YOUNG ARTISTS IN EMERGENCY ANALYSIS

ΑΝΑΛΥΣΙΣ: UNDERSTANDING CRISIS THEN AND NOW1. Statistics2. Questionnaire3. «Μy story»4. Comics

ECONOMIC CRISIS IN OUR LIVES:AN INTRODUCTION AND SOME STATISTICS

HOW FINANCIAL CRISIS AND RECESSION HAS AFFECTED GREEK MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASS FAMILIES

The annual family income has been dramatically reduced

Huge tax burdens have been imposed on low incomes and families

Service cuts and declining quality in health, education and social care is the new reality

Unemployment rates raise to 29%

AS A RESULT SOME FAMILIES ….. cannot pay off their bank loan, their taxes or even the house mortgage or the rent

can’t afford expenses providing better health care for their families can’t provide high level education to their children Worry about the welfare of their children now and in the future

HOW DO GREEKS FEEL59% believe that things will get worse in the following 2 years Emotional chart: 3% pathetic,11% afraid,18% desperate,37% angry

SOME OF THEM CAN NOT COPE WITH THE PROBLEM

Ιncreasing rates of: Home violence Divorces homeless people Street violence Alcoholism Drug addicts Racism Suicides (Hellenic Statistical Authority)

THE IMF SUICIDES

It seems that suicides committed under the pressure of bad financial conditions is an international phenomenon first met in S. Korea in 1998 when the country asked for the financial support of the IMF (International Monetary Foundation). Many citizens lost their jobs and money as a result of the reforming policies imposed by the IMF and the rate of suicides increased by 45%..The term “IMF suicides” soon became international.

S U I C I D E S I N T H E F I R S T 5 M O N T H S O F 2 0 1 1 H AV E I N C R E A S E D B Y 4 0 % C O M P A R E D T O T H E S A M E P E R I O D I N 2 0 1 0 .3 0 % O F T H E P E O P L E W H O E N D E D T H E I R L I V E S W E R E U N E M P L O Y E D7 , 1 % P U B L I C S E R VA N T S5 , 6 % P R I V AT E E M P L O Y E E S6 , 5 F R E E L A U N C H E R S5 , 5 % U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D E N T S4 , 5 % S T U D E N T S I N S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L3 9 , 2 % O F U N K N O W N P R O F E S S I O N A L S TAT U S ( H E L L E N I C S T A T I S T I C A L A U T H O R I T Y )

THE GREEK DEBT

LABOUR MARKET

-What do we have to fear from the recession?-To turn into something else!

UNEMPLOYMENT IN GREECE FROM JULY 2011 TO JUNE 2013

LABOUR MARKET

UNEMPLOYMENT IN EUROZONE (FEBRUARY 2013)

LABOUR MARKET

HEALTH

Last year Greek government asked public hospital to decrease their expenses in 40%.

The consequences were soon visible.

The HIV affected from 3,7/100.000 increased in 8,4/100.000

Food quality has deteriorated. As a consequence, obesity (and child obesity) is a very serious problem.

MARRIAGES / DIVORCES

The number of religious marriages has decreased considerably, due to the high expenses. The political marriage for the first time is more popular.

Divorces: 1995 +1,03 2005 +1,21 2010 -1,17 Couples decide to stay together and not attend the court, because they cannot afford the expenses

LABOUR MARKET

BIRTHSAfter 2009 there was an important recession in births

CHILD POVERTY

IMMIGRATION

CONSUMPTION

OPTIMISM………………

WHAT DO THE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THE CRISIS: THE QUESTIONNAIRE

ANSWERING A QUESTIONNAIRE AT SCHOOL

1. Ho w mu ch did th e c r is is a ffec t y ou ?      

a. a l otb. en oug hc. no t mu chd. no t at all

2. How did the cr isis affected your fami ly?a.        Bo th my p are nts ha ve los t th eir job b.        On e of my pa ren ts has los t h is jobc.        On e (a t le as t) member of t he family ha d to emigra te (in the co unt ry o r a bro ad ) to find a jobd.   Ou r fin anc ia l si tua tion is bad       e. My par ent s may times don 't g ive me mo ne y an ymoref. Se vera l ti me s we e at t han ks to the co mmo n o rga niz ed by the ch urc h o r o the r or gan iza tio nsg         We ha ve limited ou r d aily sh op pin g to th e ab so lut ely ne ces sar yh     Th e cr isis d id n ot aff ect us at all OT HER

3.  How did the cr isis affect you per sonal ly?a.   I worr y ab ou t th e f utu re     b.   Th ere is a lo t o f te ns ion in t he family     c.   Th ere is vio len ce all aro und me         d.   I h ad to q uit ma ny thin gs I us ed to lov e      e.  I fe el inse cu re        f.  I fe el sca red g. I fe el ang ry h. I fe el frus tra ted i. I fe el inju sti ce j. I f eel mor e o pt imis t th an befo re k. I re ali zed th at I ha ve to l ean on my own l OT HER

4. H ow di d t he cri si s affec t peop l e ge neral l y? a. T hey b ecam e mor e i n deffe rent b. T hey b ecam e mor e pa ssi v e c. T hey b ecam e mor e ag gres si ve d. T hey b ecam e mor e su spi c i ous e. N ow t hey c are m ore for one ea ch ot her. othe r 5. B efore the cri si s , I w as thi nk i ng t hat a f ter fi ni sh i ng school I w oul d… a. fi nd a good j ob b. s tudy c. b e une mpl o yed d. m arry and make a fa mi l y of m y ow n e. g o abr oad t o w or k or stu dy othe r 6. N ow , I am thi nk i ng that w hen I fin i sh s chooL I w i l l … a. fi nd a good j ob b. s tudy c. b e une mpl o yed d. m arry and make a fa mi l y of m y ow n e. g o abr oad t o w or k or stu dy othe r 7. W ho d o you bel i e ve i s re sponsi bl e f or th e cri s i s? a. T he po l i t i c i ans b. d emoc racy c. t he sy ndi ca t repr esen tati ves d. T he i m mi g rants that hav e com e to greec e e. t he go vernm ents f . E urope an Un i on g. T he G erma ns h. T he w orl d conspi racy w a nti ng to de stroy H el l eni s m a nd the O rt hodox curch i . O urse l ves othe r 8. D o yo u bel i eve t hat i f y ou em i grat e abr oad yo u w i l l f ace a raci st be havi ou r? YES NO 9. W hi ch of t he fol l ow i ng statem ents desc ri be b est your poi nt of v i ew ? a. w e at e i t al l to geth er b. E urope ans a re env i ous of us bec ause w e a re the bes t c. W e' v e got to be nd t he h ead an d don ' t a sk for mo re d. I w an t the i mm i gra nts out, t hey c ontam i nate our cou ntry e. G reek s are raci s ts f . G reek s are not r aci s ts g. J ust t o hav e a j o b, t hat' s al l I w ant e ven i f I g et p ai d on l y 20 0 eur os per mo nth 10. What ' s y our op i ni o n on the f ol l ow i ng countr i es? Π ολ ύ καλ ή α.             Ι ταλί α β.             Η Π Α γ.               Αγγλί α δ.             Γ ερμαν ί α ε.               Τουρκ ί α στ.       Ι σπ ανί α ζ.                 Αυστ ρί α η.             Ρ ουμαν ί α θ.             Ρ ω σί α

4. How did the crisis affect people generally? a. They became more indifferent b. They became more passive c. They became more aggressive d. They became more suspicious e. Now they care more for one each other. other 5. Before the crisis, I was thinking that after finishing school I would… a. find a good job b. study c. be unemployed d. marry and have a family of my own e. go abroad to work or study other 6. Now, I am thinking that when I finish school I will a find a good job b. study c. be unemployed d. marry and have a family of my own e. go abroad to work or study other 7. Who do you believe is responsible for the crisis? a. The politicians b. democracy c. the syndicat representatives d. The immigrants that have come to greece e. the governments f. European Union g. The Germans h. The world conspiracy wanting to destroy Hellenism and the Orthodox curch i. Ourselves Other

8. Do you believe that if you emigrate abroad you will face a racist behaviour? YES NO 9. Which of the following statements describe best your point of view? a. we ate it all together b. Europeans are envious of us because we are the best c. We' ve got to bend the head and don' t ask for more d. I want the immigrants out, they contaminate our country e. Greeks are racists f. Greeks are not racists g. Just to have a job, that' s all I want even if I get paid only 200 euros per month 10. What' s your opinion on the following countries? Πολύ καλή α.      Ιταλία β.      ΗΠΑ γ.       Αγγλία δ.      Γερμανία ε.       Τουρκία στ.   Ισπανία ζ.        Αυστρία η.      Ρουμανία θ.      Ρωσία

8. Do you believe that if you emigrate abroad you will face a racist behaviour?YESNO9. Which of the following statements describe best your point of view?a. «we ate it all together»b. Europeans are envious of us because we are the bestc. We' ve got to bend the head and don' t ask for mored. I want the immigrants out, they contaminate our countrye. Greeks are racistsf. Greeks are not racistsg. Just to have a job, that' s all I want even if I get paid only 200 euros per month

RESULTS 42% of our students are in a very bad financial condition 31% have a parent who has lost his/her job

RESULTS 63% of them worry about their future 37% feel angry or frustrated 31% have realised that they cannot expect any help from the State anymore 60% think that people have become more aggressive and violent 32% of them believe that they can find a good job after graduating (before crisis 54% believed the same)

RESULTS 26% are determined to go to College (46% before crisis) 35% have decided to emigrate (16% before) Only 6% thought they would be unemployed

before crisis ( now 28% of students are pessimistic about finding a job after graduation)

RESULTS 71% think that politicians are responsible for the financial crisis. 51% believe they will face racist behavior if they live as immigrants abroad 43,39% agree with the statement: «Just to have a job, that' s all I want even if I get paid only 200 euros per month»

«MY STORY» We asked the students to write anonymously about their experience, their feelings, how did crisis affected them and their families, in a diary style.

Their essays express fear, sorrow, anger, worry about the future but also optimism.

«…έχω κουραστεί και στενoχωρεθεί να βλέπω ανθρώπους να ζητιανεύουν και να κοιμούνται στο δρόμο, να μην έχουν να φάνε, ποιος θα τους βοηθήσει αυτούς;»

“I’ m sick and tired of seeing everyday people begging and sleeping in the streets, not having anything to eat, who’ s gonna help them?”

“The crisis has stolen the smile from our faces. The normal would be to react, to rebel. Not violently, but with the right choices. To make the responsibles for all these to live a hell. Not with violence, but just rejecting them. But I’ m afraid that we will just stay idle in the couch, choosing again and again the same wrong people…”«…Η κρίση στην Ελλάδα είναι μια κατάσταση στην οποία έχει κλαπεί το χαμόγελο από τα πρόσωπα των ανθρώπων. Η κανονική αντίδραση που θα έπρεπε να έχουμε είναι να αντιδράσουμε, αρχής γενομένης να κάνουμε επανάσταση. Όχι με βία, αλλά με σωστές επιλογές. Να κάνουμε τους υπεύθυνους για την κρίση να ζήσουν μια κόλαση. Όχι με βία, αλλά με την απόρριψη προς το πρόσωπό τους. Αλλά αντί της επανάστασης, ο Έλληνας θα κάτσει στον καναπέ, επιλέγοντας πάλι τα λάθος άτομα…άγνωστο για ποιους λόγους»

“What upsets me more is that people are loosing themselves….may be that’ s the worst thing, they are loosing hope. A simple financial crisis could be easily overpassed, but something else is hidden behind that, and that scares me…”«…Αυτό που με στενoχωρεί περισσότερο είναι ότι βλέπω συνανθρώπους μου να χάνουν τις δουλειές τους, μετά απελπίζονται και χάνουν τον εαυτό τους. Ίσως αυτό είναι το χειρότερο, γιατί χάνεται η ελπίδα στη ζωή τους….μια απλή οικονομική κρίση θα μπορούσε να ξεπεραστεί εύκολα και χωρίς στεναχώρια, όμως κάτι άλλο κρύβεται και έχει γίνει έτσι η κοινωνία μας, αυτό είναι που με φοβίζει. Η οικονομική κρίση θα περάσει, όμως η νοοτροπία που δημιουργήθηκε μέσα σε αυτή θα παραμείνει.» [Ηλιάδη, ΓΦ1]

“What I see is that parents are doing everything for their children, and the state does not let them make them happy…”«…Αυτό που βλέπω είναι ότι οι γονείς κάνουν τα πάντα για τα παιδιά τους όμως το κράτος δεν τους αφήνει να τα κάνουν ευτυχισμένα…

“I’ m trying to see a world in colors, but unfortunately I see only grey…”…Προσπαθώ να δω τον κόσμο με χρώμα αλλά δυστυχώς τον βλέπω γκρι…» [Κλάρα}

A POEM

A

Don’t keep me at the doorFirst of allwhat we’ ll sayis between you and meCome on now, you know meLife soothes the cravenso it is difficult to express yourselfin difficult times. Locked myselfin my mold from now onand I don’t ask to get outBecause I’m afraid of the world outside

I got used to the bars surrounding meAround school, around work,around the garden.Let’s focus on the factsI see misery in the streetsand wonder:how the privileged onescan sing while hanging their laundry on the rope?

Marianna St.

CARICATURES «First of all, we underestimate caricatures and generaly humor and satire if we define them as fun. A caricature could be deeply existential, bitter, melancholic. Apart from relief is also an alarm bell in the difficult times we are living now.»

Petros Zervos, cartoonist

«We never make fun, we make satire. Fun is painless, relieving, with no rules and objectives. It may even be the weapon of the one who has the power, the cynism of the mighty. On the contrary, satire searches for the truth, stands up for the weak and its freedom is based upon the self-discipline, the self-awareness and the achievement of its aims. The freedom - and not the libertinage- of the satire always services a need. In that meaning is a political art, is a weapon and not simple fun. In these hard times satire captures people’ s despair and reminds of their hopes.»

Stathis, caricature artist