By Marianna Mossonidis, founder of The Greek Circle
If you’ve ever joined a Greek university club, you’ve likely noticed the abundance of tavern nights and drinks events. And while these social gatherings are undeniably fun, it begs the question: what exactly makes these clubs Greek?
Many Greek groups in Melbourne today bring individuals together on the basis of cultural identity, yet beyond the people and the playlist, there is often very little engagement with the culture itself.
“Greekness” can be defined in many ways, but at its core, it is a connection to ancestry, land, history, language, and community.
Within the diaspora, engaging with culture helps fill the space that distance from the homeland creates. For first-generation migrants, Greek culture is embedded in who they are, but for those of us born in Australia, the connection can feel more symbolic than lived.
As each generation becomes further removed from its roots, young Greek Australians – myself included – are feeling increasingly disconnected.
Today, the divide between personal identity and cultural connection is becoming more visible than ever, with many young Greek Australians lacking knowledge of Greek history and language, despite a strong desire to learn. This makes the need for spaces that reconnect Greek Australian youth to their heritage more urgent than ever.
As the current Vice-President of RMIT’s United Society of Hellenes (RUSH), I’ve experienced firsthand how university clubs can successfully bring people together, but I’ve also seen how difficult it is to foster real cultural engagement within that setting as the sheer scale of university clubs makes intimate community-building a challenge.
That’s precisely why I created The Greek Circle.
The Greek Circle is a new, Melbourne-based social group for young Greek Australians aged 18 to 30 who want to form meaningful connections with like-minded people and explore their culture in a more intentional space. Whether you grew up in a Greek-speaking household or, like me, only speak a few words, The Greek Circle is a judgment-free community for anyone who feels caught between two identities.
This social club is not designed as a replacement for Greek university clubs, but rather as a complement to them by offering smaller, more intimate events.
Set to launch at the end of 2025, The Greek Circle will be home to a variety of events that balance fun with purpose: paint and sips, pottery classes, Greek dancing, picnics, traditional cooking workshops, and drinks nights paired with lectures about Greek history, tradition, and mythology. In the future, I also hope to use this platform to share short reflections from Greek Australian youth on identity, language, and the experience of growing up between cultures.
One of the club’s long-term goals is to collaborate with local Greek Australian businesses, artists, creators, and cultural leaders. Melbourne has a beautifully interwoven Greek community, rich with talent, experience and a shared love for culture, that I’m excited for The Greek Circle to contribute to and support.
More than anything, the opportunity to bring the community together and help young Greek Australians rediscover who they are is incredibly special to me, especially as someone who has struggled to find spaces like this.
If you are interested in joining the circle, follow @thegreekcircle on Instagram and subscribe to the mailing list to be the first to hear about upcoming events, collaborations, and stories from young Greek Australians.
I look forward to seeing you at our first event!
