Last Saturday, members of PHAROS, a group dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Greek language, met with representatives of community media.
The meeting was led by University of Melbourne professor Joseph Lo Bianco and included a panel of experts as part of the group’s strategic initiative to implement their plan for the preservation and further promotion of the Greek language.
The panel featured President Despina Saranti, Secretary of the Association of Modern Greek Educators of Victoria, Dionysia Diakodimitriou, and Coordinator of the Greek Program at La Trobe.
As the president of PHAROS and the Association of Modern Greek Educators of Victoria, Despina Saranti provided an overview of the group’s history, goals, member composition, and various subcommittees.
Saranti started when the group was established in April 2021 in response to Professor Lo Bianco’s research on the vitality and presence of the Greek language in Australia.
The group led by Professor Lo Bianco includes representatives from nine community organisations.
Saranti then outlined the three main pillars of the strategic plan: capacity building, creating opportunities, and strengthening desire, as well as the group’s actions so far on its implementation.
The actions included meetings with the Victorian Minister of Education, contacts with the VCAA, information packages for students, seminars for parents, support for bilingual programs in municipal libraries, promotion of the “Speak Greek in March” program, and outreach to the media.
“This seminar is part of an ongoing series of actions by our group aimed at promoting the Greek language and the work of PHAROS,” Saranti stressed.
Prof Lo Bianco, specialising in language revitalisation, emphasised the importance of community media’s active involvement in promoting the Greek language and detailed how this collaboration could accelerate the strategic plan’s effectiveness.
Dionysia Diakodimitriou, the Secretary of the Association of Modern Greek Educators of Victoria, is contributing her expertise in educational strategies.
Dr Stavroula (Stefi) Nikoloudi and Coordinator of the Greek Program at La Trobe University offered insights into academic approaches to language preservation.
The group is also taking steps to create a PHAROS foundation, aiming to expand their strategic plan nationally.
The group’s first major event will be the first PHAROS Conference, scheduled for December 2024, with details to be announced soon.
Prior to the conference, the group will hold a second information seminar for parents titled ‘Language in the Home: Raising Greek-English Bilinguals in Melbourne’.
