On Wednesday June 20th we celebrated the first anniversary of the newspaper ‘Migratory Birds’ and the Web radio ‘Dandelion’ in the garden of the Association of Greek Archaeologists.
Many dear friends were present, whom we had invited to share the evening with us and take part in our joy.
The first thing that drew everyone’s attention was how culturally diverse the party was. There were people from Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Greece, Albania…
We, the ‘Young Journalists’, could see before us the first messages of peace and friendship from all those taking part, people from different nationalities and cultures, speaking different languages. We felt very proud that as a result of this past year’s teamwork, we have been able to put across those messages so succinctly, with the help of our photographers’ cameras.
We began the evening by presenting our newspaper, describing how it began and reporting various aspects of its first year of circulation. There followed a presentation of Web Radio Dandelion. Dimitris Aggelidis, a journalist from the newspaper Efimerida ton Sintakton spoke, followed by the father of one the “Young Journalists”. An Arab interpreter from our team also addressed the audience, as did Michalis Papantonopoulos, a social psychologist. Finally, some newcomers to our group explained to the audience what they had learnt as participants in the ‘Young Journalists’ programme.
The celebration finished with videos showing four young women, contributors to ‘Migratory Birds’, who have flown to other parts. Despite the distance that separates us, they managed to provide us with a few moments of joy with what they showed us and with what they said, proving that our hearts continue to beat as one.
That evening we said goodbye to another contributor who was leaving for Germany, but knowing that we would continue to work together we wished her good luck, much joy and success. In any case, no bird ever forgets how to fly! Our group coordinator and editor-in-chief, Aristea Protonatoriou, who taught us everything she knew with much enthusiasm, has also had to leave us in order to fly towards a brighter future. From our part, we welcomed her replacement, the journalist Sotiris Sideris, with open arms.
The celebration lasted about three hours and we would like to thank everyone not only for taking part, but for all their support during the past year.
We have embarked on our second year with much enthusiasm, in the hope that we will continue to convey the message of freedom, peace and love throughout the world via our project, and that we will acquire readers in all corners of the earth.
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