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First course at Metochi after reopening

It is now possible to travel to Lesvos again. This summer and autumn, there is room for both groups and individuals with a passion for writing.

This article is more than two years old, and may contain outdated information.

The first course after the reopening of Metochi is led by professor F. LeRon Shults (number three from the left, front row) (Photo: Private)

The first course after the reopening of Metochi is led by professor F. LeRon Shults (number three from the left, front row) (Photo: Private)

"The first group since October 2019 arrived on Sunday 4 July. Both staff and partners have been looking forward to getting started again, and it was a great pleasure to receive our first guests. After a lot of maintenance work done in 2020, Metochi is looking very nice", says Kari Grødum, who heads the Metochi Study Centre.

Greek authorities reopened the country in mid-May without quarantine on arrival for travellers with a negative test or confirmation of vaccination or immunity.

On Monday 5 July, Greece also reached the green level for Norwegians, which makes travel much easier.

Writing retreats at Metochi: contact kari.grodum@uia.no for more information.

Fra verandaen på Metochi studiesenter. (Foto: Kari Grødum)

From the balcony at Metochi Study Centre (Photo: Kari Grødum)

Read here information from the Greek authorities and travel advice from the Norwegian government

UiA and travel responsibility

Each individual traveler is responsible for having a to valid travel insurance. Travelers should check if the insurance covers corona-related incidents.  

“UiA has no extended responsibility for travellers staying at Metochi, but separate routines have been developed that safeguard infection control at the study centre", says head of the operational crisis team at UiA, Jan Egil Heinecke.

Kari Grødum informs about infection control routines to the guests.

Should infection occur at Metochi, the situation will be dealt with locally. Greek health authorities are prepared to care for tourists in need of medical help.

Two research groups lead the way

The reopening of Metochi Study Centre is led by two international research groups, both headed by Professor F. LeRon Shults from the Department of Global Development and Community Planning at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

F.LeRon Shults describes what the groups are discussing this summer:

The “Religion, Ideology and Prosociality” project

This week, the Metochi Study Centre hosted two groups of international scholars representing two research projects.

The first is the “Religion, Ideology and Prosociality” project, which is funded by an EEA Norway grant and is the result of a collaboration between the University of Bialystok, Poland, and the Centre for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE.

The group includes scholars not only from Poland and Norway, but also from the UK (University College London) and the US (Boston University).

This team is building a computer model that will produce an “artificial society” in which scholars can study the dynamics that contribute to secularization in European countries.

Read more about “Religion, Ideology and Prosociality”.

The “Emotional Contagion” project

The second is the “Emotional Contagion” project, which is funded by the Research Council of Norway and is based at the Centre for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE.

The team has representatives from Mexico, Poland, and the US.

This group is building computer models that will produce a “digital twin” of Norway, in which scholars and policy professionals can study and test strategies for “flattening the curve” of the spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories, anxiety, and stigma in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about “Emotional Contagion”.