AHEPA’s Achilleas Youth to Fundraise for Underprivileged Athens School

Achilleas Youth, the newest chapter of AHEPA Victoria, run by young adults studying at university and senior secondary school, announced a major fundraising initiative for 2012/13 will be to finance the purchase of books and educational supplies for a disadvantaged Athens school.

The membership and Board of Achilleas Youth concluded that the community of Greek Australians, especially students and the youth, must take a stand in a sign of solidarity and support for our relatives and fellow Greeks currently being crushed by the economic crisis.

President of Achilleas Youth, Jiannis Tsaousis, says “the devastation of the rapid fiscal consolidation currently being undertaken in Greece, which is pushing much of Greek society to the brink of collapse and seriously testing the resilience of the Greek people, calls for our immediate support.” As such, Achilleas Youth has announced that within the next 9 months, it will seek to hold fundraisers including:

• A family and youth-oriented Greek Tavern Dinner and Trivia Night for Friday 19^th October at Florina’s Greek Tavern, Malvern (tickets: www.trybooking.com/BWIX)
• A formal AHEPA Inauguration Ceremony to take place in mid-December followed by a Fundraising Dinner;
• A Greek family and youth-oriented Dinner Dance after Orthodox Easter in May 2013;
• A Public Forum involving Greek and Philhellenic intellectuals and public figures on the question of Greece’s place in the Eurozone and in the European Union, in April-May 2013.

President Tsaousis reiterates that “this is a time for all young Greeks worldwide to re-engage with our motherland, to take a stand for the values which underpin Hellenism and Greek culture – of intellect, holistic excellence, spirituality and empathy – and for fellow young Greeks to not only witness modern Greek history, but to take part in what will inevitably be a renaissance of modern Greece if the diaspora and Greeks alike can work together and make this right.”

Achilleas Youth has been formed by a passionate group of young Greeks and Philhellenes alike under the auspices of the Greek economic crisis and the need to fill a void of philanthropy amongst Greek Australian youth organisations. However, despite the origins of the establishment – out of the ashes of Greek economic tragedy – the agenda, values and goals are far-reaching and long term.

Achilleas Youth seeks to proudly carry alight the torch of Hellenism across our worldwide diaspora, as proud Greek Australians with an innate, unbreakable and enigmatic connection to Greece, the cradle of western civilisation.

Founding President of Achilleas Youth, Jiannis Tsaousis, is “proud of Achilleas Youth joining a growing number of Greek Australian youth groups, but most importantly, of filling a void where there is currently little potential for students of Greek origin or ancestry to promote philanthropy, the values of ancient Greece and Byzantium, be active citizens of the world and realise our leadership qualities.”

Furthermore, “we are united with AHEPA, proud to be a newly-approved chapter of the world’s largest Hellenic organisation and the world’s third largest civic service organisation only behind Rotary and the Lions clubs, embracing the AHEPA spirit of “enjoying doing good deeds.”

In case you would like to join the ambitious efforts of Achilleas Youth, follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/achilleasyouth, visit the website at www.achilleasyouth.webs.com or email the organization at achilleasyouth@ahepa.org.au.