"In the morning, we collect  oregano, wood and other materials to process in the workshop. Then someone plays the flute in the forest and we close our eyes and walk along a path between two ropes following its sound".

Children of Zeus

Nick Karagiannidis has created a small residential complex that operates as a seasonal communal centre of children's activities focusing on nature, in Ano Skotina of Olympus mount. After finishing his studies in physical education, philosophy and history in Germany, he worked hard abroad in order to earn enough money to create this peculiar centre.

During the construction of the communal building he lived in a cabin like a hermit for five years, drawing energy from the sun alone. Since then he keeps satisfying his energy needs using solar collectors, not only for economy

Since then he only uses solar energy collectors, not only for economic reasons but to protect the environment, which he humbly respects. "I made the most of the centre with my own two hands and I have never borrowed a penny from anyone. If I hired workers I would have had to work for three lives in order to pay them".

Depending on the season, Nick teaches the children how to climb and work with natural materials. They collect chestnuts, nuts and mushrooms, they slide down the snowy slopes of Mount Olympus and then climb back up. "We wear special uniforms and jump in the frozen waters of the waterfalls that fall from an enormous height. We count to ten and then we get out of the water, so we don't freeze. We baptise ourselves children of Zeus and have fun".

Not a single child has ever been in danger because of Nick Karagiannidis's activities; on the contrary, the children who were taught by him were proved much less accident prone.

These activities are so useful and unconventional, that some important European educational institutions send teenagers to live in his shelter so that they can stay away from trouble. They trust him to take care of children who need to build their self-confidence and patience and obtain a range of skills, very useful for their survival. 

"Nothing can stop what I'm doing for the children. They are innocent creatures, unable to hurt a fly, speechless and confused when faced with adult violence and cruelty. Love for children is not a theory; it is a deed and a way of life".

Activities for adults

Nick organizes activities not only for children but also for adults, who choose the communal for their vacation. Everyone has free access to the kitchen, where they can cook vegetables cut from the communal's garden. There is no advertising sign hanging outside the complex; he sees his friends as his best advertisers.

Every year, he also organizes activities beyond Pieria, like walks in the Cretan canyons in May and climbing on the top of Kilimanjaro in Africa in January.

Nick was born in Australia and came to Greece when he was 11 years old. At the age of 15, he went to one of his uncles in America, which, as he soon realised, was not the country where he could live his life. During his college years in Germany, he adored Jean-Jacques Rousseau and became a genuine Europeanist.

It makes him happy when the children who stayed with him and learned so many things by his side, return as adults and ask him to teach them more. He would never work as a civil servant, he says, even if his salary was the highest ever because he thinks that this would be the death of his dreams.

TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS 

Stone and wood prevail in the communal

Dogs also enjoy their lives in the communal.

Ano Skotina is a small village with very few houses.

The bleak tops of Olympus mountain propound beyond the forest.

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