Heavyweights in the Victorian Greek Australian community have been chosen to head the first community dialogue program.
As a La Trobe University Centre for Dialogue initiative, the first dialogue will centre around the topic, “Where will the Greek Australian community be in 10, 15, and 20 years?”.
Greek Australians from different industries have been chosen to take part in what will become a Socratic style form of dialogue.
Two circles will be set up, one made up of the first generation and the second made up of the second and third generation to contribute different views and create a long lasting discourse.
President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, president of the Greek Australian Cultural League Cathy Alexopoulos and radio presenter Rena Fragoudaki will be some of notable members of community to take part and will provide a strong viewpoint on where they see the Greek Australian community going.
Organiser of the event, Dr Michalis Michael hopes to open a dialogue about the effects of new Greek migration to Australia is having on the Greek Australian community.
“Recent developments in Greece have once again underscored the complex presence of Greeks in Australia,” he said.
“As a result of the Greek economic crisis, many Greeks are returning to Australia or are coming here to join family, while at the same time we have younger Greek Australians who look, in a hybrid way, to Australia for their sense of identity,’ he said.
The dialogues are the first of their kind to bring the first and second generations together in an open discussion about the future of the community.
The organisers are hoping to pinpoint some of the most pressing issues of our community, while trying to inspire action that will benefit all generations.
“There is not a conversation, a public debate even, it’s turned into a monologue, that’s usually conducted at best through social media or it’s done through commentary or editorials… and it seems to be aggressive,” Dr Michael told Neos Kosmos last month at the launch of the initiative.
“What we’re trying to do is an intervention, it is a pilot thing, and it’s trying to bring any notable representatives, stakeholders, experts of the Greek community (all generations) in a room.”
The first dialogue will be on Thursday December 12, at 6:45pm at St Michael’s, Uniting Church, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne.