National Hellenic Society Brings Greek-American Students to Greece

Twenty exceptional Greek-American students from 18 to 26 years old, have the opportunity to visit Greece, with the program “Greek Heritage”, organized by the National Hellenic Society Foundation in Washington, D.C. As the Greek Service of Voice of America (VOA) reports, the program is implemented in cooperation with Deree, a Hellenic-American College  and aims to equip youths with basic knowledge about the Greek language, history and culture.

The program participants will remain in Greece until June 24th and will travel to several areas of the Greek countryside,  islands, and villages on the mainland. They will also stay for a week with Greek families, who will help them understand  the Greek people and their way of life. They will also attend cooking classes and traditional dances. A tour of the Greek Parliament and many other activities are also planned.

“Our goal is to connect these young people with their Greek identity, help them discover their Greek heritage and share this experience with others here in the U.S., but also with the students with whom they will work in Greece,” says the Head of the competent Committee of the Foundation, Theofanis Economidis.

“It is our pleasure to participate in such a unique cultural and educational program, linking Greek-American students with their Greek heritage,” says the Dean of the College Deree for studying abroad issues, Kathleen Cross.

One participant’s father made a vey touching remark when he claimed that: “All the things I wasn’t able to give my child at 20 years, the National Hellenic Society will do it in two weeks.”