Eventlist

Facilitator: Professor Joy Damousi | Presenter: Dina Gerolymou
Panelists: Varvara Ioannnou, Esther Anatolitis, Anthea Tsaousis, Victoria Kyriakopoulos

Language of Presentation: English | R.M.L.G.*: 0 - No knowledge of Greek required.

Synopsis

Greeks have a long and dynamic presence in Australia. Contemporary Greek narratives feature concerns about the 'second and third generation" of Greek -Australians, discuss the 'sandwich generation', point to the 'older generation' or the 'first generation migrants' and question the future of the 'new generation'. Throughout all those generations, women have been workers, mothers, wives, daughters, mothers in law, teachers, professionals, volunteers - the list goes on and on. What were the expectations for them and their daughters and granddaughters? Many young women point to family expectations being centred predominantly around academic achievements, but when that is accomplished the pressure shifts towards marriage, preferably to a Greek boy.

Is there a clash of values, assumptions, beliefs and expectations among different generations? If yes, does it influence choices and relationships? What creates friction among the generations and how can we overcome it?

Historically, women have been the keepers of traditions. Has this role changed? How women maintain, protect, challenge and reinvent traditions? Have we been reinventing ourselves as Greek women of the diaspora or have we been quick to fit in the 'good Greek girl' mould? A panel of Greek-Australian women from three generations will discuss these issues on Thursday 18th of March. This discussion is in lieu of IWD 2020 which was postponed due to the pandemic.

Anthea Tsaousis Bio

Anthea graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2017 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing & Finance and a Diploma of Languages in French. She then launched her corporate career with BP Australia, where she is a Food Buyer for BP’s 160 cafes across Australia.

As a passionate Greek Australian, Anthea is a part of AHEPA – Australia’s largest philanthropic organisation. Through this, she has worked alongside other young Greek Australians to raise fund for Arf of the World – an orphanage in Athens, Paradise for Kids – a missionary in Sierra Leone and most recently the Australian bushfires.

As a mega food enthusiast, Anthea spends any crumb of spare time in the kitchen cooking and feeding her family or reading beautiful cookbooks. She truly believes that culture is preserved through food and cherishes the Mediterranean diet.

Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou Bio

Varvara Ioannou is the Founder and Chair of Food for Thought Network Inc, a Greek Australian Women's Community organisation which for the last 20 years has pioneered networking events and other programs aimed at raising awareness about what assists and prevents women to succeed in our Multicultural society.Varvara has a background in Education and Human Resources and shares her professional knowledge and Networks that she has gained from her diverse roles in Corporate Australia and the Department of Education as a HR manager, Learning and Development Manager, Health and well Being Program manager, teacher, curriculum writer and consultant for Languages Other than English through the Food For Thought Network and previously through The Modern Greek Teachers Association of Victoria.

She has been a Sessional Lecturer at Swinburne University for over 20 years, currently teaching academics how to manage their diverse classrooms and developInclusive Learning and Teaching Practice. She has won numerous awards and recognitions as an educator, community leader and women's issues advocate, such as the Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Excellence Award (Higher Education – 2018), the Victorian Honour Roll for Women (2003), the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry HACCI award for Philanthropy and Community Service (2003), the International Teaching Fellowship (1993). Her current community work includes an oral history project profiling diverse women. Varvara is a mother of two and has recently welcomed to her family her second grandchild.

Victoria Kyriakopoulos Bio

Victoria Kyriakopoulos is a journalist and communications advisor with more than 30 years experience working in the Australian media, including major daily newspapers, The Herald and The Age and national news magazine, The Bulletin.

She has held various roles as a government media advisor, communications consultant and freelance writer, worked on diverse projects, including television and documentary programs.

Between 2000-2008, Victoria worked extensively in Greece, becoming the Athens-based editor of the Greek diaspora magazine Odyssey and a correspondent for Australian and international media, covering the 2004 Olympics and major news stories. She has been a food and travel writer and is the author of several editions of Lonely Planet’s Greece travel guides, including Crete and Athens.

Victoria is also the former Program Manager for The Hellenic Initiative Australia, a national not-for-profit organisation delivering a range of programs to assist recovery and renewal in Greece.

Esther Anatolitis Bio

Esther Anatolitis is a cultural leader, writer and facilitator. A passionate advocate for the arts, Esther is Honorary Associate Professor at RMIT School of Art and Deputy Chair of Contemporary Arts Precincts. She is the former Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), and a former board member of ACMI, Elbow Room, the Arts Industry Council (Victoria), and Regional Arts Australia. Esther has a background in culturally diverse media, has worked for SBS and NEMBC and has been a board member of the Antipodes Festival. She has held CEO-level positions with several key arts organisations including Melbourne Fringe, Craft Victoria, SYN Media, the Emerging Writers’ Festival and most recently Regional Arts Victoria. In the Art Life’s 2020 Power Trip list, Esther was named the eighth most influential person in the arts, with the following description under her name “Although the Feds think the arts should be invisible, they just can’t silence the head of NAVA”.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

In order to keep everyone safe we have organized this seminar to be delivered online. However, we are well aware that for some, a large part of the appeal of our seminars is the very active audience participation. Therefore we are providing two ways for you to enjoy the seminar:

If you want to actively participate and ask questions at the end of the seminar you will need to join us through a Zoom Webinar - for which you'll need to pre-register by following this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7516128872911/WN_ugS9ZtMgSq2LLbjWbboxfA

If you prefer to sit back and enjoy the show, just join us through our Facebook page or our YouTube page where we'll be live streaming the event.

Sponsors

During the course of the year considerable expenses are incurred in staging the seminars. In order to mitigate these costs individuals or organisations are invited to donate against a lecture of their choice.

You too can donate for one or more seminars and (optionally) let your name or brand be known as a patron of culture to our members, visitors and followers, as well as the broader artistic and cultural community of Melbourne. Please email: Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από κακόβουλη χρήση. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε την Javascript για να τη δείτε. or call 03 9662 2722.

We also thank the following corporate sponsors:

* R.M.L.G.: Recommended Minimum Level of Greek in order to enjoy this Event, on a scale of 0 to 5.