NOSTOS Vision

"NOSTOS"

A Hopeful Vision for the Hellenism of the Diaspora

A. Foundation of "NOSTOS" and its objectives

The Greek education and formation abroad is limited mainly to the Greek language classes imparted in the schools of the Greek Communities abroad and the officially recognized Greek schools incorporated to the valid national programs.

As a result, a large, if not the largest, part of the migrated Greek population (irrespective of whether they are a first, second, third or fourth generation) is not able to have the least access to this education, as frequently are inhabited in regions where the number of Greeks does not justify the creation of a community or an official Greek school. As a consequence, is created an obligatory detachment and loss of contact with its roots, the consequential assimilation and the lost of the cultural and national identity.

The economic situation of the Latin America countries is permanently difficult. The larger portion of the immigrant Greek population of the region is concentrated proportionately in Argentina. Greeks descendants are also located in other countries with a similar problematic, such as Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc.

The economic factor has an negative influence on the culture, the development and the enhancement of the philhellenic feeling, and affects intensively on the approach to the study of the Greek Letters by individuals Greek or not origin. Among them frequently are included students, researchers and scientists, or simply unconditionally lovers of the Greek and what implicate it.

NOSTOS, thinking for the Greeks and philhellens the widest way of this neologism, includes in his learning programs not only the learning of the language and the culture, but also of the art, the music, the theatre, the dancing and any other related cultural reference. That implicates the creation of schools and libraries, organising of conferences, congresses, expositions, presentations, and may more. Obtain and concrete inter-university agreements and participates for the assignment of scholarships for those who distinguished in the area and the development of the Greek culture abroad, whatever is his origin.

One of the motives that challenge the creation of NOSTOS, associates with the concept of discover and approach all those Greeks and be able to offer them the concrete possibility to access the Greek Education.

The love for Greece and its ancestral culture, is not exclusive for those of Greek blood, as there are thousand philhellens supporting unconditionally that kind of proposals and embraces them doing the Greek Culture their one culture. That for demonstrates admiration, respect and studies with a deep and emotional sentiment, desire and effort.

B. Foundation of radio program "ANTAMOSI"

In the year 2001, a period economically difficult for Argentina by means of an impressive personal initiative for the reinforcement of the Greek sentiment, Dr. Christina Tsardikos, formed the radio program "ANTAMOSI", which was broadcast from Buenos Aires and it promoted topics of Greek culture and of the Greek language, in a permament linkage with the distant homeland.

During the period 2001-2005 "ANTAMOSI" received special recognition and became the focus of interest for a big portion of the Greeks in Argentina, in America but also in Greece. Its commercial exploitation was used exclusively for the benefit of a local community for its Greek teaching school.

In spite of all the economic debilitation and other obstacles that was fronted, the quality and the cultural content of "ANTAMOSI" motivate so that the at that time Cultural Attaché of the Greek Embassy, Mr. Georgios Souvatzis, proposed and presented to the competent authorities the background of the audition, which was selected to participate in the Conference of Greek Journalist of the Diaspora, organised by the Ministry of Mass Media of Greece, in Athens, on June 2004, under the aegis of the at that time President of the Greek Republic, H.E. Mr. Constantinos Stefanopoulos.

However, because of a diversity of difficulties and a total absence of governmental economic help, the radio program was interrupted in 2005.

That interruption, not only it did not discourage its founder and its visionaries, but was impulsion reason for a further movilization for the renovation of the strength for searching of the means to achieve the initially proposed objectives.

So, as result of the campaign for the purpose to start again, realised by the Greek journalists, by the mass media and with economic support of some Greek-fellow of abroad, and specially Mr. Theodoros Spiropoulos, Chairman of the "Hellenic American National Council", the 20^th of May 2006, the emission starts once more.

Actually, "ANTAMOSI", attempts to promote an optima and massive communication of the Greek culture is its emissions from the AM, covering a big part of Argentina and via Internet in live and direct, permitting the interaction between the Greeks and the philhellens of the whole world.

C. Visions and objectives of "NOSTOS"

The international interest caused for the reposition of the radial programme and the straight moral support by so may Greeks of the Diaspora, facts the creation, in Buenos Aires, of the hope to be able to concrete the dream of a live and latent Greece in that part of the planet, that, as a focus irradiate the Greek culture at the 5 points of the horizon, where that will be necessary. This impulse, full of believe and hope, guided to the creation of NOSTOS on the 20^th June 2006, when a group of friend, Greeks and philhellens, in Buenos Aires, got-together, founded the association, and started thinking on what will be their objects, plans and propositions, knowing clearly that it is a non-profit organization, with primordial object the stimulation, the diffusion and the promotion of the Greek education and culture, ...simply... The "NOSTOS", the return to the origin.

NOSTOS, is an organization who express the search, the necessities, the reflections and the expectations of the Greek community in Argentina, in Latin America, respectively their compatriots in Greece, fomenting and simulating the philhellens to freely approach a wide cultural project, without geographic or national limits.

A cultural entity who looks to expand the Hellenic language and culture among those who residence in their heart the Hellenism as a universal, uniting and creating culture.

NOSTOS births for the necessity to return to the homeland, the roots and itself the fountain of the Hellenism.

The "Nostos" of Greece. The "Nostos" for Greece.

The principal objectives of the organisation are:

• Projection, dissemination and maintenance of the Greek culture.
• Instrumentation of the necessary means for the teaching and learning of the Greek language and culture in Argentina, Latin America and the rest of the world wherever it will be necessary.
• Fomenting, promoting and stimulating of the relations between the hellenism of Argentina and the hellenism outside and inside Greece, including the interaction with governmental and non-governmental organizations, mass media for the diffusion and communication, and any other cultural referent, of any origin, related to the hellenism.
• Promotion and organisation of cultural, educational, artistic etc. relate to the Greek culture and more generally to topics that refer to Greece (in collaboration with corresponding institutions from Greece and abroad).
• Creation of convenient infrastructures and conditions for the communication and collaboration between the Greeks of the Diaspora, beginning with those in Argentina, Latin America and including other regions progressively.
• Creation or reinforcement of links between the Greek institutions in Argentina and in other foreign countries with cultural and educational organisations in Greece and the Greek Diaspora.

Who integrates "NOSTOS"?

The Board of Directors of "NOSTOS" consists of eminent members of the Greek community in Argentina, Argentineans philhellens and academics from the local universities.

Since its first days from its creation, was greeted with enthusiastic reception by fellow-Greeks in Argentina, in the countries of Southern and Northern America, but also in other countries such as, for example, Australia and Greece.

Massive was the registration of members and of those who offered their support of knowledge or art, as well from the Greek community around the world, as from academics, artists, and local professionals who embraced sins the beginning the pluralist and hellenistic idea of NOSTOS. At the same time, we have already received requests for the opening of affiliated centres in other cities or countries, requests that several are under study, and other on the way of the realization.

"NOSTOS" has its doors opened side to side, in order to receive all those who carry the hellenism inside them, and are willing to approach what the ancestral culture represents.

First steps :

"NOSTOS", in this initial stage and in close collaboration with the Dean and professors at the University of Patras, as well as with its members in Greece, moves forward in the planning and treating of a frame of action and strengthening of targets and aims. The frame of action in question, as synoptically appears in the present time, includes the following objects short-term and medium-term:

• Closed collaboration with the University of Patras is programmes of interchanging and providing of didactic and educational elements. The collaboration in question, who is undertaken under the aegis of the Dean of the university of Patras Prof. Stavros Koumbias, and was proposed and directed by the lecturer of the department of Computers Engineers, Prof Christos Alexopoulos. Prof Pantelis Georgogiannis, Prof Theodoros Papatheodorou and Prof. Georgios Stamellos, as well as other members of the same university contribute to the program.
• Contacts with other organisations of the Greek Diaspora (S.A.E.) for the development of collaboration and common action.
• Investigation for ways to enhance cultural and educational exchanges, originally between Greece and Argentina, and afterwards between Greece and other interested countries, within the framework of existing bilateral collaborations and the existing European educational and cultural programs (Erasmus, Alpha, ALBAN, Youth on WORLD, etc.).
• Creation of a library with books of modern and ancient Greek, Translations of the classics of the literature in Greek and vice versa, that is from Greek to Spanish, and other languages, making up matter undisputed for investigation, support and study in order to cover specially the necessities of the university students and the public generally.
• Distribution of books to schools of Greek language not officially recognized Greek, mainly inland.
• Progressive creation of a "educational and culturally cross-cultural Portal" (www.nostosonline.gr) with information originally contained in 3 languages (Greek, English and Spanish). It will function in tandem with the one ( www.nostosdiaspora.gr ) site of the association created by the University of Patras by Prof Christos Alexopoulos, who charged kindly of its creation and development insight the portal of the same the university of Patras.
• Communication and collaboration with other relevant organisations all over the world.
• Organisation of cultural events in Argentina and abroad, in collaboration with local institutions or with corresponding ones from Greece.
• Continuous and multilingual live briefing of Greeks of the Diaspora via the radio program "ANTAMOSI".
• Continuous and multilingual briefing of Greeks of the Diaspora via our Portal and through the emission of e-mails or letters.

Ultimate objective of "NOSTOS" is to expand its presence and activities. To embrace the entire Greek and philhellenic community, and to reach all the corners of the world where the Greek and philelenic presence exists. To constitute an independent, non-governmental pole, who, in collaboration with other institutions, contributes substantially to the promotion of the aspirations and ardent visions of the Hellenism. The preservation, maintenance and dissemination of the Greek language and education, in a world level. Feel proud what numerous intellectuals thought about Greece and what Jorge Luis Borges shaped in his words: "All began there"...