitation and promotion of the cultural capital of Eleusis as the European Capital of Culture in the year 2023. As shown by the results of the research, students developed both cognitive and behavioral skills (hard and soft skills) by developing their emotional intelligence, eventually acquiring life skills.

The article is available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135459

Citation:

Brinia, V. Belloyiani, M. Manolopoulou, G., Tziros, G., Kasiola, E., Georgogala, S., Marinopoulou, S. The “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative: Eleusis 2023 European Capital of Culture. Sustainability 2024, 16, 5459

Congratulations to the scientific team!