lifeforce conference
The lifeforce Conference took place on Saturday, 13 May 2023, 09:30 – 14:30 at the Research Dissemination Center of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Invitations were sent to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Ms. Stella Kyriakides, to the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Ms. Mariya Gabriel, to the Ministries of Education and Health, to representatives of all political parties and members of the Parliament, to the Prefect of Central Macedonia Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, to the Vice-Prefect for Thessaloniki Ms. Paraskevi Patoulidou, to the Vice-Prefect for Digital Governance Mr. Aggelos Charisteas, to the Mayor of Thessaloniki Mr. Konstantinos Zervas, to the Directorates of Primary Education of East Thessaloniki, West Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki, Pella, Pieria, Imathia and Kilkis, to the principals of all 160 Elementary schools in the region of Central Macedonia, to the Institute of Educational Policy, to associations of educators, special educators, music therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and parents.
The event took place in Amphitheater II and in the Foyer area of the Research Dissemination Center of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The area of the Foyer was laid out with tables where the whole printed lifeforce material was displayed (in Greek, German and Italian), and there were reserved areas for the interactive activities of the program, the registration desk and the catering tables.
TV crews (ERT 1 and ERT 3) and journalists were present at various times during the event. Key members where interviewed and the interactive demonstrations were recorded and televised.
The whole event was livestreamed through the official website of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which placed the event under its aegis.
The event kicked off by a brief welcoming speech by Dr. Konstantinos Fortounis, Thoracic surgeon, Director of the Surgery clinic at Papageorgiou Hospital and Secretary of the Hellenic Society of Emergency PreHospital Care, who greeted all the guests and highlighted the importance of lifeforce and the need to include CPR training in the Elementary school curriculum, as the only effective and sustainable means to help save around 100,000 of the almost 350,000 people who suffer Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Europe each year.
Then followed a series of greetings by distinguished guests, who included:
Dr. Dimitrios Koveos, Chancellor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who welcomed everyone to the event he had placed under the aegis of the University. The Chancellor praised the lifeforce material and pointed out that its goals were well worth pursuing.
Vice-Prefect for Thessaloniki and 1982 Olympic Gold medalist Ms. Paraskevi Patoulidou who gave a very emotional and empowering speech about children being the key to changing the world for the better.
Vice-Prefect for Digital Governance Mr. Aggelos Charisteas, Vice-Prefect for Public Health & Social Solidarity of Central Macedonia, Ms. Maria Dermentzopouloy, Mr. Vasilios Moysides, appointed Civil protection councilor to the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr. Christos Roumpidis, Director of Secondary Education of West Thessaloniki, Mr. Konstantinos Kompos, Director of Primary Education of Chalkidiki and Dr. Panagiotis Tsialoukis, Heart surgeon and President of the Medical Association of Chalkidiki all expressed their belief that lifeforce should be put to immediate practical use by the Hellenic government and the European Union and pointed out that its goals are in line with the goals of the Prefectures of Central Macedonia and Chalkidiki, regarding BLS training of teachers and proliferation of AEDs to school and other community buildings.
Then the main part of the event started with the honorary lecture “The KIDS SAVE LIVES Initiative & the importance of teaching young pupils Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)” by Professor Bernd W. Böttiger, Treasurer, European Resuscitation Council, Immediate Past Director Science & Research, European Resuscitation Council, Chairman German Resuscitation Council, Professor and Head of Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Cologne .
Then, a round table followed, which included the following presentations:
– “Transnational Overview of Nursery and Elementary School Educational Systems in the European Union member-countries: In search of a Roadmap to introduce Pretraining in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid to European schools”
by Dr. Sophia Chrysovalantou Zagalioti, General/Family doctor, Emergency medicine resident doctor, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki and by Mr. Anastasios Stefanakis
Founder & President of the Humanitarian Organization KIDS SAVE LIVES – Τα Παιδιά Σώζουν Ζωές.
– “Basic Life Support”: From training adults to training children”
by Ms. Nadine Rott, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Cologne .
After that, it was time for the second honorary lecture “Dealing with Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: in the hands of the community” by Dr. Nikolaos Nikolaou, Director External Affairs, European Resuscitation Council, Consultant of Cardiology, Konstantopouleio General Hospital, Nea Ionia, Greece.
After a short coffee break, there was an interactive demonstration of teaching lifeforce, in the form of a classroom simulation, with the participation of teachers and pupils from the The Big Bang school.
The pupils were divided into three groups. Each group, led by a teacher, presented a different thematic subject from lifeforce: music as a mnemonic tool, social and emotional skills and Basic Life Support scenarios.
In “Music as a mnemonic tool”, three different musical instruments were used, with three distinct timbers and rhythms. Those were combined into mnemonic tools, so that pupils could memorize three different lifeforce algorithm stages: Safe approach, Call for Help (dial 112) and Chest compressions. In Social and emotional skills, pupils were called to react to different scenarios given to them by their teacher, by choosing one of the three automatic reactions of “Fight”, “Flight”, “Freeze”, which are triggered in emergency situations. In Basic Life Support scenarios, the pupils, combining everyday experiences with the knowledge gained through lifeforce, were called upon to respond to scenarios of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest as a team.
The demonstration fascinated the attendees, who grasped the immediacy and directness of the lifeforce material, which the pupils engaged with spontaneously and with great enthusiasm. After the demonstration, guests were invited to try CPR skills using Virtual Reality-enabled mannequins, which create more realistic environments which enable diverse BLS scenarios to be enacted.
Then, the second round table “Educational Methodology and Pedagogical Framework” followed, with the following presentations:
– “An introduction to teaching lifeforce“ by Ms. Aggeliki Botonaki, Preschool educator-Researcher, University of Thessaly, member of the lifeforce scientific team.
– “Social and emotional skills in the lifeforce BLS algorithm” by Ms. Evgenia Douvara,
Psychologist – Children psychologist MSc, Family therapist, also member of the lifeforce scientific team.
– “Cognitive, perceptual and communication skills in lifeforce“ by Ms. Sevasti Etmektsoglou,
Speech therapist and member of the lifeforce scientific team.
– “Assessment in lifeforce“ by Ms. Sara Lo Jacono, Researcher at the C.R.E.M.I.T Center – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Maria Prodromou, Assistant Professor of Nursing, European University Cyprus, both members of the lifeforce scientific team.
– “Song as a teaching/learning tool – The function of music in lifeforce“ by Professor Ioanna Etmektsoglou, Assistant Professor of Music Psychology, Department of Music studies, Ionian University and Dr. Christiana Adamopoulou, Music therapist – Special Educator, Department of Music studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Following the last presentation, there was a music/theatrical activity in the foyer, involving the interactive presentation of all 5 lifeforce songs by the children choir of the Saint Cyril and Methodius church of Thessaloniki, under the direction of Ms. Maria Emma Melingopoulou, and by the Theatrical play laboratory of the 23rd Elementary School of Kalamaria, under the direction of Ms. Ageliki Botonaki.
Then, there was a Hands-on Interactive demonstration of CPR skills, where dozens of trained pupils from the The Big Bang school (both from the lifeforce project and older pupils trained by the Kids Save Lives program) demonstrated their skills using handmade and regular training mannequins, respectively. The pupils delighted the attendees with the quality of CPR they performed and proved beyond any doubt that lifeforce can have an immediate, measurable impact in pretraining pupils in CPR.
After another coffee break, the third round table commenced, with the following presentations:
– “Presentation of the lifeforce material” by Mr. Theodoros Kalyvas, who provided details about the reasoning behind the choice of educational activities which led to the creation of the specific material, and discussed the interconnection of the material and how the teachers can benefit from the color-coded thematic section, the cross-referenced material and the example of lifeforce lesson structure, to deliver their intended subject in the best possible way.
– “Inclusion, Adaptations and modifications to the material for pupils with special educational needs/Application of the lifeforce methodology to the teaching of other subjects, beyond CPR and First Aid” by Ms. Sevasti Etmektsoglou, Speech therapist and member of the lifeforce scientific team. This presentation exemplified how inclusion of pupils with special learning needs and/or from different social, financial, religious and ethnic backgrounds was a cornerstone of lifeforce and how it was implemented in the material. The added value of the material as a set of educational tools that can be readily used by educators to teach other curriculum subjects was also showcased.
– “lifeforce: a teacher’s experience” by Ms. Eirini Tenta, Elementary school teacher, The Big Bang school, where a teacher who implemented lifeforce in her classroom for the past months, talked about the absolutely positive experience it proved to be, both for the teachers and pupils who participated in it, confirmed that the methodology and material are of high educational value and readily applicable to the classroom, also stretching out that the material can indeed by applied to the teaching of other curriculum subjects. Ms. Evgenia Niniou, Elementary school teacher – Principal of the Elementary school at Ekpedeftiki Anagenisi took to the stage and talked about her own experience from teaching lifeforce in her school – to more than 400 pupils in 17 classrooms, confirming that the whole process was both very practical and effective. Both teachers called for making lifeforce compulsory to the national curriculum, for BLS training of all educators and for installing AEDs in all schools.
– “lifeforce: the next day – pedagogical extensions” by Dr. Ioannis Kozaris, Member of the Sociology of Education laboratory, University of Thessaly and the coordinator of lifeforce, who talked about a completely successful project, as proven in the classrooms and during the event by the participating pupils, praised the extent, depth and attention to detail of the material produced, which exceeded everyone’s expectations, and highlighted the need to ensure that lifeforce will be utilized, by exploring all possible avenues, including follow-up projects.
The event closed with a wine reception for the attendees, after another brief demonstration by the pupils. This final demonstration was performed by pupils from Lakkoma Elementary school, who enacted a theatrical performance involving stages of the lifeforce Basic Life Support algorithm under the sounds of “Life is Life” song. The attendees participate enthusiastically by singing along and clapping to the rhythm.
All attendees received A4 folders with the event program, a 14-page introduction to lifeforce, along with a complimentary lifeforce lanyard. All 100 participating pupils, members of the choir and 20 volunteers were given complimentary embroidered lifeforce t-shirts.
The general consensus among the participants and the attendees was that lifeforce has great educational value and potential, and must be included in the elementary school curriculum of Greek schools. The extent and depth of the educational material was praised by all participants.