By Christina Savopoulos
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), in collaboration with the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS), hosted their first Youth Forum on Wednesday, August 27 to gather feedback from young Greek Australians about their thoughts on Melbourne’s Greek events.
With most GCM board members aged above 35, the organisation has acknowledged their lack of youth voice and have aimed to combat this with their forum.
With 25 people in attendance, the forum included small focus groups where attendees shared their perceptions on how Greek identity is experienced in Melbourne. Conversations centered on language, creativity, culture, and history.
The forum was led by GCM Co-chairs of Youth & Community Outreach, Tass Sgardelis and Dora Papamakarios, alongside NUGAS Co-Presidents, Jamie Gallos and Demi Bourdopoulos.
This joint event came soon after the GCM and NUGAS agreed to form a youth subcommittee at a meeting earlier in the week on Monday, August 25. GCM President, Bill Papastergiadis OAM commented on this collaboration between NUGAS and the GCM’s Youth and Engagement committee.
“We are excited to continue to work with NUGAS on joint initiatives,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
“However, we want to take this relationship further and formalise it thorough a dedicated subcommittee [that will] tap into the knowledge and interests of our youth such that our events and functions resonate with them… [and will] foster an environment that allows mentorship such that our next leaders emerge through this committee.”
Speaking to Mr Sgardelis before the joint forum, he said that with the formation of the new youth sub-committee, the “most important thing is to listen to what young people think… starting with what they think of what the Greek community is and does.”
He is adamant to begin his term in the Youth & Community Outreach division by “engaging with young people in a more meaningful way.”
Most attendees of the forum were in their twenties, with a few in early high school, and all provided valuable insights. They suggested events they hope the GCM will run – such as an open mic night for Greek Australian artists – and highlighted the need for more engagement and advertising via social media.
Smaller group discussions revealed a shared concern of how Greek traditions are slowly deteriorating within families. Interesting observations included the shifting roles of Greek women, the correlation between Greek identity and an influence of culture from non-Greek friends, and an interest in mythology trumping research into Greek history.
Many also voiced how a lack of understanding of the Greek language is a barrier for attending events. Suggestions were provided to combat this which included taking the initiative to learn through completing short Modern Greek courses.
Adapting to the needs of the next generation is essential to understand why certain young people aren’t engaging with GCM events and how they can facilitate spaces to enjoy Greek culture, especially for those who don’t usually participate. Collaborating with NUGAS for this event helped the GCM reach the Greek youth demographic NUGAS already engages with.
NUGAS Co-Presidents Jamie and Demi shared their thoughts on the forum with The Greek Herald. Demi was surprised that “a lot of people wanted to get involved but hadn’t heard about events”.
Jamie agreed, noting that attendees “were more intimately engaged with the Greek community than I initially thought and that they come with ideas of what it should look like”.
They both feel “hopeful that people are interested [in the Greek community]” and have ideas about ways it can progress.
GCM Youth & Community Outreach Co-Chair Ms Papamakarios reflected on the forum, saying it “has been a powerful reminder of the passion and potential within our Greek Australian youth… Their voices are shaping a renewed path forward for celebrating and sustaining our Greek identity in Australia.”
The GCM hopes to reach a wider audience of Melbourne Greeks beyond the familiar faces who religiously attend their events. The Youth Forum marks the first official step taken to hear from the next generation of Greeks about what they want their future to be.
The Youth Forum is only the beginning in collecting feedback and seeing what commonalities have emerged. The forum was not an echo chamber but a place where feedback and ideas from the Greek youth in attendance were noted and valued.
Following the event, attendee Natasha Marinopoulos said, “It’s been really amazing hearing how many commonalities everyone has… [and] how there were so many other people who felt the same as I do with the barriers to entry with the language and wanting to get involved but not knowing how exactly.”
If you’re aged between 16 and 25, the GCM and NUGAS would love you to share your thoughts in their online survey. They’d like to learn what you want to see more of in the Greek community. GCM and NUGAS both emphasised that this is an open and inclusive space to speak up, be heard, and can shape the future of youth engagement in the Greek community.
