6. TRAVEL: The young are fascinated with travel and they dream of it constantly. A serious effort could be made to provide cheap travel tickets to groups of Greek-American and Greek-Canadian youths, to tour Greece. Conversely, youths from Greece could come to the US and Canada with organized tours and could interact in many ways with the young of our Communities. It is known that Jewish youngsters spend time in Israel under various arrangements (Kibbutz etc.).

Such experience could be catalytic for attracting our young to Hellenic Culture and Heritage. Live images are stronger than words.

7. SPORTS: An organized effort to promote soccer (upcoming sport in United States) among our young, in North America, with a chance to attend or watch soccer games between Greek teams and their competitors, could be significant. The contagious enthusiasm and emotions generated during soccer, baseball and other games are well known and need no special emphasis.

8. SATELLITE BROADCASTING: Broadcasting of special programs (sports, festivals, ceremonies etc.) from Greece via Satellite will have a good effect on young people. This however will take meticulous program planning and outstanding professional supervision. The transmission of the ceremonies during the Convention for Greeks abroad in Thessaloniki, is a case in point. Local special TV programs for teaching the Language right at home, by experienced teachers can do wonders. Transmissions from Greece by ERT, will further boost cultural links with, and desire to visit, Greece.

9. FORMAL LECTURES AND SEMINARS: Certain of our communities in North America have sporadically organized Lectures and Seminars on subjects concerning History, Politics, Economy and the like, as well as on significant contemporary issues relevant to Hellenism. Conferences organized by the Spyros Vryonis Center in Sacramento for instance, should be expanded to involve not only Scholars but also other sections of our Community, including the young. A number of academicians from American, Canadian and European Universities, and from Greece, can make an enormous contribution by speaking on Hellenic Culture and Heritage and on other issues of concern.

Specifically, the considerable number of Greek-American Professors, who are members of faculties at Colleges and Universities in United States and Canada, represents an enormous, yet largely untapped asset, for our Community and for our Church, both of which some critics describe, as rather disinterested or outright antagonistic, towards them. This phenomenon cannot stand and should be rectified as soon as possible for the benefit of both, Community and Church.

next page