While dinner dances, glentia and lectures are a sure fire way to get young Greek-Australians and young Greeks in Australia engaging with their culture, but lockdowns have put a halt to a lot of those events.
Taking an over 50-year-old organisation into the new age is the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS), which has, for the last year, turned a radio series into a podcast aptly entitled Ta Leme.
“Ta Leme is a friendly podcast aimed at individuals who come from all walks of life and although the podcasts are prodomentaliy in English, the NUGAS committee is not afraid to tap into their proud Greek heritage and speak Greek, ensuring that the older generation of Greek migrants can understand the topics of discussion,” the NUGAS Team told Neos Kosmos.
The podcast has also been a great escape during nationwide lockdowns, and while we can’t travel to meet family and make new friends overseas, Ta Leme has still managed to bring people from all four corners of the world together.
READ MORE: From Myrina to Melbourne: How NUGAS reunited generations
“During the lockdowns, podcasts have become very popular amongst the youth and therefore the Ta Leme naturally became one of them, with listeners all over Australia, Greece and the United States. It’s brought together people from all around the world, that may have interest in the same topics, share similar memories or even feel a little nostalgic,” NUGAS said.
Having Greek heritage at some level often comes with a handful of shared experiences and Ta Leme does not shy away from delving into the light hearted and the controversial and complex topics that come with growing up Greek.
“The best part of the podcast has to be the conversations you have. It’s very special to be able to connect with people. While most of the guests are Greek or partly Greek, the connection goes beyond that. To be able to connect through shared experiences while growing up or interests is a special thing. Whether the episode is about a serious topic, something academic, shared experiences or something more simple like food recommendations the connection is always there,” NUGAS said.
You can listen in to Ta Leme by visiting the NUGAS Facebook page.