The SAE Youth Network Council of Oceania and Far East newly elected their executive committee and formed six sub committees at the recent SAE conference in Melbourne.
“The purpose of developing these committees was to align the structure of our youth network council with a framework that was decided upon at the World SAE Youth Network Meeting, so that all regions could coordinate effectively in the global sphere,” says Coordinator of the SAE Youth Council, Elias Demourtzidis.
“I walked away from the meeting knowing that we now had a structure that we can work within and can effectively communicate information between the network and also between the committee and the youth.”
The members elected to the committee included Anthony Zorbas and Alexandra Livas (W.A) as deputy co-ordinators, Alex Belerhas (NSW) as treasurer, and Callie Kalimniou (VIC) as secretary.
The sub committees formed included IT and technology, Communications, Cultural, Sports, Social, and Careers.
The following council members were elected as heads for the new committees: Anthony Zorbas-IT and technology, Rebecca Kougellis (ACT)-Communications, Frank Conias (QLD)-Sports, Stelios Roumeliotis (NSW)-Social and Callie Kalimniou-Careers. “Each of the subcommittees have been delegated tasks to implement over the next few months,” says Demourtzidis.
“For example one big emphasis is on communications via newsletters and the SAE website www.saeoceania.org.au, which we (the youth) will be updating very soon.
SAE Youth in Greece are also launching a website: neasae.com which should happen this year and each region around the world will be given access”. Demourtzidis goes on to say that the Social sub committee will be continuing work on a national database of contacts to receive information from the SAE Youth.
“So far we have approximately 500 contacts. There are a lot of young Greeks out there that have a lot to offer and I want them to join so that they can make a difference and also be part of what’s going on with all the special projects coming up.
For example the NSW SAE youth committee is looking at running youth camps, Perth is looking at hosting some events by the river, and Victoria is in discussion of the pan Hellenic Games that will run later this year”.
Also underpinning SAE Youth’s desire to grow is to gain approval for funding of these events from the Greek government.
“We are trying to work towards something tangible as the more youths we represent, the more funding we are likely to get”.
Demourtzidis underscores the importance of the 2009 Pan Hellenic Games, which will be held later this year in Melbourne at a date to be confirmed within a month. “I want to encourage youth to get involved; it’s a fantastic event and we should back it and ensure that it happens every year”.
The Pan Hellenic Games is a mini version of the Olympic games for young Greeks across Australia, consisting of both a sporting competition and a cultural performance component.
Emmanuel Lambou, President of the SAE Youth Committee Victoria and Tasmania indicates that sponsorship is critical to the success of the games.
“The larger the games, the greater the requirement becomes for funding to ensure we can cater for a spectacle of the magnitude and excellence we expect, hope and plan to stage. It is imperative that all Greeks in Melbourne get behind us and support the games”.
Following on from the SAE conference, an open meeting has been called to discuss the re-vamping of the Pan Hellenic games on Thursday 26th February at Greek Community building (cnr Lonsdale and Russell Streets, Melbourne) at 6.30pm 2nd Floor.
If you would like to contribute your ideas or get involved feel free to just turn up or contact Emmanuel Lambou on 0407 673 344 for further information.
Alternatively if you would like more information about getting involved in or sponsoring the games, or would like to join SAE youth database, please email saeoceania@yahoo.com .