Panagiota-Maria Triantfyllopoulou (Mary), member of the ELF Youth Group, spoke at the second hybrid workshop of SynAir-G Workshop Series on “Improving Indoor Air Quality: SynAir-G Innovations and Policy Impact” in Athens, Greece.
On 7 October 2024, EFA and SynAir-G organised the second hybrid workshop as part of the SynAir-G Workshop Series. The event was attended by Panagiotis Paris Charlavtis, Deputy Mayor of Education, Digital Governance, and Lifelong Learning, Municipality of Athens, and Ioannis Sakiotis, Head of Press Office and Political Reference, Representation of the European Commission in Athens.
The workshop aimed to address political and operational challenges in translating research into practice. Speakers and experts were invited to discuss emerging solutions to improve indoor air quality and reduce its impact on children’s health.
The main discussion points of the session were on the role of EU policies in reducing air pollutants in Europe, the status of indoor air quality (IAQ) national strategies in Greek schools and presenting the SynAir-G project.
Mary, who lives in Greece and recently joined the ELF Youth Group, was invited to share her experiences and perspectives of being a patient with severe asthma. She addressed the challenges she faces with indoor air quality and how this affects her daily life and attendance at school.
“I notice it immediately when the indoor air quality in the classroom is not good. Sometimes I even have to use my inhaler. It is not just about me not feeling well, it impacts my entire mood. On top of that it becomes hard for me to concentrate, and I lose focus during class.” – Mary
Mary said there has been more discussion on the topic of air quality since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, measures are not widespread and in schools it is hard to fully follow recommendations on indoor air quality. It is important that young people are involved in conversations around indoor air quality in schools, as they are most impacted by these issues.
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