The Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced, on May 16, a significant new grant to the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth for the creation of the first center in Greece to provide academically gifted students with the opportunity to attend advanced educational programs.
The establishment and operation of CTY Greece is part of the foundation’s effort to help relieve some of the dire consequences stemming from the financial crisis in Greece.
The foundation’s $130,000 grant will allow the Center for Talented Youth in collaboration with Anatolia American College to start the CTY in Thessaloniki. The center, which will offer programs for bright students throughout Greece and Southeastern Europe, will welcome its first students in the summer of 2014.
“Education is a central axis of the foundation’s actions and initiatives, which recognizes that supporting this area responds to people’s constant need for development and, therefore, promotes social development,” said John Zervakis, co-chief operating officer of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
“In view of the above, the operation of CTY Greece, through the foundation’s grant, recognizes the particular learning needs of the country’s talented students and provides them with innovate teaching infrastructures, new possibilities for personal and intellectual development, and hope for a better future.”
Panos Vlachos, president of the Anatolia American College, echoed that sentiment. “The benefits of this strategic collaboration for society are multiple, Vlachos said. “Through the creation of CTY Greece at the Anatolia College we will now be able to identify talented youth from all over Greece and provide them with the opportunity, through this program, to cultivate their talents, while also giving them the chance to join a wider network of other like-minded young people.”
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s grant guarantees both the immediate and comprehensive operation of CTY Greece, providing students needing financial help the opportunity to attend classes through a number of scholarships. The Center for Talented Youth in Greece will identify and offer academically advanced students, ages 7 to 18, comprehensive summer, online, and weekend programs. The center’s programs feature challenging coursework, innovative teaching methods, and new academic experiences designed to foster intellectual development and a love of learning.
