The Pharos Alliance Symposium organising committee has extended its thanks to all who contributed to the success of its inaugural Symposium on Sunday, December 1, at La Trobe University in Melbourne.
They expressed appreciation to all who were able to attend in person, from Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, and to the many people who joined via Zoom from interstate, Canada and Greece.
The activity commenced with welcome statements from Australian Ambassador to Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, Alison Duncan, Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, and La Trobe University Head of Department of Languages and Cultures, Associate Professor Claire Knowles.
The keynote speaker was Professor Emeritus Joseph Lo Bianco AM, an authority on language education and multilingualism and inaugural President of Pharos Alliance. He provided an overview of Pharos’ inception and progress, arising from research commissioned by the MGTAV in 2017 and published in 2021, and placed Pharos’ work in the context of other revitalisation projects around the world. He noted the many achievements of Pharos and set out an agenda of future challenges. The message was clear: we can succeed in our efforts to reverse the decline of Greek in our schools and homes, but we need to remain focused and united to do so.
A very rich program of inputs followed, with a total of 27 presentations spanning the entire scope of Greek language study, research and teaching, as well as family and community perspectives.
Distinguished guests and presenters included local educators of Greek language at the Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary level, parents with experience in raising children bilingually, representatives from Greek institutions in other states, alongside presenters who joined from online to update people on programs and initiatives, from interstate, and overseas.
Attendees were inspired to hear about all the developments in the various education sectors, about the fine work of Foundations in Toronto, Adelaide and Sydney, important work in Greek curriculum development in South Africa, and the reminder that language education has a political dimension – it is an issue of social justice.
Recurring key messages expressed throughout the day included the need for unity across sectors and interests to defend the achievements so far and to reverse the decline in programs and numbers that the language faces in Australia’s education system. This important work of protecting and expanding Greek language programs and valorising and supporting the indispensable role grandparents and parents play in using Greek in the home were affirmed by all present.
“Schools can only do so much,” Professor Lo Bianco said. “The community and the family are other sites where Greek can be revitalised and we should commit ourselves to making this happen.”
Pharos thanked La Trobe University and Dr Stavroula Nikoloudis, Coordinator of the Greek Studies Program, for hosting the Symposium.
“As the only university offering Greek language studies in Victoria, we all thought that La Trobe was the most fitting venue for this gathering,” Dr Nikoloudis said. She, Professor Lo Bianco and Denise Diakodimitriou, three of the event organisers, emphasised the collaborative effort which is characteristic of the Pharos Alliance.
Warm thanks and appreciation were also extended to other sponsors: Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria, AHEPA Victoria and the Panarcadian Association of Melbourne and Victoria ‘O Kolokotronis’.
Lastly, Pharos expressed gratitude to the Speak Greek in March campaign organisers, Mike Zafiropoulos AM, Christina Despoteris OAM and Cathy Alexopoulos OAM, for entrusting Pharos to manage the campaign and for the generous cheque made out to Pharos Alliance to help with realising the program’s activities.
The Symposium provided much food for thought; it was an opportunity to learn about the successes and challenges at the school, university and personal level and is a great starting point in planning for the next stage of Pharos’ work in revitalising Greek.
Pharos are optimistic that with sustained attention, the future looks bright for Modern Greek in Melbourne, Victoria and across Australia.
You can learn more about the Pharos Alliance here: https://www.facebook.com/pharos2021
