Nearly 200 people came together for a night of fun and community spirit at “Poto kai Parea,” the first event of its kind where four Greek youth cultural clubs joined forces.
Held at Ballers Clubhouse in Melbourne’s CBD, the event was a collaborative effort between the Pallakonian Brotherhood Youth of Melbourne & Victoria, the Pontian Home, the Lemnian Youth of Victoria, and the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne.
Young Hellenes from across Melbourne’s Greek community enjoyed an evening of Greek music, and fun activities like billiards, ping pong, darts, food, and drinks.
Michael Mahlis, then Youth President of the Pallaconian Brotherhood of Melbourne & Victoria and the driving force behind the event, wrote:
“For the first time, four of Melbourne’s major youth cultural clubs came together for their first collective event.”
Photo: Tongue and Groove/TNG Entertainment
“Poto kai Parea” was also Mahlis’s final event as president, one he told Neos Kosmos was aimed at unifying the youth.
“I think it’s extremely important for the youth to unite. And without a unification, we may lose what we have as Greeks.”
The then Youth President of the Pallaconian Brotherhood expressed his gratitude “to have set the youth unification in motion, beginning this collaborative initiative.”
“It is a testament to the shared vision of the youth and our ability to contribute to the preservation and action of the Greek spirit.”
Mahlis said he was especially grateful to “have been surrounded by friends” who helped bring this shared vision to life.
He also acknowledged the support of the friends who helped turn this idea into reality, including: Athena Alexiadis, Joanna Angeletos, Angelica Spiliopoulos-Angisting, Kathryn Demtschyna, Alexander Gerasimidis, Daphne Gikas, Sophia Kiriakidis, Dean Baziotis-Kalfas, Alexia Moskofidis, Nikolaos Petroulis, Stephen Stamatakos, and Martha Stamatopoulos.
Becca Kayalicos, a member of the Lemnian Youth of Victoria committee, told Neos Kosmos the event offered a powerful point of connection for young Greek Australians.
“I think it’s good for people our age to be able to connect to Greek culture and also to connect with each other.”
Sophia Frangos, a committee member of the Pallaconian Brotherhood Youth of Melbourne & Victoria, said events like this are good opportunities to “reconnect” with one’s culture, build lasting friendships, and simply “have fun.”
For Helena Kayalicos, a member of the Lemnian Youth of Victoria committee, the night highlighted the ability of youth events to break down regional divides.
“It merges the lines of what it means to be Greek in Melbourne.”
Joanna Angeletos, co-president of the Lemnian Youth of Victoria, added that there’s a growing need for more relaxed gatherings.
“We need more informal events where people can just get to know each other, play a few games with friends and just be able to engage in Greek culture in a different way, non-traditional way.”
“We’re all one big Greek family and we want to be able to bridge each other to create one big community for the future.”
According to Mahlis, this event marks the beginning of what the group all hope to be many more collaborations:
“The youth united, believe that this is the beginning of future collaborations and a stronger, more unified approach to maintain Greek connections and community.”
