Pleiades is an action-oriented NGO that aims to protect human rights by raising awareness of these issues through sensitization campaigns and strategic litigation. It also provides pro-bono high quality legal, medical, social and psychological support as well as educational and cultural services to vulnerable social groups, whose rights are being threatened or violated and have limited access to the said services. In an interview with Reinventing Greece, Koutra shared her thoughts about the group’s activities, her plans and hopes for it going forward and provided some insights about what motivates her to help those in need.

Reinventing Greece: The Hellenic Action for Human Rights has started something called the Embassy Activism Program. Could you tell us specifically what that involves?

Electra Koutra: The Embassy Activism Program is a project that involved us going with homeless refugee families to EU embassies in Athens and asking the State of the embassy to offer them access to the asylum procedure. There was proof, in these cases, that this could not be accomplished in Greece, and we asked these states to move the applicants to their territory in order to safeguard the rights that EU legislation ensures them, while on EU ground, and in order to avoid serious human rights violations. That did not happen, however, which shows the hypocritical stance of other EU countries, as well as Greece, in the humanitarian crisis that the refugees suffer. This is escalated by the fact that more than 90 percent of EU’s refugees flow through Greece, a small and poor country at EU’s borders.

H.A.HU.R.’s Prison Department has elaborated a specific Prison Program that aims to improve the quality of life of inmates and simultaneously to prepare them for integration through educational/training programs, psychological support and social aid. Included in the Prison Program is psychosocial support for prisoners’ families and relatives as well as training seminars for the correctional staff in handling crisis situations and human rights in practice. Recently, the NGO along with other five European NGOs from Finland, Italy and Romania, have taken on the Grundtvig Project, “Learning and Healing through Expression,” which involves operating workshops (psychodrama, art therapy and life coaching) in Greek prisons. The project also produced an exhibition of inmates’ art objects and organized a conference on “Education in Prison As A Human Right,” which also involved a sensitization campaign and networking.

Well-qualified educators have organized lessons on the Greek language, for a smoother integration, within the migrant and refugee communities since April 2009. Music and musical instruments classes have also begun and our multicultural children’s chorus, “The Chorus of Utopia”, which is considered to be the most powerful and moving Art vs Racism project Greece has ever experienced. In our view, art, culture and education are the most important tools in building bridges between ethnicities and a great means to fight discrimination and racist mentalities.

RG:What new approach are you introducing to change the system in Greece and help empower vulnerable or marginalized communities in Greece and/or Europe?

EK: First, we are bringing a massive number of applications in front of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) hoping that new judgments are to be provoked, which will put tremendous pressure on the government to cure major systemic deficiencies. These deficiencies include lengthy reviewing of asylum applications, the lack of fair trials, the degrading detention conditions, and deficiencies in the asylum procedure, etc. Moreover, we are currently trying to take advantage of the new dimensions in the protection of human rights, offered by the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, primarily, through the EU Citizens Legislative Initiative, a procedure through which a group of one million EU-citizens from a large number of countries can bring proposals for legislation to be discussed in the European Parliament, through online means as well. Also, the European Court of Justice (in Luxemburg) can now serve as another gate for strategic litigation and human rights protection. This is all very fresh and has just started to be explored by us.

RG: What are you trying to change about the way legal professionals; rights activists and policy-makers interact to create long-lasting change?

EK: Our interventions are system-oriented instead of victim-oriented. We try to intervene before legislation is born, at the stage of its conception. We believe that it is of utter importance to intervene at that early stage, since it is really difficult to cope with the consequences of a bad law, when thousands of its victims have already been hit by its existence. Preventive activism is like going up to the mountain and putting one’s finger at the very source of water, before it becomes a forceful river.

Another important tool is strategic litigation. We conceptualize our cases and then go out, search and find the right case. We don’t take on many cases, but we intend to take it as far as it goes through international bodies, the European Court of Human Rights or the European Court of Justice, in an effort to create systemic change. Good relations with the media have always proved useful in the dissemination of the result of our work.

What needs to be stressed is that the use of international and regional legal instruments and human rights ‘soft law’ should first be invoked in front of Greek courts and authorities, before human rights violation complaints are lodged with the ECtHR and United Nations bodies. In that direction, we have been organizing training sessions for expert lawyers, forming a network of legal experts on selected human rights issues (i.e. minorities protection) throughout Greece. The more legal actors (lawyers, judges, prosecutors) get acquainted with human rights law and use it in their everyday routine, the more effective human rights protection will be.

RG: When did you realize that you would dedicate your time and work to humanitarian or human rights cases? What inspired you to do so?

EK: My mother, who has a PhD is in psychology, says I have been suffering from the lifeguard syndrome since I was a child. I always played mom and protected all the other children. When I was a teen, things got serious, because I was bringing homeless people, often drug addicts, home. My syndrome was not buried, though, thanks to my family environment (although it led, more than once, to us being robbed). When I went to Law School, I knew I would end up defending the weak. It was just too obvious. Before my graduation, I met my husband, who had come as a migrant worker in Greece (from Romania). We fell in love and I just had to keep him with me, although his visa was about to expire and there was not any way he could extend his stay (that was before Romania became an EU member). I realized, in my personal life, and in the face of my beloved, most of the deficiencies in Greece’s migration policy, and we also faced racism in our everyday life. As soon as I gave my professional oath, I knew I could use the structural assets of being a lawyer, to try and help vulnerable people and vulnerable groups. I started contacting people and inviting them to participate in an NGO that would combat these phenomena and be inspired by love –as I was! That’s how our Action was born.

RG: What legislation is currently being considered or should be considered for reform to address human rights issues in Greece?

EK: In terms of legislation, the major human rights standards are covered in Greece. The problem is that the law is often not complied with. The major consideration should be for Greece to ratify the revised European Social Charter, (a Council of Europe treaty which guarantees social and economic human rights) including the article that permits national NGOs to bring issues in front of the Committee of the Charter. The transposition proposal in the Greek language has been in the drawers of the last few competent ministers, but there is no political will to actually bring it to the parliament for vote, and subsequently bring social rights to a new level equivalent to the level of protection in other EU countries. Under the present circumstances of the acute financial crisis, though, Europe has been asking Greece to take measures violating the very minimum of European standards—this is an attitude that has shocked some of us, who work on common EU values.

Another problem is that EU legislation is not properly, simply and effectively transposed through Presidential Decrees, as should be the case. Greece has assumed a relative positive obligation to do so. A team that would serve as a watchdog for the exchange of the EU-law would be really useful. We try to do this sometimes for issues that interest us. But this is not enough. Greece lacks a true migration policy, and that also applies in legislation. In addition, the 2^nd generation of immigrants suffers in many ways –a problem which would be solved if Greece ratified the Convention on Nationality, which it has signed in the 90s.

Minorities still suffer and there is a lot to be done. Concerning LGBT rights, urgent reform is needed and I think that it is enough to say that Greece is the only country that has voted the partnership agreement just for straight couples.

Other big issues that need extra legislation, except from migration, asylum and minority rights, are detention conditions (overcrowding, lack of access to basic goods, work, leaves etc.), and extremely extensive length of judiciary procedures. After a series of ECtHR’s decisions, I think we are ready for change in these fields.

RG: What have you found to be the most effective approach to mobilizing support and interest from the public in Greece. Who have you found to be your most dedicated supporters and allies?

EK: Social media has proven to be an ally. However, we have not had any success in mobilizing funds, on the contrary. I think this is maybe because we did not have any volunteers in fundraising so far. All our energy is aimed at addressing certain crucial issues through activism and volunteerism. Now that we are maturing as an NGO, though, and given the increasing difficulty to find these few funds that we need, in order to function, we realize that we should fill in that gap. Our efforts shouldn’t always be that heroic. Have you ever noticed that, in mythology and history, heroes have never been mature?

RG: What can Greek Americans in the diaspora do to support your efforts or this issue? Are there ways they can volunteer with your organization while they are visiting Greece?

EK: Greek Americans can support the effort through launching and/or participating in sensitization campaigns, spreading the word about our efforts, through funding specific actions, through organizing events that can support our goals, through becoming members of the NGO, by contacting us and sharing their ideas and comments, and, of course, through volunteering with our organization while they are visiting Greece or from a distance. Our NGO is based on its volunteers. We have proven that we can not only survive, but also make a difference at a minimum cost. Our wealth is people volunteering with us.

 For more information about human rights issues in Greece please view Electra Koutra’s 2010 TEDxAcademy Talk here

“The success of my company is measured by comparison. Greece is not doing anything in teams. We feel like we’re in a kingdom, we don’t produce anything, we need to export goods that are superior to our competitors,” Palandjian said.

Palandjian cites how the Italians rebranded Greek olive oil as an example.

“Greece has smart people and fantastic weather. We need to learn how to work with each other and take advantage of what we have,” Palandjian said.

Taking advantage of Greece’s natural resources was what founded the Krokos Kozani Saffron Cooperative (www.safran.gr), one of Capital Connect’s subsidiaries. Capital Connect then invested in the cooperative to help it develop value-adding products with the saffron as an ingredient.

“They said, we have this product, it’s difficult to harvest it and to produce a kilo we need to go through 130,000 flowers for one kilo of stigma. But it’s the best saffron in the world, some believe that it is even better quality than Iranian saffron,” Palandjian said.

Kozani saffron has taken off recently with news that American merchants have ordered about 600 kilograms of saffron, boosting Greek exports.

Other raw ingredients from Greece have been touted for their medicinal properties. Greek yogurt and pomegranate were found to have anticarcinogenic effects. Korres Natural Products uses these ingredients in its skincare and beauty lines. Capital Connect venture funding helped jumpstart Korres and later on the Korres product designers created the packaging for Krokos Kozani Saffron Cooperative products, including the saffron powder and strands, and a line of saffron teas.

Palandjian believes that Greeks in the diaspora have open minds that lead to this kind of innovation and are more likely to take risks, while Greeks in Greece face a number of cultural and regulatory obstacles to innovation and risk-taking.

One example: the wildly successful Fresko Yogurt Bar near the Agora in Athens. Fresko was started by a Greek woman and her husband who returned to her homeland of Greece to capitalize on Greece’s naturally thick yogurt.

“Within three months, it became one of the top seven things to do in Athens on Trip Advisor,” Palandjian said.

In order for more Greek exports and new businesses like these to thrive, networks must be made between diaspora Greeks and Greek business owners.

“There should be a platform for Greeks and Greek Americans to connect professionally, whether it be concerning branding advice or help in expanding the business,” Palandjian said.

More information about the cooperative and about Kozani saffron is available in several languages at: http://www.safran.gr/

Onic Palandjian is a seasoned investor and entrepreneur with 19 years of experience in Europe and the U.S. He co-founded Capital Connect fund in 2003 and has been spearheading the fund’s clean-tech investments as a founding investor and CEO of Herco SA & Mavin SA.

Capital Connect Venture Partners is a Private Equity Fund investing in innovative Greek Small Medium Enterprises in sectors of the new economy and companies whose competitive advantage arises from innovation.

While the shipping industry transports 90% of the goods of the world, Greek shipping controls about 30% of the total global shipping market. One such shipping company, Thenamaris, has worked for over 40 years to build itself as a powerhouse in vessel management in the Greek shipping industry. Thenamaris currently operates 50 ships with 3.5 million tons of cargo transported every day.

We spoke to Emmanuel Vordonis, the executive director of Thenamaris, at their headquarters in Vouliagmeni. Vordonis has been with the company almost from the start.

“Without shipping, half the world starves and half the world goes cold,” Vordonis said.

Vordonis uses a philosophical approach to overseeing the business, emphasizing synergy and innovation as the cornerstones of his day-to-day work.

Vordonis analyzed the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 as an indication of what must change in Greece, what he calls a problem in values.

“It was not a collapse of capitalism. It is mainly, for some reason, we have not been thinking and living and putting on the forefront our basic universal values. We don’t put on the table the vision or the desire to work together,” Vordonis said.

Vordonis calls for a shift in values, towards a more holistic, integrated approach to business.

“It’s a matter of promoting more broad, spiritual thinking in order to create a foundation. In our times, we have shrunk in our agenda, in our vocabularies, we used to rely on integration,” Vordonis said.

One such value is humbleness, which Vordonis believes should become a major component in the mindset and behavior of Greeks.

“If you’re humble, you know the limits of your logic. Your limits are only as defined as your brain at that particular moment.” Vordonis said.

Vordonis cites an example from ancient times explaining how the foundation of democracy was built around the tendency of the Greeks to explore and travel to other countries around 400 BC.

“The beauty of going back is understanding these people who were driven to get out of the land which was creating limitations for them,” he said.

Because of the mild climate and the possibilities of the Aegean, Ancient Greeks slowly found the courage to venture into the unknown and start exploring with only a piece of wood as their guide.

“They overcame their fears and that sparks innovation- a piece of wood became an oar, a rudder, then a piece of cloth the sail. They looked at the stars to orient themselves, which became astronomy. They wanted to find their way home so they started drawing maps,” he said.

Vordonis thinks it was from these efforts that philosophy developed and their culture expanded.

“They opened their minds in the darkness in their sleepless nights and as they were meeting new people, they absorbed their ideas and ways of living,” he said.

As a result of these years of exploration through the maritime profession, democracy was born in Athens.

“Poseidon was not just a God of the ocean and earthquakes, but also of friendship because his waters and seas created means to connect the lands and their people,” he said.

This braveness and openness spanned generations and has given way to a strong and global diaspora. The resiliency of the Greek shipping industry correlates with the resiliency of the Greek people.

“First, second, and third generation Greek-Americans must realize that this philosophy and innovation is in their genes. This is what makes the Greeks who leave the country so good at creating synergy and it is what Greeks in Greece must return to,” he said.

Vordonis stressed the importance of incorporating technological advances in the shipping industry, but still believes that a return to classic values is what Greece needs.

“Young Greeks should pour themselves in Plato, into understanding ethos. Remember the values of your parents and grandparents,” he said.

Thenamaris tries to incorporate this holistic perspective in the Thenamaris office. Their tables are circular and all departments are equalized during meetings around the table.

Vordonis believes a model for a holistic approach to business should be the Chinese, who have bought many Greek ports, such as the port of Pireaus. Thenamaris and Chinese shipping companies have had a long, symbiotic relationship.

“When we were very young and poor we had some ships in the 1970s operating in China. We received a payment of 350,000 more drachmas than we expected. They were misinterpreting our contract and so we sent the money back. This act impressed them so much that we were asked asked to buy 35 of their ships and work with them for ten years,” said Vordonis.

Vordonis says the Chinese are a nation of a people who have gone through colonialism and if they feel that they can trust somebody, they work together.

“The Chinese think and act in ways to create synergic situations wherever they go. They never aim to create hostility in the long-run,” Vordonis said.

Vordonis takes a lesson from etymology: the word “economy” means the law of nature, which Greeks must put back in balance.

“We have since interpreted the word to mean financial engineering, but we have not recognized that understanding nature and society is crucial in order to be sustainable and grow,” Vordonis said.

Vordonis believes that it is not a matter of a “Greek” or “American” problem, that all of the economic declines have been a result in overvaluing “for-profit” ventures.

“Greece is lucky to be in the forefront of the crisis, because if we use our position together with our philosophical background, we can change the world,” Vordonis said.

A total of eighty years of uncontrolled urban development have taken their toll, resulting in a plethora of environmental, social and structural problems in major Greek cities. Overflowing landfills, dwindling natural ecosystems and no infrastructure or transportation planning were problems long before the economic crisis hit. Now, the impact of severe austerity measures imposed on Greece will add yet another dimension to the challenges that large Greek cities and their inhabitants face.

Through a series of programs both big and small, municipalities are searching for ways to deal with the social impact of the economic crisis while making their communities more habitable and sustainable. At the same time, a recent Greek poll shows that Greeks are willing to leave their cities and return to rural areas. Will the onset of the economic crisis be a catalyst that will reverse the urbanization trend?

According to a recent poll, 68.2% of people asked would go rural – another 19.3% has already made specific plans de-urbanize their life. Interestingly, de-urbanization is popular amongst university graduates and post grads – 43.5% have a college degree, 25.4% has a post-grad degree, 17.1% has finished a technical school. Only 8.2% of those wishing to return are high-school graduates. Equally as important is that fact that 60% of those wishing to return are young professionals between the ages of 28 – 40.

If Greece experiences a wave of de-urbanization, there will be a new, different burden on the resources of rural areas. On the positive side, a de-urbanizaiton trend has the potential of helping communities get rid of the limitations imposed on the inhabitants of big cities. De-urbanization may finally allow the Greek people to start from scratch and come up with new solutions to the challenges that they, and Greece, face.

The Project
Spearheading the exodus from the city is the Telaithrion Project, the only self-sufficient eco-village currently planned in Greece. It is being built on 12 hectares of the Telaithrio mountain range in Evia by the Free and Real group. Apostolos Sianos, Free and Real founding member and part of the Telaithrion Project, calls the group “a pluralistic union of people of various specialties, who share a non-political nature.”

He explains that in 2008, he and a group of people were active on an Internet forum on alternative societies. “We met and slowly began what would later be called the ‘Free and Real’ group. The Telaithrion, established in May of 2010, is the culmination of our research. Our mission is to research, create and implement a social structure in a prototype and self-sufficient Eco-community in Greece.” says Sianos, and adds that “During this process, we also want to support people or groups that want to research and/or implement similar productive and self-sufficient ideas, institutions or communities.”

The first phase of the Telaithrion Project aims to create a self sustainable, experimental prototype that will serve as a precursor and testbed for the complete Eco-village. The second phase will see the further development of housing units, research facilities and experimental technologies. The village will also be open to the public for a “a variety of workshops, seminars, Eco-tourism, and any other means of interactive formal and non-formal education.”

The Village Plan
The center of the community will be made up of a cluster of five, interconnected Geodesic Domes. Each dome will serve a different purpose – separate domes for education, research and recreation. Around the cluster of domes will be the residential district – 3 groups of 6 interconnected yurts. The community will be situated within a forest garden that will be cultivated using natural farming methods. Waterways and artificial lakes will be created to irrigate the forest and for the community’s needs.

While most construction will be done by hand with traditional methods and local materials, the hope is that, in the future, pre-fabricated components will be used to facilitate the village’s expansion. The central Geodesic dome is due to be completed in June and will begin hosting a series of classes on sustainability. Sustainability calculations have set the Eco-village’s population at around 15 although as the village grows a maximum of 30 residents can be supported.

Daily Life
The community will be powered by renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal). Farming will be done using Terra Preta and Agrichar techniques while atmospheric water generators will provide needed water. Future residents have planted 400 fruit trees and plan to survey the local flora and fauna to ascertain possible uses for it.

Local transportation will be simple because of the community’s small size. Residents will use electric and traditional bicycles, with small electric vehicles a possibility in the future.

Waste management is an issue and attempts will be made to keep it to a minimum using biodegradable materials and appliances/furniture and devices with a long MTBF. Also, organic waste will be composted and used as fertilizer.

Residents will manufacture clothing and textiles using all-natural materials like cotton, wool and non-toxic dies. Hemp may be considered as a textile crop and old clothing will be recycled into other products.

The problems that led us to embark on the Telaithrion Project are not just Greek, they are global.” says Sianos. “The economic crisis that is affecting every country on the planet is only one of tens of other crises – crises like the destruction of the environment, reduced food quality, misguided approaches to health, chronic misery and unemployment, and many more. The Telaithron Project aims to prove that a self-sufficient and selfless society can thrive if we all adopt it.”

Regarding the future of the Telaithrion project, Sianos is optimistic. “There have been many eco-communities in Europe, the US and Asia since the 70s – literally thousands of them, each one with a different focus. Unfortunately, Greece doesn’t have even one. That’s why its imperative that the project succeeds.”

While most of the world is focused on Greece’s economic and political crises, researchers and non-profit organizations are building on over 20 years of experience and research to preserve and protect the country’s natural resources, and setting a positive example for conservation in the region.

Dr. Alexandros Karamanlidis, a scientific coordinator with both organizations, visited the U.S. from April 26 – May 5 to share the unique features of the Greek ecosystem, the dangers that threaten some of the country’s most at-risk creatures, including the Mediterranean monk seal and the brown bear, and the efforts of Arcturos and MOm to rescue and preserve these animals and their environment. Arcturos maintains a sanctuary for brown bears in Nymfaio, in the northern Florina prefecture, and MOm runs a monk seal rehabilitation center in Alonissos.

These organizations are using mobile communications technology to collect data, mobilizing volunteers, educating the public, and building networks of local communities, public leaders and international partners that work together to preserve the habitats of at-risk species.

The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Of the three species of monk seals, the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) is already extinct. There are only about 1,000 Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi), and fewer than 600 Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) that remain in the wild. Monk seals are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the highest risk category of endangerment for a wild species. Commercial hunting, pollution, and coastal urbanization have all led to the rapid decline and habitat change of the animal.

Losing the monk seal would have a negative impact on the entire Mediterranean sea eco-system and on fish populations, according to Dr. Karamanlidis. “The whole ecosystem is like a good working machine – all the tiny bits and pieces of this machine are needed for the entire system to work properly. Remove one and in the beginning nothing might happen – the system might continue working. Remove many of them, and the whole system might collapse.”

Researchers with MOm, or the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, have been collecting and analyzing data to better understand the biology and behavior of the Mediterranean monk seal. They mapped out specific areas around the Mediterranean that are known breeding sites for the seals in hopes of passing legislation to make these sites nationals parks.

To try and reverse the seal population’s slide toward extinction, Dr. Karamanlidis is working with local fishermen and collaborating with U.S scientists studying Hawaiian monk seals. “The most obvious of course is the establishment of protected areas for both species. In both, the marine and the terrestrial real, MOm and ARCTUROS also help local and national authorities with their emergency teams in the mitigation of negative human-wildlife interactions.”

Mobile communications technology helps Mom to better understand the behavior of seals. “We try – on a species level – to study populations. This is either done with genetic tracking, photoidentification or studying habitat use.” National Geographic produced a video report on this satellite tracking techniques when MOm sent a seal raised in captivity back into the wild with a cell phone that would send text messages about its location.

When asked how he believes their programs are helping to “reinvent Greece”, Dr. Karamanlidis replied, “It is obvious, given the current economic crisis in Greece, that we have to reinvent ourselves. The most obvious way is to promote our strengths as a nation. And what more obvious to promote than our natural treasures! The fact that monk seals survive nowadays only in Greece is testimony to the unique nature in country – this has to be promoted!”

In the northern mountains of Greece, the brown bear faces the threat of extinction. Once found all across Europe, deforestation has dramatically reduced the numbers of brown bears. In Greece, however, researchers, staff and volunteers with the non-government organization ARCTUROS have helped double the brown bear population in Greece in recent years, through applied research, special environmental studies and public awareness.

ARCTUROS was founded 20 years ago to protect bears and their habitats in northern Greece and the Balkans. The organization rescues bears kept in inhumane conditions, such as orphan bears and those kept improperly at zoos. Over the years, it has expanded its scope include other large carnivores, and to enhance biodiversity and sustainability in Greek rural areas, and implement cross-border projects to protect mountainous ecosystems.

Over a decade ago, the group launched a program to work with local farmers to help save another animal in danger of extinction, while working to save the bears. Frustrated farmers would shoot wild bears if they damaged, or threatened to damage, their livestock, which are their livelihoods. In 1998, ARCTUROS began breeding and distributing the Greek Shepherd Dog (Hellenikos Poimenikos), which numbers less than 3,000. Working with local farming organizations, ARCTUROS distributes these dogs free of charge to farmers who graze flocks in the habitats of bears and wolves. The Shepherd Dogs help guard the livestock from the carnivores, and in turn, minimize the instances of frustrated farmers shooting bears.

As part of its continued emphasis on bears and large mammals, ARCTUROS maintains a veterinary center and Mountain Sanctuary where the animals are nursed back to health, cared for, and studied until they can be released back into the wild. This February, ARCTUROS for the first time rehabilitated bear cubs for release back into the wild. This nine-month rehabilitation and release is documented in a beautiful BBC slide show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16942903 The Sanctuary also serves as an educational and study field for scientists and the public.

Creating a network with Greeks abroad
The best way for Greeks in the diaspora to get involved, says Dr. Karamanlidis, is to be informed, join the effort as volunteers when in Greece, and help support the programs financially.

In May, Dr. Karamanlidis addressed audiences of Hellenic-Americans, representatives of U.S. environmental organizations, students and researchers at the Maliotis Cultural Center in Boston, the Press & Communication Office in the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations and the Consulate General in New York, and at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, DC. Green Hellenes, a recently established association promoting sustainable progress through consultation, exchange and partnership between environment-conscious Hellenic Americans and Greeks, helped coordinate this U.S. visit.

Visit the MOm and ARCTUROS websites to donate and help these organizations maintain the animal sanctuaries, carry out educational campaigns, conduct field research and grow relationships with government, local communities and partners.

Information and contact details are also available online for anyone interested in volunteering with Arcturos while in Greece, or for students looking for a volunteer or learning opportunity, and volunteering with MOm.

For more information on the Give Wildlife in Greece a Chance campaign, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oh6KUdyXCY&feature=youtu.be

Coverage of this U.S. visit is available in Greek at the Athens News Agency: http://omogeneia.ana-mpa.gr/press.php?id=17280

“Now I feel desperate,” Roubani said. “They’re cutting facilities … and the unemployment is so high, you cannot do very much. You tell a woman ‘go find a job,’ but there are no jobs.”

In 2011, ENOW has had to run the women’s shelter without funds, creating a huge debt for the non-profit organization, Roubani said.

“They’re people, not shoes,” Roubani said. “Equality is a big issue in Europe. I think we are very much behind Canada and the US. I know there is also domestic violence in the US, but it’s not taken seriously in Europe.”

Between 2004 and 2009, ENOW had enough money to hire people and pay for shelters, but the current economic crisis has eliminated direct funding Roubani said. Fortunately, even without funds ENOW continues to run the SOS line at 800 11 88 881, 24 hours daily with the help of dedicated volunteers.

“We just can’t give up,” Roubani said. “We are angry enough to keep doing it.”

On ENOW’s Humanitarian Efforts

Roubani first joined ENOW because she wanted to combat the violence against women that she saw in many European countries.

“We saw that violence was everywhere,” Roubani said. “And if a woman had to face violence it was a death trap if she was poor.”

Realizing the lack of support structures for women in need, Roubani and ENOW began pushing for legislative changes at the international level under European treaties. The treaties worked as a platform to introduce new laws at the European and national levels to protect against inequality, violence and trafficking, Roubani said.

For example, Greek law currently does not protect against stalking, which is a major form of harassment for women, Roubani said. When ENOW approaches governments and legislators to discuss issues like domestic violence, the information they present on the conditions of victims and those in need comes directly from daily contact with the people who access ENOW for support, she said.

“We have to discuss legislation,” she said. “But without the direct contact with the victims, the daily calls and the SOS lines, we wouldn’t be able to do that. They are our power.”

The volunteer efforts in Greece focus mainly on training and maintaining the SOS line, Roubani said. The SOS lines are in place to serve woman who need an outlet for psychological support and legal assistance when they face domestic violence.

“We all know that violence starts in kindergarten, so we try to create the know-how to fight against violence in schools and to keep the SOS line open,” Roubani said.

Roubani added that one significant difficulty in maintaining the SOS lines is finding volunteers and hiring people who have the knowledge to deal with distress calls and domestic violence issues.

“We want people who are professionals to learn and be able to be better at their jobs when it comes to their work,” she said. “We want to help them build resilience in their personal life… and we don’t think you can do this by hiring and firing people every eight months.”

But without long term support from the government and the community, maintaining the services provided by ENOW can be difficult. Even among politicians who voice support for protecting victimized populations, no one has taken steps toward substantial improvements, Roubani said.

“No political party sees them as a priority,” Roubani said. “Some people pretend they do when it’s election time but few of them really follow up on their promises.”

ENOW Seminar for women.

In order to fulfill its mission, ENOW also hosts at least 10 training seminars a year and often participates in international conferences to raise awareness about such issues that affect many women. With a background in education, Roubani wanted to establish an interactive training process for all parties involved with reducing violence. These training seminars, which began in the 1980s, bring together lawyers, policemen, psychologists, social workers and others to exchange ideas on how to stop violence.

“We didn’t want to victimize the victims, and people have to be prepared for these issues,” Roubani said. “So we went to the professionals because the police were so insensitive, and that’s how we started.”

However, part of the problem in reducing violence stems from the inability of the police force to resolve the causes of domestic violence, Roubani said. Roubani hopes training professionals, especially the police, will result in better treatment of victims and increased collaboration to reduce the conflicts, she said.

ENOW’s SOS line can be reached by calling: 800 11 88 881.

To view the RiG video interview with Niki Roubani click here. To read more about Roubani’s involvement with Olympeace click here.

The next generation in the U.S. – young adults from adolescents to about 30 years of age, often referred to as the millenials – want to change the world. Young Americans of Hellenic descent are among them. There are young people from this country volunteering while visiting or studying in Greece. In the process, they are gaining new understandings of Greek society, establishing relationships with people in local communities, deepening their ties to their heritage, and learning important lessons about teamwork, community, leadership and citizen diplomacy.

U.S. millenials volunteer more than any previous generation, according to USA Today, and corporations have found that one of the best ways to attract this next generation as employees is to offer paid time-off to volunteer.

National leaders are recognizing that this desire to have an impact and change the world for the better extends beyond borders. In May 2011, The Next Generation Initiative participated in the Global Diaspora Forum, hosted by the State Department and other partners. We saw national leaders and donors of international programs recognizing and discussing the value of diaspora organizations in strengthening U.S. relations and partnerships with other countries in many fields. One areas of discussion was youth volunteering. Young people are seeking opportunities to go back to their countries of heritage, or other countries, to volunteer.

This trend is evident among Hellenic American youth. In a national student research study conducted by the Initiative in 2010, young Greek and Cypriot Americans overwhelmingly expressed an interest in traveling to Greece for volunteer, internship, study and work opportunities. Students and young professionals report that it is challenging to find information, in English, on community organizations and businesses that offer volunteer or partnership opportunities for diaspora youth.

To address this interest, The Next Generation Initiative would like to help its next Reinventing Greece student and young professional team find opportunities to join their peers in Greece and give back to local Greek communities.

Welcome to phase one in this effort: ask questions and learn.

We asked local non-government organizations (NGOs), community action groups, educational institutions and others about their volunteer programs and community service experiences to learn about opportunities for diaspora Greeks or friends of Greece to give back while they are visiting or studying in Greece. We found that study and travel abroad programs are increasingly incorporating service work in their programs. We are sharing some of their stories here.

As we search for opportunities for our team, we invite you to read about the initiatives we are discovering, and reach out to them to join their efforts if you will be visiting Greece this year. We also invite you to share more of your experiences with us and our readers in the comment section below.

Volunteering at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens: AHEPA Journey to Greece Program participates

In 2011, the sixth annual Journey to Greece (J2G) program took the first session of U.S. students to Greece to travel and learn, all for college credit. The project director, Dr. Jim Dimitriou, took advantage of the unique opportunity available to the first group: to volunteer with the 2011 Special Olympics taking place in Athens.

The students signed up for the program’s Introduction to Community Service & the Athens Special Olympics course, and registered with the Games. They completed assignments to support visitors in the Aquatic Center and Track & Field at the OAKA Olympic Center. Volunteering is a learning experience, and the students received college credits for their volunteering hours.

The J2G study-travel program, organized in conjunction with the University of Indianapolis, Athens Campus, has over 340 alumni from more than 60 universities in the United States and Canada. This is a network of students that have experienced modern Greece and learned about the history and language of the country and its culture under a structured study abroad program. As the students complete the remainder of their studies and begin their careers, they span nearly all sectors and fields with at least one thing in common: a unique understanding of Greece and its people, with more dimensions than travel alone can provide.

Students in the 2012 program will have another uniquely Greek opportunity to connect with the country’s history and local communities: they will volunteer with the Nemean Games, as part of the Undergraduate Community Project.  The ancient games were revived in 1996 by Stephen G. Miller, an archaeologist who has spent over three decades on the excavation at Nemea.

Read more about the 2011 program and students’ experiences here: 2011 J2G blog.

Michael Savvas, AHEPA Journey to Greece 2011 participant and HelleNext intern
“This past summer, I had the privilege to volunteer at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens. I volunteered with 24 other Greek-Americans in conjunction with the AHEPA Journey to Greece program. It was a special opportunity volunteering at the birthplace of the Olympic games and sharing the experience with friends that share my heritage.

Our group assisted with track and field and aquatic events. I assisted with spectator services at the Olympic swimming facility and helped athletes, coaches, and spectators from around the world. Along with my AHEPA family, we worked alongside local Athenians and made friendships throughout our week volunteering. We had the privilege of assisting in the award ceremonies, escorting athletes with disabilities, and answering questions of spectators and coaches. The experience allowed for a lot of interaction and we participated in the tradition of trading pins with people around the world.

As a volunteer, I felt as if I was an ambassador for my homeland. The Olympics took place during a difficult time for Greece, as the country dealt with difficult austerity measures. The international media compounded the problem by sensationalizing the “protests” and making Greece seem as if it was not safe. The Special Olympics were an event that showcased the best aspects of Greece and showed that it is a safe, beautiful, and historical country to visit. I made sure to communicate this to every person I encountered. Through my interactions with my new friends from around the world, I was able to educate my peers and share my love for Greece.

As a student working to become a Special Education teacher, the opportunity allowed me to learn about and interact with athletes with disabilities from around the world. The Special Olympics also showed me that Greece is making great strides in reducing the stigma associated with individuals with special needs. I learned that Greece is working hard to include these individuals in society, which will allow them to live the most prosperous life possible.

Journey to Greece students prepare for their volunteer service with the 2010 Special Olympics.

My volunteer experience in Greece with AHEPA was invaluable. Collectively, the AHEPA family volunteered over 1200 hours and made a difference in the lives of the athletes, spectators, and coaches. Our group bonded and we had the privilege to attend the closing ceremonies and a celebratory volunteer pool party. I also gained a greater appreciation for Greece’s history, specifically the Olympic games.

Today, via email and social networking, I still communicate with local Athenians that I volunteered with at the world games. It was recently announced that the next Special Olympics World Games will be in Los Angeles, and within hours after the announcement fellow volunteers emailed me about volunteering and visiting me in my native California.  I am so appreciative that I had the opportunity to make a difference by volunteering in Greece and made friendships that will last a lifetime.”
- Michael Savvas, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Kellie Nicole Noyes,  AHEPA Journey to Greece 2011 participant
“Around this time last year I was sending in my application to attend the trip of a lifetime, ‘Journey to Greece’. I was on the brink of graduating college and excited for my summer plans, in which Special Olympics played a huge factor. I am a person that has grown up with an autistic family member so this was something near and dear to my heart.

I had no idea what to expect at the Special Olympics since I had never done this before. I was lucky to have such a great group of friends in my program that I got to volunteer with. Not only were we having fun but also we were bonding at the same time. I was mostly stationed near the aquatics area and got to watch a variety of events and races. Even though there was a language barrier being in a different country there is something that we all had in common which was to help others. We were a support system, and everyday that extra smile and ‘high five’ made a total difference in not only an athletes day, but also my own. I found Special Olympics reaffirming my faith in good deeds in the world and that I can make a difference. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would do all over again. I feel so extremely blessed to have participated in this event with amazing friends that I will have for the rest of my life. I can officially say it was the best Summer I ever had.”
- Kellie Nicole Noyes, Long Beach State University, Glendale, California

Katherine Relle, Ionian Village counselor and 2009 HelleNext Athens Fellow
“I was a camp counselor at the Ionian Village, a Greek Orthodox youth camp (for Greek-Americans, ages 12-18) run by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and set in Glyfa, Greece (just outside of Bartholomio). My mother was an Ionian Village camper in 1970, the first year the camp opened. I was a camper in 2005 and enjoyed the experience so much I decided to go back to be a counselor when I turned 21 (in 2010).

As a counselor, I lived on the Ionian Sea in Greece from June-August 2010. I worked closely with a staff of about 20 other Greek-American volunteers as well as some of the local villagers from Glyfa, the seaside “horio” where we lived. When camp was in session, we traveled every other day to a monastery, island, or Greek landmark such as Olympia and Delphi. During each session, we spent five days in Athens touring historic sites such as the Acropolis.

The experience helped me to better understand how Orthodoxy has influenced Greece throughout the country’s colorful history. Visiting places like Zakynthos to venerate the relics of St. Dionysios and Patras to venerate the relics of St. Andrew were unique experiences that left an impression on me about depth of my religion and heritage. There is more to Greece than economic distress and I recommend all Greek-Americans find this out by connecting with their roots.

I think the program is also a great way to introduce Greek-American adolescents to Greece–the campers really seemed to enjoy the experience. Some campers were fluent in Greek and some had never tasted pastichio before; there was a wide range of campers who, throughout the summer, helped each other along their own Bynzantine adventures. The campers felt comfortable being surrounded by other Americans, yet really got a feel for traditional Greece by living in a rural village and eating home cooked Greek cuisine everyday, as well as taking part in traditions such as the village’s August celebration of the Panagia. Campers also spent time in Athens and visited the islands of Aegina, Poros, and Hydra. They were able to get a taste of a variety of country’s diverse landscape. The most rewarding part of being a counselor was hearing the campers plan their trips BACK to Greece at the end of the summer!”
- Katherine Relle, London, England, (originally from Washington, DC)

GREEK ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS

Assisting Women Victims of Violence and Trafficking
The European Network of Women (ENOW), a non-profit organization based in Greece working on issues that affect women, has seen an increase in recent years in the number of individuals that approach the organization to seek the training required to assist victims of violence and trafficking.

“Our volunteers receive training to gain the skills to support victims of violence and trafficking over the phone and in person,” says ENOW’s director, Niki Roubani.

ENOW seminar for women.

The organization’s volunteers also offer seminars, take interviews, write articles and organize meetings to bring women together and to build a network of teachers, experts and the public with awareness on domestic violence and human trafficking issues. Volunteers must be over 18 years of age, and, according to Roubani, are often “young lawyers, teachers, psychologists, or social sciences professionals that come to ENOW to gain experience and offer their services.”

Despite the increase in interested volunteers and the ongoing need for the victim support services that ENOW provides, a lack of funding has restricted the group’s ability to organize volunteer selection and training programs to give new volunteers the skills to respond in these sensitive situations.

Helping Children and Families
We interviewed Kiki Bourcha, Volunteer Coordinator with Hamogelo tou Paidiou, or The Smile of the Child, a Greek non-profit organization that helps children and families when they are most in need. “The volunteers in our organization are very important and are involved in all our activities. Truly they are the driving force in our actions and they participate to the evolution of the organization. Anyone can give as much time their schedule allows and they can choose to engage in an area they will enjoy.”

RG: What are some of the different ways volunteers can get involved with your programs? What do volunteers do?

Kiki: Our volunteers are equally important as our employees, at times even occupying positions and covering basic needs that could only be carried out by specialized personnel. Pending on the type of various needs arising each time and based, of course, on their availability and desire we mobilize our volunteers to complete the tasks.

Aside from the ad-hoc needs and emergencies that arise at times, which are addressed by our volunteers, there are also other activities where every individual can participate, volunteering either on a steady basis or whenever they are available. Specifically:

Child Care In Hospitals: At various Children’s Hospitals in Athens and its regions, there are children hospitalized because of a court order. These children are not in hospitals due to illness but because the Public Prosecutor requested to remove them from their family environment due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. These children, ranging from a few months old to teenagers, are hospitalized until they are placed with a foster family or a shelter that will accept them. Our volunteers are required to ensure that these children are taken care of, the same way as they would look after their own children, and embrace them with the love and affection they need.

Creative Activities In Hospitals: At the Children’s Hospitals “Aghia Sofia,” “Hippokration” Hospital of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Thessaloniki, Pediatric Hospital of University of Patras (Rio) and the Pediatric Hospital of Karamandaneiou Hospital in Patras, our people from the Creative Activities department comfort and stimulate hospitalized children, inspiring them to continue their battle for life. Staff and volunteers of this team stand by the children, giving them strength and passing on their enthusiasm to put the much needed smile on their faces.

Our Community Homes: Our Homes are considered to be the ultimate point for volunteers. We have to be extremely cautious of whom we welcome in our Homes and entrust with children. We need to know our volunteers and by the same token our volunteers would have to get to know us. Before they get involved in our Homes they have to participate in other actions, get acquainted with the Organization, its objectives, the people, the work and the children. Then, if they wish to further contribute, and based on their skills and abilities, we ask them to help in the Homes, escorting the children to their out-of-school plays and outdoor activities or helping them with recreational activities within the Home.

Centre For Child Support And Family: The Child and Family Support Center collects items for our Community Homes but also for families that need our support and face serious survival problems. This place depends on our volunteers, since they contribute both by donating goods and by helping sort items to keep the place organized. Such voluntary work is required in all areas where our Organization is active.

Volunteer Creative Workshop: Our Organization’s existence depends solely on the participation of people. By utilizing the valuable contributions of our volunteers to the utmost, we have managed to create our own Workshop, which offers a rich collection of wedding favors and invitations for those who wish to use our products and help us while sharing their joy with us.

Bazaars and Exhibits: Throughout the year, “The Smile of the Child” organizes bazaars and participates in various fairs and exhibitions, where people gain information about our work and the Organization has an opportunity to promote our work. It’s needless to say that during these exhibits, volunteers play a vital role and are more than necessary.

Professional Volunteers: People contributing their professional services to the organization are of great value. The children of “The Smile of the Child” enjoy the pro-bono services of volunteer doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professionals, that are always there when such needs arise.

Office: Office work in our organization requires knowledge of computers or just the goodwill and zesty feeling for doing the filing and paperwork!

RG: What kind of volunteers come to Hamogelo?

Kiki: We have all kinds of people helping us. We are like a community inside the community. Individuals that get involved in our actions include students, adults, seniors, professionals or individuals that are helping with manual labor. We choose together in which program or action they will participate based in our needs and their abilities.

RG: Have you seen any increase or change in the number of people that reach out to your organization to volunteer or contribute donated resources in recent years?

Kiki: The recession made Greeks lose their jobs, so there are more that a few who decided to donate their free time in volunteer work. There is hope in this change because we can see that even when our country is going through a very difficult period, our people rally to help each other.

The organization has only had one volunteer from the Greek diaspora, who joined the Creative Workshop for a month, but the organization welcomes volunteers from Greek diaspora communities. “In the future we hope for more active participation, and please note that someone can also complete an internship at our organization.”

“Anyone who will start volunteer work with The Smile of the Child will have an extremely interesting and educational time.”

Additional information for interested volunteers can be found in Greek here: http://www.hamogelo.gr/40.1/Ethelontismos

Luke Hamel, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Intern and American Farm School in Thessaloniki Alumnus
“I finished high school last May and decided to take a gap year before going to college in the fall. Because of my affinity for Greece and my love of volunteering, I decided to take spend my gap year enjoying just those things. This amounted to eight months in Greece, two volunteer projects and an internship. My first volunteer project was with ANIMA, the Organization for Hellenic Wildlife.  I worked with them for three months. Their center in Tavros, Athens, accepts injured animals from around Attica and Greece.  The staff of four and their large complement of volunteers feed and provide medical care for these animals until they are ready to return to the wild.  My jobs included feeding the animals, upkeep of the office, and cleaning the animals’ cages.

A lot of work goes into the birds, many of whom have to be hand-fed

While I volunteered for ANIMA, I took occasional weekend shifts with a similar organization, Archelon. Archelon is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles. For several Fridays in December, I worked in their clinic cleaning the turtles and their tanks, learning how to feed them, and learning how to administer their medicine via injection and intravenous drip. The Archelon center is right on the sea at Glyfada. The high point of my volunteership with Archelon was the day we released two of the rehabilitated turtles.

Perhaps the best part of volunteering in Greece is the people I’ve met. They come from all over Europe to volunteer here, mostly with the European Voluntary Service, and they are as varied as they are incredible. The volunteer community is close-knit, accepting and full of energy. I can assure anyone thinking of volunteering here, particularly in Athens, that you will play and have fun as much as you work.  I love the people here – volunteers, native Greeks, travelers, students. So many of them have brought so many smiles, so much laughter to me.

Loukas with two rehabilitated turtles. Turtles that are big enough to be released are stored in huge pools. Volunteers sometimes swim in the pools alongside the turtles during the summer.

Having volunteered and worked here five months so far, I don’t want to go home. When my last project finishes, I’ll probably find a different one and stay in Greece until I have to start school next fall. I would not be surprised if my parents have to fly here and drag me back home themselves.

- Luke (Loukas) Hamel, Severna Park, Maryland. Currently in Athens, and soon on Samos.

Teens learn, gain inspiration and build connections with rural villages in Greece through community service

The American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece allows students to earn credit for volunteering with the School’s educational farm or for volunteer projects with local or international community service organizations. The School’s programs are designed around its founder’s vision of “educating the whole individual: the head, the hands and the heart.”

AFS offers a summer program for teens from around the world, and community service projects are a key element of this experience. In 2011, students participating in this program helped locals in the Greek village of Nea Gonia build a recreation and seating area around a historic stone springhouse. Read about the project and the students’ experience in Athens News.

About the summer program:
Greek Summer is an intercultural exchange program established in 1970. It is designed for U.S. and international teenagers who are enthusiastic about immersing themselves in Greek culture, contributing to the quality of life in a rural Greek village, and exploring the natural beauty of Greece, including a climb to the summit of Mt. Olympus. Throughout the years, the American Farm School has built a tradition of helping Greek villagers meet their evolving needs through community service projects carried out by Greek Summer participants. During Greek Summer, young Americans undergo their own metamorphosis of thought and spirit as they work to accomplish set goals. The intensity of the experience leads participants to realize new potential and discover resources within themselves and each other.

Additional info on finding opportunities and sharing experiences of volunteering in Greece:

A list of organizations in Greece seeking to have a positive effect on society, under the categories of Civil Society and Volunteerism, Events and Learning, Entrepreneurship, and Co-Working, is located here.

Share your experiences on My Greece  – get the word out!

We will be featuring more organizations that work with volunteers, and more stories from young Hellenes living abroad and friends of Greece that volunteered while visiting Greece.  Share your suggestions with us!

Art can have specific purposes, and this is certainly the case in a hospital. As an artist, Melas says, “If you want to do something, I mean artistically, in a hospital, you should really think, ‘In that place there are people who are not well.’ It’s not a gallery, so you can’t put whatever you want, or whatever you like. There are people who are sick, are ill, and they want to get better, so you should really take care. Be careful of what you are going to produce.”

Cancer patients, their families, hospital staff and visitors all have access to the corridor lined with Melas’s paintings.

“You should talk to the people who are working in the hospital,” he advises. “You should get their advice so they can help you have a better result. That’s all.”

While working at the hospital, Melas wanted to do something for the clinic’s patients. The psychiatrist and psychologist working in the hospital clinic advised that the paintings include cool colors, like blue and green, and remain abstract – that is, without representations of people, animals or other objects. “It cools them down; they relax while they walk. They don’t just see a naked wall, they see something, but it’s nothing in particular. It’s great. The reactions are good. And I’m happy for that.”

Melas is a painter. He has several influences: “Salvador Dali, and also pop art, this kind of mixture…colors, strong colors. I’m trying to provoke in a way, the people around me, to show them something that will wake them up from their routine reality.”

He says that most people either like his work or hate it – which indicates that his work has an effect on people. “These are the reactions which I like – either love it or hate it – because it is very important. The people that are neutral…it means [the piece] didn’t touch them.”

“I’m working on several paintings now, because I can’t work on one. I’m just mixing colors and seeing the result, that’s all. If I don’t like it, I just put some more color on it until I like it, and it stays.  That’s the way it works.”

As an artist in Larissa, he is not alone. There are many creative people in Larissa, professional and amateur, producing art. They paint, sculpt and write.

“Sometimes I think that this city can’t really see what is going on, and it is unable to give all the artists a chance to show their work.”

According to Melas, the state should play a role in helping artists create and display their art. “This is the only way. Nobody else will [do this]. And the artists, by themselves, it’s not a matter of courage, it’s a matter of money, strictly. They can’t afford to pay to have shows.”

He acknowledges that the Greek state will not likely take on this role anytime soon given the economic crisis.

Yet art has an important role to play during this crisis. “To provoke. To wake up. There’s no other role now, it’s the times. Art now should wake up the people, should make them think ‘why’ when Greece is like this: why is the situation is like this, why are we like this. And to show them, every day art should be like a mirror. Around the misery which we are living. Nothing else. There’s no time for beautiful paintings, or flowers somewhere and sunsets. To provoke, nothing else. To wake them up. We ended up like this because we were sleeping. And it’s time to wake up.

When asked if he has any message for aspiring or working young artists in Greece, he says he cannot understand young artists in Greece.

“I understand that it is very difficult to live, just to survive, from art.  It is very easy to say, ‘I have to do what the people want me to do or paint, just to pay my rent.’

But the only message I can give them is: don’t give up. Do what you want to do. This is the only thing that is going to change the world. If you give up, nothing is going to change. It is going to stay the way it is. And you see the results; they are obvious. So don’t give up. And if the younger generations don’t give up, maybe a better future will come. If they give up, then for sure it’s going to be the same.”

Sounds like a message for more than just young artists. We’ll take it.

View some of Melas Karagiannis’s work on his website: http://www.melas-karagiannis.eu/

This is the first in a series of interviews from Larissa. Read the introduction here and stay tuned for the rest!

This article originally appeared on New Diaspora. New Dialogue. on May 9, 2012.

Up Greek Tourism has been one of the more creative methods of Greeks around the world working to help the country’s economy. A billboard is up in Times Square in New York City, inviting onlookers to “Join us in Greece.” The intention of those involved is to show just how powerful private initiatives can be.

Some Washington, DC-area men thought the idea was brilliant, and got to work on bringing it to the nation’s capital. Art Dimopoulos, Harry Karageorge and Jim Stoucker are the Washington D.C. ambassadors for the project, and all share a love for Greece, their homeland. The hope that a campaign like Up Greek Tourism can help the Greek economy is what drives these individuals.

“Ultimately, our objective is to help the people in Greece and the economy in Greece,” Stoucker said. “The thing we’re hopeful of doing is getting together a group of like-minded people that can ultimately deliver the message to other cities and have it expand. We are encouraged by what we hear of similar efforts in Boston and Atlanta. If you can envision this sweeping across major cities of the country, you can see that it would draw a considerable amount of attention and can help Greece.”

In just 15 days, they reached their minimum target of $10,000 through donations from more than 72 individuals. The official kickoff was Monday, but the billboard went up Friday, in very close proximity to the Verizon Center. The billboard will be on display for 30 days, and is meant to remind the public that, regardless of its economic situation, Greece is a beautiful and safe vacation destination.

Dimopoulos said there are a number of different ways to go about spreading this even further — with American Hellenic and Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and its 400 chapters being one of the primary resources. He also said a message like this could really boost morale in Greece and among members of the diaspora.

“What we are hoping is the effort will duplicate itself in other cities,” he said. “It would be great for AHEPA to take it on as national project and have individual chapters pitch in. Everywhere, somebody knows somebody. May 12th is an open house for embassy row, and this year there are a ton of EU meetings in Washington. We made a 12-foot banner of the same wallscape as the billboard to display at the embassy. This is our way of showing our support for Greece and hoping to make a tangible dent and shape some positive perceptions of Greece, instead of the negative stuff you see in the news now.”

Stoucker said Dimopoulos was the mastermind behind the plan, who got the ball rolling and facilitated the project. Dimopoulos said he heard about what was going on in New York and thought it was a great idea, so he wanted to bring it to Washington. He knows the founder of the Up Greek Tourism project in New York, and found out how it all happened.

“We put together a team of people from northern Virginia, mostly, that reached out to our contacts in AHEPA, St. Katherine’s, AHI, friends, etc. We used the existing infrastructure, crowdfunding, and we don’t touch a nickel. It’s transparent, and we were able to put it up.”

Though these men spearheaded the effort, there are a great many other contributors that made last Friday’s opening. The sponsors are Capitol Outdoor, Omada, AHEPA Chapter #438, American Hellenic Institute, St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church of Northern Virginia, Vasilis Fotopoulos, John Hadjipateras, Manny and Marilyn Rouvelas, AHEPA, Panos Anastassiadis, and George Hondros. The diaspora ambassadors for the project are George Petrocheilos, in the northeast United States, Dimitri and Karla Athanassopoulos in New York City, Will and Elaine Bush in California, and Kyriakos Melos in Chicago. All of these people and more contributed to making this campaign a success — as did the famous Kalomira, who dedicated both her time and money to the cause.

“I know tourism makes up about 18 percent of Greece’s GDP,” Dimopoulos said. “It’s a very important sector and clearly, in the short term, something needs to be done immediately. What the feedback is here is that it’s just amazing what a group of talented people can do without the government standing in their way. We’ve got all this creative, unleashed talent of young people, who can do miracles throughout Greece. It’s about them.”

Stoucker said he is glad Up Greek Tourism DC succeeded, and he is pleased with how everything went.

“Within the Greek community, we are trying to get the obvious message out; but the ultimate message is there’s more than one way to help Greek people and the economy,” he said. “If you think about it, this has such significant potential for helping such a large segment of the Greek population. We are just hopeful this will play a small part in helping the country recover.”

Think of the typical American college experience. Large, old buildings. A green campus. Meals served in a dining hall. And football and basketball games to go to each Saturday.

Now, imagine a dream vacation. Beaches. Beautiful hotels. Restaurants on the water. And boats coming in and out of the bay.

These two scenes don’t often overlap, except on the tiny Greek island of Paros, and in the even tinier village of Alyki. That is where students live for a few weeks each summer studying Greek with the College Year in Athens’ summer  program.

“Learning Greek in Greece is extremely beneficial considering that you’re constantly surrounded by the culture and the language,” Ariana Arbes, a senior at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia who studied in Paros in July 2011, said. “It allows for an opportunity that you can’t get elsewhere.”

College Year in Athens, a highly regarded study abroad program that focuses on the history and civilization of Greece and the East Mediterranean region, started off in 1962 with five students and now serves approximately 140 students each semester.

CYA’s summer program, though, is structured differently, with two consecutive four-week programs with offerings in Modern Greek, Archeology and History, Service, Anthropology and Religion. Students studying Modern Greek, for instance, spend one week in Athens before moving to Paros, and living at a beautiful hotel for two weeks. There, they are divided into groups based on their level of proficiency in Greek.

Ryan Collins, a graduate student at Hellenic College in Boston who also joined CYA’s summer program in 2011, was impressed with the course’s teaching methods. CYA’s emphasis on real-world exposure to the language is what stood out for Collins.

“I’ve taken a number of different programs in Greek, and the way that they present the material [here at CYA], the books they use and the professors they have are very good,” he said.

“You cannot teach the language without showing the Greek character, the Greek civilization, because all the words have their roots in Greek civilization.”

The program works because the CYA faculty truly believes that Greek cannot be taught properly anywhere but Greece.

You cannot teach the language without showing the Greek character, the Greek civilization, because all the words have their roots in Greek civilization,” Marinetta Papahimona, who has been with the program since 1979, said. “It sounds a little bit like ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,’ but I cannot avoid it because this is the truth.”

And the professors make sure the students get plenty of Greek character.

When asked what the best the part about the summer program was, Arianna Arbes said it was the filoxenia.

One night last summer, for example, Alexis Phylactopoulos, president of the College Year in Athens program, had the entire summer class over to his home for dinner. Aside from a stunning view of the Aegean Sea, Prof. Phylactopoulos offered dolmathes, spanakopita and other Greek dishes — and a warm family atmosphere.

When asked what the best the part about the summer program was, Arianna Arbes said it was the filoxenia, which literally translates to love of strangers, but essentially means hospitality.

Papahimona has made it her mission to see that the students are comfortable with each other and get plenty of Greek culture because she says it will help the students speak the language. “We [Greeks] are not afraid to show our character… We see something beautiful, we are going to say, ‘This is beautiful.’ We see something bad, we are going to express that it’s bad,” Papahimona said. “This is a little bit strange for [some] Americans… They don’t like to express their feelings so much, they like to listen more.”

“You cannot speak the Greek language if you don’t have the body, the expressions of the face, the expression of the eyes and everything.”

And after watching Papahimona’s colorful interactions with the students, it is easy to see that she practices what she preaches. For example, she asked students questions in Greek and playfully coaxed them into giving the correct answer before she would allow them to board the bus for the trip from the Narges Hotel to Prof. Phylactopoulos’ house. “You cannot speak the Greek language if you don’t have the body, the expressions of the face, the expression of the eyes and everything,” she said.

To learn more about the College Year in Athens, and information on how to apply for CYA’s summer, semester or year-long programs, go to http://www.cyathens.org/.