Talks
Closing Remarks
Friday June 24, 18:30, Alternative Stage GNO
Andreas Dracopoulos, SNF Co-President
"I think it was a very successful conference—at least that’s how we see it—and what made it even more so is the number of young people who joined us for the conference and various other activities.”
Addressing a jam-packed auditorium from the Greek National Opera’s Alternative Stage, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos brought this year's SNF Nostos to a close.
“Thank you all. SNF Nostos 2022 has come to an end. I know nobody wants to talk about COVID anymore, but we’ve seen that the best defense against it was putting on a mask to cover your nose, which we use to breathe, and refraining from socializing, which is how our soul breathes. After two and a half years that wounded humanity, it is experiences like Nostos that make us feel alive again. I don’t know how many of you were here to see Locomondo play live last night, but it was amazing to see so many young people enjoying themselves. Hopefully, we have entered the post-COVID-19 era.
“This year’s SNF Nostos was all about health. We started the Health Initiative at SNF before COVID. Since then, it has become even more important and I think everyone feels the need to follow health practices and find a way to be better prepared for the next pandemic, which I hope is at least 10-15 years away. Either way, the Foundation’s Health Initiative is going to keep us very busy for the next three to five years. Those of you who had the opportunity to attend the conference yesterday must have seen that our goal was to share with you exactly what we’re trying to do here, which is to contribute to something happening all around us. First and foremost, we need quality accessible health, and we also need to bring science closer to society, which is something that I think has been better appreciated since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
“What we’re trying to do is all about you, the young people. We’ve been where you are, and you’ll get to where we are today. The thing is, you’re being pushed to grow up sooner than we did, which is both good and bad. I know you think we’re all boomers—that’s how my kids call me—and you’re right. But if I were your age, I would try to listen—not necessarily to learn from us, but to listen to our experiences. Then you can analyze them and deal with them the best way you see fit. But you still need to hear our experiences and we have a lot to learn from you too. We’ve heard a lot about the generation gap. I think it’s about time we brought all the generations together, because we all have something to learn from each other. So, thank you all very much for being here. Especially all those who travelled from so far—we really appreciate that. Because we may have a beautiful building, but it’s the people who are the soul of the conference, they are the ones who bring life to a building, even when it’s as beautiful as the SNFCC.”
In closing, he thanked all those who worked for months on end for this year's SNF Nostos: the SNF team, SNFCC, iMEdD, Regeneration & Progress, Field of Life, the National Center for Emergency Care (EKAV), the Hellenic Police, the Hellenic Civic Aviation Authority, the Youth Advisory Committee, and the Children's Radio Foundation that set up the SNF Nostos Pop-Up Radio in collaboration with Radio Panteion.