Each semester, CYA’s Media Lab welcomes a group of interns into the team. This semester, the Media Lab is excited to welcome Jacki Healy and Theodora Karplus! The two interns will be collaborating with the Media Team on exciting, creative projects throughout the semester. You can look forward to seeing some content from our interns:

Ever wonder what happens in a typical week for a CYA student? What are classes like? What do students do in their free time? Take a behind-the-scenes look at life in Athens through this CYA blog post!

Even though the spring ’20 semester ended early due to COVID-19, students still had productive and meaningful volunteer experiences during their time in Athens. CYA has conducted interviews with volunteers from the spring ’20 class, and we will be publishing some of them on the CYA Blog.  Jayna Jones taught English to refugee teens with Faros, where she gained a new understanding of Athens and its many residents.

Even though the spring ’20 semester ended early due to COVID-19, students still had productive and meaningful volunteer experiences during their time in Athens. CYA has conducted interviews with volunteers from the spring ’20 class, and we will be publishing some of them on the CYA Blog. Passionate about working with refugees in Athens, Jill Robins taught English to unaccompanied minors with METAdrasi.

Supporter of the LGBTQ+ community holding up a pride flag in Syntagma Square (Photo from Eurokulture)

Like most countries in the world, the LGBTQ+ community in Greece has fought years of oppression to gain their rights. Homosexual activity has been legal since the 1950s; however, legislation to stop discrimination against one’s sexual orientation in the work environment hasn’t been enacted until 2005. A visible change came into Greece in 2015 when the government passed a bill granting same-sex couples the right to engage in a civil union. This gave same-sex couples all the rights that marriage would entail except for the actual title and right to adopt. In a country that is heavily influenced by the church, it is always important for someone who is openly queer to be cautious and take note of surroundings. Though Greece has made great strides for queer rights, a little less than half the population still feel negatively towards queer people. This doesn’t mean queer spaces and communities don’t exist. They’re scattered all over Athens.