------------------------------------------------------------------------
| THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES GOPHER NEWS SERVICE |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 2026
New Hellenic youth initiative connects over 20 youth organizations
(GIF) article photo
By Antonia Macris
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Blue and white linens covered the round tables in the hall of Saint
George Cathedral in Montreal on May 9, where tulips and sprays of baby’s
breath stood in small vases beside printed programs and name tags
marking the speakers and mentors. By mid-morning the room had filled
with students, young professionals and community leaders, coffee and
croissant in hand, leaning across the tables to introduce themselves
while a sponsor slideshow played on the screen at the front. A current
of anticipation ran through the hall, and it set the stage for a day
given over to questions that have long occupied the Greek-Canadian
diaspora: how a younger generation finds its footing in careers and
leadership, and how the Hellenic identity carried across the Atlantic is
kept alive and passed forward.
The occasion was the launch of Next-Gen Skills Talks, a new
initiative organized by the youth department of the Hellenic
Community of Greater Montreal. Held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the
gathering brought together more than 70 Hellenic students, young
professionals, mentors and community leaders for a full day
conference of career exploration, mentorship, skills-building,
networking and leadership development. It brought together 20
active youth organizations from Montreal, Ottawa and the United
States, among them university and college associations, church
youth groups, dance troupes and regional Greek association youth
groups, including a table of Saturday school students attending
alongside their teacher, and it produced 14 new community
memberships before the day was out.
The event was conceived, organized and emceed by Antonia Macris, youth
secretary on the community’s board of directors, who developed it over
several years of consultation with student groups seeking greater access
to mentorship and professional development. “We encourage everyone today
to introduce yourselves, to participate, to ask questions, and make new
connections with people who maybe you’ve never met before, or people who
you have but never had the opportunity to get to know,” she told the
room as the program opened.
“We hope participants leave with new connections, new inspiration and
greater confidence in their future path,” Macris said. “We want young
people to see how they can grow, lead and contribute within our
community while discovering the shared goals that connect so many of our
youth organizations. Sometimes one conversation, one mentor or one
opportunity can change the direction of what comes next.”
Opening remarks came from Macris alongside Basile Angelopoulos,
president of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal, and Nikolaos
Karalekas, consul general of Greece in Montreal, who each spoke to the
value of youth engagement and the responsibility of one generation
toward the next. Angelopoulos drew on the blue and white table settings
to make his point, casting the day as an exercise in giving to those
who would follow. “Give and take is the best way that we could go
forward and build a stronger community,” he said, describing the
gathering as a chance to give to the next generation “so that our next
generation can become even better than the first.” He returned to the
idea of Hellenism as a shared inheritance held in trust. “It defines
us, but we are its custodians,” he said. “Every generation is the
custodian of that trait, and we are the custodians long enough to pass
it on to the next generation.”
That sense of stewardship ran through the Youth Groups Showcase that
followed, as Macris moved among the tables and invited representatives
from each organization to introduce themselves and describe their work.
A representative of MET Youth Montreal explained that the group, whose
name comes from the Greek word for metamorphosis, operates as a faith-
based Orthodox network for young people. Others spoke or supported from
the Hellenic student associations of McGill University, McGill Law,
Concordia University, the University of Ottawa, Ottawa Law, John Abbott
College and Marianopolis College, as well as the National Hellenic
Students Association; parish organizations included MET Youth Montreal,
MET Youth Saint-Dionysios and the St-Nicholas Youth Association of
Laval; dance troupes such as La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki,
Romiosyni and Laografiko Ergastiri Montreal; and the youth wings of the
Arcadian, Kefalonian, Messinian and Pontian associations of Montreal,
alongside organizations including the Socrates Educational Foundation,
the Montreal Greek Film Festival and AHEPA’s Maids of Athena and Sons of
Pericles Montreal Chapters. The showcase widened the room’s awareness of
how many avenues exist for young Hellenes to stay involved.
A leadership spotlight by Denise Vourtzoumis, president and co-founder
of Pink in the City, opened the speaking program with reflections on
resilience and confidence drawn from her own career. Two panel
discussions followed. The first, on careers in public service and
community impact, brought together Effie Giannou, deputy mayor of
Montreal; The Honourable Eleni Bakopanos, a former member of Parliament;
and Joseph Polossifakis, an Olympic fencer who works in government
relations at Suncor. Bakopanos traced her entry into public life to
youthful conviction. “It was very idealistic, and I chose the way to do
it was through political action,” she said. Polossifakis told the
students that sport had shaped his approach to everything that came
after it. “From day one, you have to take a lot of accountability for
yourself. You win or you lose,” he said. “I’m accountable for my
results, for my actions, what I need to do to get better.”
The second panel, on creative Hellenic identities across borders,
turned to entrepreneurship, personal branding and the digital
pathways now open to young people, with executive coach Nina
Balaouras, international DJ and producer Andrew Pololos, and Adoni
Vassilyadi of Ottawa, vice-president of MET Youth Canada and a Greek
content creator who spoke about representing Hellenism beyond
Montreal and across the wider diaspora.
Over the Mentor Lunch Power Hour, attendees moved into small groups with
professionals drawn from aviation, medicine, philanthropy, technology,
education, entrepreneurship and the arts, gathering around a donated
buffet of Greek pastries and savoury dishes. Several mentors offered the
day’s most personal moments. Adrian Maris, a commercial airline captain,
drew laughter as he described a circuitous route to the cockpit. “I
wanted to be a doctor, then an engineer, then a farmer, and now I’m here
as an airline pilot because I’m afraid of flying,” he said, adding that
he teaches others to fly in his spare time. “Quite honestly, I don’t
work a day in my life because I enjoy this.”
Other mentors included Athena Sita of Innovitech, Alexander Koutelias of
the Orchestre Métropolitain, Dr. Costa Papadatos of Vanier College and
the Socrates Educational Foundation and physician John Kremastiotis,
whose conversations with participants ranged from leadership and
workplace experiences to education and career development.
For the youth department, the gathering reinforced a role it has
cultivated as a hub linking Hellenic youth organizations across
generations and cities, expanding opportunities for collaboration beyond
Montreal and extending those ties into the broader North American
diaspora. The event was offered free to existing youth members and
carried a $25 fee for others that could be applied toward a community
membership, set at $25 for those aged 18 to 25 and $50 for those older,
with admission free for anyone under 18. It was made possible entirely
through community sponsorship, with all food, beverages and materials
donated by local businesses. Community sponsors included Ambrosia,
Alphabet Café and Ambros Coffee, Bernie Beigne, Harry Photography,
Petros Taverna, Zoubris, Kilo Desserts, Salamina, Groupe Alimentaire
Miron, Skoulakis, Marc Angelo, Christina’s Cuisine and Press My Buttons.
Organizers say the initiative is expected to continue in future
editions, reflecting a growing interest in mentorship, leadership
development and intergenerational engagement among Hellenic youth, and
building on participation and feedback from youth organizations, mentors
and attendees across the community.
The formal program concluded at 3 p.m., with many participants remaining
to network until approximately 4 p.m.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(DIR) [Back to Headlines]
(DIR) [Article Archive]
(DIR) [Home]