Who we are


The Transnational, Interdisciplinary Community "The ‘Pedagogical Institute’ of SY.N.TH.E.SI.: Actions of Education and Civilisation" was founded in 2001 as part of the three-year (1999-2001) Transnational European Program SY.N.TH.E.SI. (acronym for: SYnergetic New THesis for European education SImera). The main purpose of this program was Social Development as well as Intercultural Communication. The purposes these we considered can be implemented with interventions in the context of education for the development of active and critically thinking citizens. Our main target group for such a venture was and is teachers at all levels of education. Our important concern for the fulfillment of such a project was and is the effort to inspire the teacher of the act who 'fights it'.

We started our activities with SY.N.TH.E.SI. either as a transnational program or as a Community, with the same always positive to enthusiastic reception from the world. In the context of these activities, we also held a series of seminars entitled "The Circle of 'Lost' Educators: for a Poetic Publishing Act".

The concept of the "dead" teacher brings to mind by association the corresponding, well-known and rather beloved film, "Dead Poets Society", as well as the attitudes that characterize that 'other' teacher, who manages to inspire the mind, soul and life course of the students, through teaching based on warm, human, existentially dignified relationships. How does he accomplish this?

The teacher we envision achieves what he achieves because – without ignoring the importance of the creative use of modern methods and of technology – emphasizes being genuine and human rather than wearing the mantle of a role that emphasizes epiphanies.

We seek, therefore, to promote this 'other' practical teacher who is not limited to his/her subject and does not 'delivers the lesson' based on a linear communication model with the student in the role of passive receiver of information and knowledge. We systematically promote it role of the teacher as Counselor, Communicator and Researcher in and from the organization of critical and Active Research programs.

We knew and know, of course, that this type of teacher is usually 'invisible' because he is not highlighted by the ocean of the superficial as well as bureaucratic procedures provided by the political, educational leadership.

As for the students? The experience of working with them suggests that they can really do wonders as researchers as long as they there is the teacher who needs to inspire them. We have seen this in many programs, in several countries due to the transnationality of SY.N.THE.ESI., in Greece and in Italy especially. The examples are many. We mention here the program Racism, Xenophobia, Social Exclusion: Students research, produce knowledge and suggest", in collaboration with six schools from Greece and one from Venice, within the framework of the Olympic Education program. The students' works were presented with great success at an international conference, at the Hippocrates Conference Center in Kos.

Sometimes, of course, they react with violent movements to what they judge as oppression, and sometimes they reach resignation rather easily, because they consider that with our actions determine the future for them without them. They then "turn their backs" on us... "adults" who know their "goodness". But they turn their backs and in the future when we "make them as we like" and helpless, as it seems in their eyes, to do anything, they declare to us "so sweep it if you insist". They are not interested to create, to build history, because we seem to have convinced them that this lady belongs to us... As mentioned in a greek well-known song, they seem to be left alone in the present with the aim of "saving anything if it can be saved... even if I face the consequences of the law! You will not have me as an accomplice in the murder."

This whole scene sometimes creates a disheartening atmosphere for all of us. The object of our desire and our struggles is seen difficult to carry out. We feel that we are few in the fight and insufficient to fight for a liberating education, for healthy institutions, to look to the future and to build another society, a truly humane world. So we feel frustrated, because we find that we are destitute and do not achieve the realization of our plans, the acquisition of the desired object: the educational and social good.

We know, of course, that we are not an exception. As Socrates argues in Plato's Symposium, the object of desire remains in demand and love - being the son of Penia according to the well-known legend - exists exactly and lasts, when we are deprived of what we love. Therefore, and the teacher who he seeks is always in a state of deprivation, because he has not yet obtained it, while he makes a constant struggle for its acquisition. In this struggle the true teacher or a teacher, just as the person in love may be deprived of what he is looking for and, consequently, be sad or even heartbroken, exhausted, destitute.

Of course, we should not ignore the fact that Eros, as the son of Poros, remains rich, inexhaustible in ingenuity and continues his pursuit. He is therefore brave, risk-taking and energetic, constantly scheming and fighting to acquire the goods he does not yet have in its possession and to realize its objectives. The poverty, then, on the part of the mother of love is balanced by the ingenuity she brings from the his father's side.

With the wings of love, of strong desire for what we don't have but tried to create, we moved all these years in COMPOSITION. with the hope that we will succeed and have a larger circle of teachers who will participate in the struggle to realize our goals for the common good, for the good of education, society, the City. We believed that such teachers would be found and would no longer be so 'invisible'. They will be 'heuristic'.

We do not hide from you that several times we thought with disappointment that dealing with the target group of teachers that we have chosen as an audience struggle towards social change and development was perhaps not an ideal choice.

We invite you to become members of our community and respond to this call with key purposes including:


Member application form for SY.N.TH.E.SI.