Who we are

Our Story

Determined to help them stay connected, I began organizing social get-togethers and attending Greek social activities and events with them, strengthening our family’s bond with fellow Greek families in our community.

My daughter Anna and my son Nicolas attended Greek elementary school together. When they moved on to French high school, Anna kept going, continuing Greek Saturday school through grade 12. She volunteered there from grade 7 on and became an assistant teacher the moment she graduated. Both she and Nicolas also kept up Greek dancing, each attending weekly since elementary school.

Anna was the driving force. Watching her volunteer throughout her high school years, her giving-back nature rubbed off on me. Until then, I had never volunteered in my life. Inspired by her, I began volunteering as Secretary of the Regional Council of Montreal and as a member of the Public Relations & Marketing Committee of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal (January 2023 – March 2024). It was Anna who planted the idea that we could give back to our community in a bigger way.

For years, my children and I closely followed Greek schools, associations, non-profits, and entertainment organizations, always making sure to share upcoming events with our network of Greek friends. But word-of-mouth wasn’t enough. Many young Greeks never heard about certain events, while others had to choose between overlapping events because of a lack of coordination and communication among organizations.

Witnessing these gaps, and watching our community’s youth miss out, Anna pushed us to take the next step. Nicolas was right there with us. He believed in his sister’s vision from the start and has been helping set up Greek Youth. With his passion for bringing people together, he has taken on public relations and events.

We soon discovered we weren’t the only family feeling this way. Robert, a father of four grown children; George Katsaros, a father of three adult children; and Catherine, a mother of three teenagers and young adults, each saw their own story in ours. As parents, they shared the same hope: that their children would stay connected to their peers, their community, and the culture they grew up with.

They didn’t just believe in the idea; they helped build it. Today they serve alongside us on our Board of Directors, building Greek Youth for their own families as much as for ours. They are paving the way so that their children, and young Greeks across our community, will always have a place to come back to.

That’s how Greek Youth was born: from several families who wanted the same thing for their children. It’s a central hub where Greek youth can easily discover social events, cultural experiences, and community opportunities, all in one place, without needing to rely on friends or family to find out what’s happening.

Since then, the response from our community has been incredibly encouraging. Greek families, young people, and community members have embraced our vision, and their support tells us we’re on the right path. As Greek Youth grew, new volunteers joined us, bringing their time and skills to help the platform reach more families.

We are proudly rooted in Montreal, but our vision doesn’t stop there. We hope to expand across Canada, wherever Greek youth exist, to help build bridges between communities, cities, and generations. Wherever you are in Canada, if you share our vision and would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you. Just reach out to us.

Evangelia Pantazakos and Anna (Pantazakos) Kivetos, Co-Founders