V.2 The Post Education Generation

Late in 1999 we conducted about fifteen interviews with young adults in the Halifax area who had finished their education and started careers and homes for themselves. They ranged in age between twenty-five to forty. Several individuals were very involved with the Greek community, while others had little or no involvement. Travel to Greece was either a future plan or a frequent event in their lives. Almost all identified themselves as “Greek Canadian” and spoke fondly about their Greek backgrounds. As individuals they said that they had no intention of being assimilated completely into the larger Canadian society, although they felt very much a part of that society.

Reading through the interviews, the author was struck by certain reoccurring patterns and remarks. All of the people interviewed had completed high school, and most had gone on to some sort of post-secondary education. Several had two or more university degrees. In many cases the young adults were moving away from the traditional restaurants and diners into skilled trades and professions. For example, in 1999 Julia Tsuros, who has a degree in Early Childhood Education, opened her own Infant Centre because, “I love children and I thought I would try it as a career. Now I know that I love what I am doing for a living.” Others were helping to turn the traditional, small family businesses into large, complex operations. Ship Shape Laundry and Dry Cleaning is a good example of a longtime family business that has expanded tremendously in recent years under the direction of the younger members of the Xidos family. Started in the 1960s by Nick and Antonia Xidos, most of the operation today is directed by their two sons, Dino and Mike, and by their daughter, Cathy Mavrogiannis. Ship Shape now has a fleet of six vans, it collects dry cleaning and laundry from all over the Halifax Regional Municipality, and has numerous large government and university contracts.

As a group the younger Greeks are marrying later than their parents, although almost all said they would like to be married at some point and have their own families. They lead very busy lives, juggling careers, families, church, and leisure time activities. To illustrate that point we look briefly here at three individuals from Halifax whose lives contain all those elements. They are Maria Alexiadis, Costa Elles, and Joanna Kanellakos.

Dr. Maria Alexiadis is a family physician in Halifax. She enjoys sports such as soccer, kayaking, and hiking. Like her whole family before her, Maria is extremely involved in the Halifax Greek community where, in addition to her duties as the newly elected president on the Council, she is a member of the church choir, and organizing committee of the Greek Festival. She was an editor of St. George’s 1985 Year Book, and served as an advisor to the church youth group, GOYA. She is the local representative on the Diocesan Church Council for the whole Canadian Orthodox Church. Dr. Alexiadis has done several medical lectures for the Greek community in Halifax, and is frequently asked to do radio and television interviews about Greek traditions for Christmas and Easter.

Costa Elles is a son of a former priest at St. George’s, Rev. Charalambos Elles. He is a marketing sales executive and graduate of Saint Mary’s University who has often been an invited guest speaker for university gatherings, especially those involving career planning for students. Costa has always been personally active in sports. He is presently a member of the executive of Squash Nova Scotia. He is also on the executive of the Nova Scotia Soccer Association that oversees soccer programs for adults and children all over the province. Costa said that as a vice-president of the Greek community he attends all functions of the community. “I am involved with everything there. The generation before us worked very hard in order for us to have our Greek Church and hall. Therefore I am very grateful for all they have offered to us, and I feel that it is my time now to offer something back to the Greek community.”

Joanna Kanellakos, whose family is profiled in Chapter VI of this book, is a Halifax schoolteacher. Like Maria and Costa, Joanna is active in sports, particularly in running, power walking, and step aerobics. She hopes to upgrade her teaching license and possibly take a Master’s Degree. For years she has helped with the Greek Festival as a member of the steering committee, in advertising the Festival, and as a multifaceted worker on the actual days of the Festival. She is a Sunday schoolteacher and an advisor for various youth groups in the Greek Church.

Not all those interviewed are, or wanted to be, as involved in the Greek community as Maria Alexiadis, Costa Elles, and Joanna Kanellakos. Some explained that distance as a personal need to move forward in their careers or to look after young children. Two or three made this sort of remark: “At this point I do not participate much in the Greek community because the older generation does not accept our ideas easily. Perhaps I’ll be more involved when our children are older.”

These young adults were asked to identify the positive features they felt in being part of the Halifax Greek community. They were also asked to comment upon challenges for the community’s future. Andreas Gavas said: “I’m very proud to have such a strong cultural background. It has helped me find out who I am, and how I should measure success in life. My family is so important to me, because they understand me and help me understand what it means to be Greek Canadian.”

Almost all these young adults mentioned with concern the number of educated young Greeks who are leaving the region to find employment and greater opportunities elsewhere. Several thought that more marriages to non-Greeks would produce a next generation who are more “Canadianized” and less Greek. Several people in the interviews said, “We are in a period of transition.” Maria Alexiadis commented, “We want to get younger people involved but it is difficult because of the struggle of old and new ideas. Sometimes the younger Greeks feel frustrated because they think that the older generation will not let them take charge.” Mariana Veletas worried because, “We are not as tight a community as we used to be. On the positive side I feel we have become more open to “English” Halifax.”

Most of these younger Greeks wanted to thank their parents’ and grandparents’ generation who had worked so hard to acquire security and a good standard of living for all of them. Now, they said, they would like to see members of the community put less emphasis on material values and the intense competition which so often still characterizes Canadian Greek life. It seemed to the author that Joanna Kanellakos clearly summarized the views of many of her generation: “Growing up as a young person who was part of two communities, the Greek and the wider Canadian community, made for a very busy life. We had to participate equally in both Canadian and Greek functions. But looking back now, I do not regret that kind of life style because I got the opportunity to learn about my Greek background and culture, and maintain my Greek identity, while also being a Canadian.”