Learning log of the ULG from

Written by Fani Hatjina, ULG coordinator in Nea Propontida

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The BeePathNet journey started:

In fact, the journey started with the kick off meeting in Budapest- Hegyvidek, in February 2019. But during this trip, only the project coordinator and the ULG coordinator had the chance to meet the other city teams and get an insight of the project.

The challenge was to transfer this first-hand knowledge to the ULG members, once they started forming the group, which happened immediately after.

With a full luggage of ideas as well as tasks, the road ahead of us was looked like .....

We started to take steps at a time, and convert the straight line in a step like line in order to be able to first learn and then implement, revise, implement, learn, and go forward.

Our progress and experience gained were like small square boxes added together and forming a big ladder.

Lots of expectations and high ambitions, not only from the project coordinator and the ULG coordinatopr but also from all ULG members.

What was very interesting was that the PC had no knowledge at all about bees, still she initiated this adventure!

The rest of us, were somehow close to the bees' world, myself a bee-scientists, others beekeepers, some teachers but working sometimes on subjects with bees. Therefore, the enthusiasm was really great as we found in this project the opportunity to DO THINGS FOR BEES IN THE MUNICIPALITY! Therefore, one cannot say that as individuals we started from 'the basics'. No, not all; in fact, some of us already had some experience in Educational courses (like the one from the Environmental Center of Arnaia) or running workshops and giving lectures for the importance of bees and pollinators in our environment as well as participating in awareness raising campaign against the pesticides (meaning myself and my Institution).

However, nothing was happening at the Municipality level, no movement, no initiatives to increase the green in the city and educate the citizens to care for and protect the environment. Therefore, we started from the ground level!

A second interesting point in our bee story was the recruitment of our lovely lady journalist! That was a surprise for us, but also for her, who knowing nothing about bees, but respecting the environment she turned to be best ambassador for BeePathNet! in !

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Time line for BeePathNet projet in Nea Propontida

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The st year of transferring the good practice

The first ULG meetings were a chaos, lots of members (great for us indeed), but difficult to manage. And at the beginning the people did not know what to except. Either we!!!!

The Boot Camp in Ljubljana, was an explosion! We heard, we saw, we learn, we imagined, we felt jealous, we got more ambitions! It was critical that we were five of us travelling and experiencing and networking, and not only 2 or 3! Among them our journalist. And that was the moment when the light in front of us appeard, in order to guide us though the whole process! Boot Camp was an enlightenment! And this experience continued with the work in the ULG as well as during the URBACT Campus organized in Athens a bit later! Group work and participatory approach was a profit for all! Who knew what the vox pops and the polls, and the SWOT analysis and the games could be part of a learning procedure???

"What was this BeePathNet journey? An open door to new adventures!

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World Bee Day celebrations of 2019 arrived as the 'Absolute bee events', something like everybody was awaiting, although all had different expectations!

Awareness, selling, education, participation, collaboration, friendship, biodiversity, all appearing together in one little square!!! Did the people of the city were thirsty for something like that? for something different, relaxing, and educating, and pleasant at the same time? Perhaps YES!

We prepared leaflets, website, videos, exhibitions! We planted hundreds of plants, we gave beekeeping demonstrations, we mobile the schools, the beekeepers, even the Mayer. We reached our first goal!!!! I am quoting from our ULG members' diaries:

"Wonderful to see the little pupils happy and active around plants and bee products"- Katerina K.

"Rejoice children, the wondrous world of honey bees Is visiting your schools"- Nikos T.

"WBD celebrations are an opportunity to show to the whole world that the bees are the major providers for our food"- Nikos K. & Giorgos L.

"The bees can unite us. By protecting the bees, we protect the planet"- Evaggelia B

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After WBD celebrations the difficulties started to appears! The summer found us not so busy...... The ULG meetings were mostly concentrated in Spring and Autumn, almost nothing in the summer! The tourism people were not there, we did not manage to mobilize and activate them. The Municipality, as a ruling force, did not have a fully conclusive idea of the whole project! We did not manage to find sponsors and private sector members to make them more active and start their own initiatives. Bureaucracy and legal procedures concerning the economics of the project were slowing us down. Beekeepers were a bit disappointed, when they realized that this is was a project to directly increase their profit, but it is for all to understand and take care of the environment, the bees, etc. Numbers of ULG members in the meetings were slowly declining.

But ...... at the end of Summer 2019, the Full Moon event came and the Honey festivals (!) and the ULG gathered again and optimism and enthusiasm went up! The poster presentation during APIMONDIA was another success considering also that this was a surprise opportunity to see and experience Urban agriculture and urban beekeeping in practice and learn how a voluntary group could be very effective! Later in the Autumn 2019, the back to back meeting in Hegyvidek and in Bydgoszcz, added an incredible amount of ambitions to our initial ones, as we did have the chance to see what the other cities did, do and will do!

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Needless to say, that the visit of the Lead Partner, gave another flavor to the understanding of the whole process by the Mayor and the Municipality staff, as well as credit to what we had been doing for almost a year, or for what we were aiming in the year to come!

In one year, we had:

 12 ULG official meetings (with agenda and invitation and signatures),  other 3 non official (the core group got together to solve issues),  2 broadcasts in the radio,  and several events including an awareness campaign, the WBD, the honey festivals, the aromatic plants planting in schools, honey tasting etc!  we published letters, newsletters  we created a website and a fb page and we were quite active populating these social media pages with information  we prepared leaflets  we visited several schools!

In fact, this first year it was amazing!!! a. we learned a lot b. we generated new ideas c. we came to know each other d. we manage to reach out to citizens, and pupils e. we made BeePathNet project (as well as and Nea Propontida) known to the whole country! f. we identified antagonism within the ULG (still is!) g. we did manage to transfer some of the good practice of other cities!

We had an explosion of BEE smilies, and the municipality was full of them!!!!

The two info-graphics below, do express well what the ULG members gained during the 1st year and what were, still are the obstacles

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The nd year of transferring the good practice

The end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 was a very busy time for the ULG in Nea Propontida. Several meetings took place discussing biodiversity issues, the pant to make the Municipality greener, how to incorporate our initiatives in to the Municipality's planning, to implement the ideas we created during the past time.

We faced many challenges:

- work and tasks overload - abilities on graphics and designing - dealing with financial issues and synergy demands - reaching out to policy makers - convincing some people to fear not the bees! we were not going to populate the city with honey bee colonies! How did they got this idea? - frustration with people starting a task and not delivering what they promised! - having the Mayer participating in our events! - there were not any 'structures' or already started activities to build on, all activities had to start almost from the scratch - trying to implement not one, not two, not even three, but several ideas at the same time, in parallel! - trying to convert the obstacles in opportunities!

COVID-19 situation was the main obstacles. ULG members were could not really actively participate. Virtual meetings were not their favorite way of communication. We had a few steps backwards in the progress.

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Our main concern was what to do and how to do it, during lockdown. The idea of the BBB = Best Bee Balcony came up! The History articles were written! The work for the education posters for the Museum started to be created! The designs for the wooden structures and the games around the Museum were created! The city game "Bind the hidden bee', or 'the hidden bee treasure' was also started to take form. Slowly -slowly the most active members of the ULG, a small group really was still active and very productive! The stewardship idea was adopted by the Municipality and the 1st team was interested to adopt a small park. And on top of all the actual BeePath in the city of Nea Moudania as well as in region was forming! We learn how to work remotely; we were still productive! And that was an extra achievement of the ULG!

The WBD celebrations were very different that year, still they were even more numerous from the previous year! More than 10 events took place, some virtual, some in small gatherings, some of them later than the 20th of May! Who said that COVID-19 could stop us??? A better collaboration with the Municipality's Press Office also helped a lot in the dissemination and all procedures!

Virtual workshops with Portugal, open workshops on apitourism, open workshop on pollination services and protection by pesticides, letters to the ministry against the pesticides, posters to inform the farmers, more tree and aromatic plants planting in communities outside of the main city, awards of the bee products of our members were

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won! We also created the first bee hotels, we made videos and finally we had a small and very simple inauguration event for the establishment of the Bee Sculpture in the port of Nea Moudania!

I am quoting the experience from ULG members' diaries:

"We experienced, remotely, the Apitoursim activites in Slovenia and around the world"- Anastasia L.

"I saw BeePathnet as a joyful journey, a dream and destination"- Vicky F.

"BeePathNet open the door for new possibilities, gave us great ideas"- Vassilis T.

But the above were not the only activities ever! The online questionnaire, running in all partner cities simultaneously gave very interesting results!

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The summer found our ULG members too busy to overcome the first disastrous results of the COVID -19 and a long inactive time followed the activity pick around the WBD. Focus was given to planning, then to acting. Still the 'Best Bee Balcony' competition and the 'Bees and Flowers' photography activity were on truck, which resulted in beautiful results and an Exhibition of the photos at the yard of the Cultural Club 'O FAROS". That time we also collected good quality photos of a honey bee colony and we built the first virtual hives as well as moving a colony on the roof of the Municipality building, waiting to move the second one soon. That was a 'victory' against the fear of people for bees!

The collaboration between the Municipality with the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources of ELGO 'DIMITRA' was another success, as the proposal for the enrichment of the park outside of the Museum and along the BeePath route with local melliferous plants was included in the plan of the Municipality for the upgrade of the green in the city! professional machetes were developed and the planting started!

With COVID-19 situation restricting again all outdoors activists, many plans were on hold, and still are waiting to be in 'flesh and blood' and really give a different view of the city and a different perceptive to the people about bees, need of green areas, protection of the bees and ultimately protection of the environment.

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However, the second visiting apiary in our neighbourhood started to receive tourists, although difficult under the circumstances. I am quoting from their diary:

"BeeDay is an opportunity for kids and parents to interact together and with the bees"

'Who said that COVID-19 could stop us completely?"- Athina A.

Then two virtual meetings in Nea Propontida and Amarante were the cherries on the cake! What a joyful experience!

First to prepare the material to show the actual BeePath and the way we transfer the good practice in Nea Propontida (presentations, videos, photographs, flights above Chalkidiki). Tiring but great exercise! Eight presentations, two videos, a new product, a round table, and a welcome by the Mayor! Two wonderful days…

Secondly, to really get an insight of Amarante way of transferring the good practice, the way they are organized and how they collaborated, as well as what they achieved!!!! It was amazing, and a great tutorial for us! We loved their videos and guided tours!

Our actual BeePath is almost ready. The first design is done and the routs can already be found here:

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BeePathNet in Chalkidiki https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1g2XrfDsNa3nwSgJqCyNPLmBwR5PVH9FP&usp=sharing BeePathNet in Nea Moudania https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1awc5JIj5dw6CDLzmiZ6JadA03C2NyOyr&usp=sharing

Here is a combination map of both routes. Now it is non the hands of a designer!

However, after 2021 the miracles will start to happen!

 The Best Bee Balcony competition will run smother and we will have more participants, this is for sure, as the Municipality 'adopted' this idea.  Hotels and restaurants will also be members of BeePathNet, we are just waiting for OVID-19 situation to allow them to work properly.  Beekeepers will give demonstrations every so often in different hotels and sell their products, as it has already been suggested!  At the same time, we might also have 1 or 2 touristic packages to offer to the tourists.  Key ULG members will take the responsibility of particular event/ tasks on their own shoulder, no need of the ULGC (we hope!).  The city will look finally green and beautiful when all these trees and flowers will start blooming, season after season.  No public park will be left unattended, because the cit6izens will adopt them all! (the Municipality adopted the idea).  No plants will die out because of dryness and luck of water, as the citizens will adopt the trees and water them (we need a bit more work on that issue).  The honey festivals in the Municipality at the end of the summer will be established as the main events where people, citizens meet and taste the bee products, even new products.  The Day with the Bees at the Department of Apiculture will start to be a tradition around the WBD in Nea Moudania (first happening in 5th June 2021). 13

 Schools will also start educational small projects in regular basis, and the Youth Apiculture Club will evolve (after The Day with bees will be a success!).  The Bees on wheels (a bee house on a trailer) will travel from school to school, bringing the bee world closer to pupils (a challenging idea for a great sponsor!).  WBD celebrations will bring the people out in the nature, close to the plants and bees, and recognize the importance of bees for pollinations- PIGASOS air club will become the most popular attraction around the WBD and the short flights around Chalkidiki will be connected with awareness about bees and environment.  Citizens will also demonstrate together with the beekeepers for NO pesticides use.  The area around the Museum is a relaxing and education area for people of all ages to walk, observe, learn, socialize and still be close to bees and plants (after a restoration of the park- a small botanical garden).  At the edges of the city, two or three apiaries will be established and citizens could also adopt the hives. Urban beekeeping honey might be produced.  An Apitourism Coordination Body will be established to coordinate apitouristic activities in Greece and pass information and experience from one partner to another (the idea has already been proposed and needs to be realised).  At the parking place of the Aristotele's Park in North Chalkidiki, the hexagonal small house will be turned to a small Bee House, with demonstration material for education purposes.  Local and National Banks, will sponsor educational courses for farmers and beekeepers and enhance the collaboration between them.  Local agrotouristic farms will also include beekeeping in their activities.  Cooking seminars with be products will run once a year around the WBD.  Observation kiosk and information tables will be established at the edges of the NATURA 2000 area in Ag, Mamas lagoon, for people to observe the birds, the local plants and the solitary bees and pollinators, along pre-designed paths for not disturbing the ecosystem's balance and peace.

Also quoting a diary of a ULG member:

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"I learned so many new facts about bees, plants and the environment, as well as participatory approach that I could not imagine of when we applied for this project"- Elisavet P.

"Unique experience, thank you all for what you gave me"- Korina Z.

Some of us we also dream of some more challenging ideas where we need to do the JUMP:

 A Volunteers' group, will take care of the plants in the Museum Park in an organized way by rotation (the proposal is under construction and similar to the ways other countries (see Canada) are working), It could be possible in a very simple way, or the ore group of BeePathnet is setting a cooperative, through which the volunteers are organized.  A selling point for beekeeping products will be running by the local beekeepers, on a rotation basis, once a week, keeping the interest of people and tourists high for bee products. No need to be Urban honey, but it should be local and if possible organic, It could also be Urban for the apiaries round the city and the botanical garden).  A botanical garden will be created just outside of Nea Moudania, with thousands of trees, from all melliferous species and families and a permanent apiary site, something like the 'Jardins de l'imaginaire'.  An existing building belonging to the Municiplaity will be dedicated to Urban beekeeping and Urban agriculture, and it will be the niche for future activities and events.  The non cultivated area around the Department of Apiculture will be turned to a huge leisure park.  Finally, a virtual 3 D world of a bee body and a nest will be constructed in a new room area of the old Museum, where all people could really 'invade' in the bees world and see with the vision of a bee!

"All good! Lots of work is still to be done!"- Fani H.

BeePathNet in Nea Propontida is going to be a successful long-lasting story considering the progress below!

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The URBACT Local Group (ULG) from Nea Propontida (Greece) was formed as a “regional” network from the start with partners from neighboring cities like and Arnea joining its core from Nea Propontida. Its members are an interesting mix of city officials, beekeepers, teachers, entrepreneurs, various associations, researchers, journalists and interested citizens. With 46 ULG members it is a medium sized, but “a very active” ULG – with a high number of 29 “active members” from 2019 and 5 “new members” joining the ULG in 2020, bringing additional fresh ideas and assuming active roles within the ULG. The group of “observers” is not large (11) and none of them decided to leave the ULG. A constant increase in the level of cooperation between ULG members can be detected on the Diagram 3; visually demonstrating the effects of a continuous and goal-oriented work with ULG members, benefits of a constructive and creative ULG environment and achieved mind-change. “The core team”, with an obvious buy-in and high level of cooperation, formed through time, while “the observer group”, with a less active role in the ULG, maintained its strength through the 1st year. Both indicating a cautious start. However, in the 2nd year quite many ULG members decided to increase their activity, while: 17

“new members” added to the ULG positive dynamics with fresh ideas and new energy. Both “polarization” and “fluctuation” within the ULG is normal and expected in such voluntary working environments where ULG members are driven by their own ambitions, as well as actual capacities for active cooperation. This is why “observers” in the ULG should not be neglected, but rather understood as an important potential for the future. Diagram 4 breaks the ULG members into four “cooperation progress types” – their distribution further confirming above conclusions linked to “polarization” within the ULG in Nea Propontida:  “Jumpers” – most active ULG members, reaching a high level of cooperation in the 1st year in the ULG.  “Growers” – active ULG members with less turbulent, but constant 1-2 level progress per year.  “Freezers” – ULG members who have already reached the desired level of cooperation within the ULG. If it is high (levels 3 to 5) they should be understood as active members, if it is low (levels 1 and 2) they should be understood as observers.  “Doubters” – a group of ULG members whose level of cooperation within the ULG has deteriorated – they are less active. Overall, the ULG in Nea Propontida reached substantial cooperation progress within the BeePathNet project, with 1,07 level progress achieved by “an average ULG member” in Nea Propontida. In this ULG, progress for both “active members” and “observers” was quite fast in 2019, but slowed down in 2020 – especially for “observers”. On the other hand, the progress achieved by “new members” in 2020 is quite impressive. If we add to it the active “core”, it shows clear future growth potential and a bright future for this ULG, led by the ULG coordinator Fani Hatjina.

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE ULG IN NEA PROPONTIDA

In Nea Propontida we are doing fine, given the circumstances… Meaning the outdoors inactivity and the lockdown happening also in schools for this semester. Nonetheless, our spirits remain high! When we started at the end of the 2018, several of our ULG members got immediately very enthusiastic and active. Several of them, are still very active, they are present in all activities, communicate through all social media, respond to calls etc. Some the first ULG members, mainly beekeepers are not so enthusiastic this year, but they are still close to us, and as most of the time lockdown restricted our activities, they were less active. We still think that we can mobilize them easily when this lockdown will be over. In a second phase, after the initiation of the project and during 2019, we also had several active members from the Education sector, who we 'lost' due to the closing of schools but they do communicate and they are still enthusiastic. They still wait for the time that schools will be open to arrange a beekeeping visit and flower planting. Most of them they already showed an interest to participate in all three series of the online webinar about "Bees and Plants”, which is scheduled for 15th December, 12th January and 26th January. In fact, we also had a few new members during this difficult year, the most important of them, the person responsible for the Public relationships of the Municipality! It is a fact that we did not manage to attract more people working in the tourism and related activities with tourism, but this is the sector that was seriously 'hit' by COVID-19. Still, we have a good input from them. In a nutshell, the first very enthusiastic members are still there, and we managed to increase their numbers. With our latest activities and the ones to come, we believe that our ULG members group is well established and is here to last!

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Our opinion about bees Results of the on-line survey in Nea Propontida

In spring 2020 the BeePathNet partnership caried out an on-line survey to capture the public perception of bees and urban beekeeping. Based on its results, the BeePathNet project team developed “citizen profiles” representing predominant public opinion. To make them livelier, we created citizen characters and let them tell your story… The best urban honey in Greece

Through the sprawling orchards and fields of northern Greece we reach the town of Nea Moudania on the Aegean coast of Nea Propontida. Tired from our long and dusty trip, we sit down on the shaded terrace of a small taverna. Before we know it, the host brings us some refreshing drinks and small pastries drenched in sweet honey.

“Welcome to our town. My name is Athina.” she smiles. She points to a large lavender bush buzzing with life.“ In Nea Propontida you will never be lonely. You know, we have many bees in town. They seem to like it here. Maybe it’s our climate, or the rural surroundings? We are always happy to see them and they are welcome them as our guests, just like you.”

Her enthusiasm is contagious, so we ask her to join us for a while. “They may be small, but without bees we would be nowhere,” Athina tells us. “We depend on them for the production of our food and for biodiversity of our countryside. In a town like this, where agriculture and tourism are so important, everybody is aware of that.”

“Beekeeping is part of our cultural tradition. And what would Greek cuisine be without honey? For most people here, not a day goes by without it. But there are many more bee-products that we use around here, from propolis, pollen and royal jelly to bee wax and api-cosmetics. The honey from our region is the finest of Greece, if you ask me. Try your pastries. I’m sure you’ll agree.”

“You can say Nea Propontida is a bee-minded place. People try to maintain their gardens in a bee friendly way. Most people no longer using pesticides and some gardeners select flowers and plants that attract bees.

“There’s even a Bee Path around the municipality. And they organise events like honey day and world bee day to bring people together and make them more familiar with the wonderful world of bees and beekeeping. I did not have the chance to go myself, but I hear it is really nice.

It is already getting dark when we thank Athina for her hospitality. We have decided to stay in town for a few days. It’s nice here, and we definitely want to check out the Bee Path. If you are interested, we invite you to read the full on-line survey report, which you can find in our BeePathNet project library.

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