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| THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES GOPHER NEWS SERVICE |
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July 2020
A call for Restructuring and Renewal at the Hellenic Community of
Montreal
(GIF) article photo
**To: The Hellenic Community at large, the HCGM membership and the HCGM
President and HCGM Board of Directors**
On the Eve of the 200 years of the rebirth of the Greek nation, the
Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal (HCGM), finds itself in a crisis
of confidence and trust and not only. Just as the Greek nation was
reborn 200 years ago starting with the creation of the Company of
Friends (Filiki Eteria), so too it is perhaps time to start a new
Company of Friends for the rebirth of the HCGM. A rebirth that passes
through a necessary reorganization and subsequent renewal.
For far too many years the HCGM has been operating in a manner that
has alienated vast numbers of our community, is perpetually on the
brink of financial disaster and offers no vision for the future to the
newer generations of our community. Ever growing numbers of our
community see little or no reason to support the flagship of
Hellenism’s presence in Quebec and indeed Canada. This is not only the
fault of the people in office over the years and it would be wrong to
simply seek the removal of those presently in office. The problem, at
its core, is a structural one.
A major Reorganization of the HCGM needs to be undertaken if it is to be
seen as a credible institution that promotes the progress of the
Hellenic community of Montreal at large. Our cultural heritage, our
religious heritage, our traditions and more importantly our Hellenic
values need to be a springboard for healthy integration into the broader
Quebec and Canadian society.
We are punching far below our weight as a community, and this needs to
change!
One week ago I met with an initial group of founding members of the
Company of Friends.The seriousness, commitment, enthusiasm for the
cause, the standing and representativity of the group, has convinced me
to devote time and effort to this cause.
The names of the initial participants of the Company of Friends will be
released along with the names of everyone that has raised their hand,
to move forward with us since then. I expect many more to join this
cause over the next few weeks.
The Company of Friends has been created with a view to initiating a
movement for change that seeks to bring together a broad spectrum of all
the components of our community. From the early Greek families that
built the HCM as it was called, to the newest arrivals of post crisis
Greece and everyone in between.
The purpose of the Company of Friends is to bring together everyone that
can see the need for structural change in the HCGM and agrees on a
Common Platform based on three principles:
* Decentralization, * Professionalization of management, *
Transparency and Involvement.
Without divesting or separating the HCGM from any of its mandates, the
services it offers need to be put in the hands of those that are most
involved and concerned by their success, its management needs to be put
in the hands of accountable, professional staff, overseen by a volunteer
Board that sets objectives and priorities and works to keep the
membership motivated and involved.
A Draft Common Platform that elaborates on these principles is
presently serving the participants in the Company of Friends as
the basis of discussion for the formulation of the final
version in the next few weeks.
The final version will serve as the framework for the overhaul
of the internal by-laws of the HCGM without which, no
significant change can endure.
The Company of Friends is not a political team aimed at taking over the
HCGM.
It aims at being as inclusive as possible.
It is open to everyone that espouses the Common Platform including the
present administration of the HCGM.
In fact, the most ardent wish the Company of Friends is that the present
administration of the HCGM will espouse the basic principles of the
Common Platform as its own.
We would welcome a formal mandate from the President of the HCGM and the
HCGM Board for the Company of Friends to submit to the HCGM the
necessary by-law changes before the end of 2021.
That can be our way, as a diaspora community, of joining Greece’s 200
year celebrations and ensuring hellenism’s flourishing for the next
hundred years in Montreal.
Christos Sirros
July 23, 2020.
If you want to be a part of this movement or want more information, you
can contact: [hcgmrenewal@outlook.com][439]
[439]: javascript:smae_decode('aGNnbXJlbmV3YWxAb3V0bG9vay5jb20=');
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