The executive meeting of the World Organisation of Young Overseas Cypriots (NEPOMAK) was held in Sydney, from 27-30 December last year.
Members of the Executive Council from around the world, as well as young Cypriots from across Australia, participated in the meeting that was officially opened at the Cyprus Hellene Club in Sydney, in the presence of the Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Andreas Hadjithemistos, and representatives of Cypriot Australian organisations.
Discussions of the NEPOMAK meeting, which takes place every two years in different parts of the world, focused on establishing new programs for its members and developing new partnerships.
The Executive Council also developed initiatives to help support Cyprus’ economic recovery, including building closer partnerships with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to promote Cyprus internationally.
“We held workshops on how to get more young people involved with NEPOMAK and how to build up Cypriot youth groups around Australia, as well as what we as a Greek-Cypriot diaspora can do to help Cyprus during the financial crisis,” executive committee member of NEPOMAK Australia and New Zealand, Michael Christodoulides, told Neos Kosmos.
Following the official meeting, the Executive Council was welcomed at the Cyprus Community of Brisbane to meet representatives of the local community.
“We are exceptionally grateful to NEPOMAK Australia and the Cypriot communities in Sydney and Brisbane for the warm welcome that they gave us,” NEPOMAK President Christos Karaolis said.
“We put in place proposals for new programs that will ensure we continue to deliver on our core aims: supporting Cyprus and maintaining Cypriot culture and identity across the diaspora.”
NEPOMAK Australia and New Zealand President Dimitri Nicolaou was happy with the great success of the meeting.
“This year’s conference provided an opportunity to showcase and share the success stories of our Cypriot communities and the Cypriot youth here in Australia,” Mr Nicolaou said.
The global NEPOMAK meeting in Sydney and Brisbane brought together close to 40 representatives of Cypriot youth, from the United States, the UK and seven states/territories across Australia.
The World Organisation of Young Overseas Cypriots, NEPOMAK was founded in 2002 to promote awareness of the Cyprus issue and to bring young Cypriots together. It’s supported by the Cypriot Government, with branches in the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Today, it counts over 1000 members globally, from 18 to 30 years old.
Every two years a conference of NEPOMAK is held in Cyprus while every alternative two years meetings of its Executive Committee are held in a regional member country.
Every year, in July, its flagship program NEPOMAK Discover Cyprus Program (NDCP), brings to Cyprus 18-22-year-old Cypriots from around the world.
“For three weeks, they have an intensive Greek language course, with weekend excursions around the island to learn all about Cyprus. The program is supported by the Cypriot government, the University of Cyprus and NEPOMAK Globally, who provide participants with subsidies for the airfares, accommodation and the program itself,” Mr Christodoulides said.
NEPOMAK Australia and New Zealand, founded in 2004, today has several hundred members. One of the most active members of the global NEPOMAK family, Mr Christodoulides says the Australian branch has continued to grow in representation over the past few years.
“We are basically the youth group of Cypriot communities in Australia and New Zealand. The numbers are increasing as we raise awareness – youth from Australia and New Zealand who participate in NDCP come back and they tell their friends about it; and now we also connect through our social media pages,” he said.
The Australian branch Annual General Meeting, or Summit, is held every year. This year it will take place in Melbourne, on a date yet to be released.
For more information about NEPOMAK or how to become a member, visit www.nepomak.org