After four years of intense deliberation about the subject matter of my studies at ACT, I realized that the core of International Relations is international politics and the subject matter of international politics is the struggle for power among sovereign nations. Predicated upon immediate developments, this view became rather crystallized, as the European crisis entered a new, highly dangerous phase in 2015, one that threatens its survival and questions the Union’s purpose. However, despite the deep misgivings about the future in the twenty-first century, as it became apparent that we are not far removed from nineteenth century politics or twentieth century warfare, it is important to study the world from the point most accessible to us.

My time in the Dukakis Center helped me realize that this point is in fact ones’ self and should anyone want to understand international politics, getting actively involved in public affairs and contributing to their communities is essential. And, while the diminishing capacity of the state to reorganize internally in an ever globalizing world is still difficult to deny, Dukakis Center events on civic engagement and public service, especially when the current political system is challenged, allowed me to weigh in the single human factor that is often downplayed in many respected scientific approaches.

Thus, after being given the opportunity to participate in various events and assist on projects, I consider my experience in the Dukakis Center to have profound influence upon not only on my studies but also on my person, as it forced me to reevaluate the impact of one’s civic engagement and personal contribution in political affairs. Having worked in the private sector in Greece, both in in wholesale and retail industry, I have experienced the consequences of practicing a civic disengagement that borders apathy towards public affairs. Though it may be an inadequate paraphrase based on Plato’s Republic, nonetheless the price of indifference to public affairs is in fact to be ruled by lesser men.  I received my BA with honors in International Relations on the 4^th of July, 2016, and as I prepare for graduate studies in the US in International Affairs and Security, I know that ever since my time in the Dukakis Center, the point of departure in my studies has been ourselves and the subsequent impact of our engagement – or lack thereof  -- in international politics.

Aleksandar Jovanoski was a student at ACT from 2002 to 2006, when he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in International Relations. Among the most active students in his graduating class, Aleksandar has already enjoyed considerable success in the field of foreign affairs. Now he writes that he is poised to return to his studies, having been offered a prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the British Government.

"After graduation, I was employed by the Secretariat for European Affairs in Skopje. In 2006, I was awarded the NUFFIC scholarship by the Royal Dutch Embassy, also in Skopje. I obtained a MA in European integration from the University of Brussels, with a specialization in political integration (Justice, freedom and security). After I returned to Skopje, I assumed a position in the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU affairs, dealing with political criteria issues. During this time several integration projects were finalized for FYR Macedonia, including the recommendation for opening accession negotiations and the visa liberalization process.

In 2011I left the Secretariat with six other colleagues. We created the European Policy Institute (EPI) in Skopje. Our idea was to establish a highly specialized EU affairs think-tank, thus contributing the accession process of the country. Besides being one of the founders of the Institute, I currently hold the position of Programme Coordinator for Democracy and Rule of Law. By utilizing my previous experience I was able to assume managerial and research activities in the area of political criteria, judiciary, fundamental rights, etc. Also, I am the coordinator of Network 23, which is the first national watchdog mechanism to conduct monitoring and evaluation of public policies in the area of judiciary and fundamental rights.

Finally, to close the circle, after years of consideration I applied last year for a Chevening Scholarship provided by the Foreign Office of the British Government. I am now finalizing my admission to University College London, where I will take a Master of Research Programme in Public Policy. As I prepare for this academic endeavor, my reflection goes back to ACT and the Dukakis Center, which have both had a direct impact in shaping the man I’m today."

The Dukakis Center has been present in unprecedented fashion in local and national news media this past year, particularly during the Spring 2016 semester ACT.

In the past 18 months Dukakis Center Director David Wisner has appeared on TV100, ET3, and Vergina TV. A TV100 camera crew filmed the Dukakis Lecture by Jean Quatremer in November 2015, at which TV100 Director Filios Stangos moderated.
Meanwhile, the Dukakis Center featured twice in Kathimerini in April 2016, after our ground-breaking conference on civic engagement democracy. First, Nikos Marantzidis' and George Siakas of the University of Macedonia Research Institute published their analysis of data from the national poll commissioned by the Dukakis Center for the conference.

Second, David Wisner wrote a report on the conference for the English edition of Kathimerini. This latter attracted the attention of the 100,000-member strong American scholarly network H-Net, and that also that of the Economist Intelligence Network.

Finally, the Dukakis Center live-streamed two of its events during the spring semester, the first a debate/happening on the Democratic primaries in the US, the second a Dukakis Lecture on the Armenian Genocide by Thomas de Waal of Carnegie Europe. Video of both are, or will soon be, available on line, along with a clip from the April 2016 democracy conference.

Technical assistance was provided in both instances by ACT alumnus, and sometime Dukakis Center associate, Pantelis Rafail.

A step-by-step guide to digital media and event management

With Pandelis Rafail, Founder, Deploy Digital (ACT class of 2013)

Training for, preparation of, and participation at a Dukakis Center event to take place on Monday evening, May 23, 7 -9 pm, at La Place mignonne (Ethnikis Aminis 4).

"The way an organization looks really matters."

Lansie Sylvia is a rising star in the world of non-profit branding in the United States. She works as Director of engagement at the Philadelphia-based branding agency Here’s My Chance, and visited Thessaloniki recently under the auspices of the Dukakis Center at the American College of Thessaloniki.

Lansie spoke to a select audience of non-profit activists at the Municipal building in Panorama, about her career, about the problems she most frequently encounters in her work, and how one can judge success in this most difficult professional sector.

Lansie received degrees from Rutgers and the University of Pennsylvania, and resolved to put her training into practice in Philadelphia, where she worked for a traditional fund raising agency before taking up her current position at HMC.

She has worked on campaigns for municipalities, social causes, and select private companies, in Philadelphia and throughout the US. Her most recent project in Philadelphia was called «Next Stop Democracy,» which employed local street artists to produce a campaign to encourage resident to vote in municipal elections.

What did Lansie leave those who attended her workshop? Among the many jewels in her presentation two items stood out.

How does one «sell» a brand to a non-profit organization? Sell value, rely on testimonials and case studies which show that people really appreciate your message and your cause. You can't sell something to someone who does not really want it.

What is the biggest problem one has to overcome in reworking their brand? The power of habit. Don’t let your ego get too big, if you are seeking advice. Understand how you are different from your competition, and let us help you.

"What needs to change more, the citizenry, elected offices, or the political system?"

So asked Professor Gerry Stoker, of the Universities of Southampton and Canberra, in the keynote lecture to the international conference "Civic Engagement and the Practices of Democracy," held at the Met Hotel on April 18 under the auspices of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service of the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT), in collaboration with the Public Opinion Research Unit of the University of Macedonia Research Institute.

The conference featured twenty scholars, civil servants, and practitioners in the private sector and in civil society, for a wide-ranging and stimulating debate of problems in contemporary democratic governance – in Greece, in the United Kingdom, in the United States, and, indeed, around the world. The speakers included representatives of the municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki, who discussed their efforts to increase citizen engagement in resolving urban problems.

Nikos Marantzidis and Georgios Siakas revealed the findings of a nation-wide poll the Dukakis Center commissioned to study the phenomenon of apohi in Greece in recent elections. Their findings echoed research conducted by several other speakers, such as Richard Fox of the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, who has asked why young people do not consider seriously running for public office.

Why not get engaged? It would appear that large segments of the population are motivated by fear and anger not to get involved, despite a near-universal sentiment throughout Europe and North America that the system does not work. The pessimism that pervaded many of the presentations at the conference could not mask the fact that efforts are being made in many sectors of society to inspire greater engagement – from specific departments and programs in municipal administrations, to educators in public and private educational institutions – including democratic schools right here in Greece, to activists and practitioners in civil society.

Where Gerry Stoker asked where we need to start to reform our political systems and revive our faith in democracy, Melinda Haring of the American think tank the Atlantic Council issued a note of caution. The United States and many European countries invest heavily in strengthening democratic practices and institutions in many former communist and authoritarian countries. Some, like Azerbaijan, would seem to be lost causes. Despite our hopes and claims, democracy might not be a universal value.

Meanwhile, Lancie Syllvia, Director of Engagement at the Philadelphia-based branding agency Here's My Chance, noted that while the get-out-the-vote campaign she oversaw in Philadephia, "Next Stop Democracy," did not necessarily produce a spike in voter turnout in the city's last municipal elections, the local artists she commissioned to produce the street art campaign she conceived did flip the artist community and certain underprivileged groups that avoid the polling station perennially.

The youngest participant at the conference, 24 year old Mayara Soares, a Brazilian national studying politics in Paris, gave a stirring pitch for the organization she represents, Voxe.org, which is actively involved in pro-democracy activities wherever there are democratic elections. She is convinced that democracy is worth fighting for, and is acting on that premise, for example, campaigning to compel the governor of Brazil's largest state to improve the quality of classrooms in public schools.

Such stirring words and deeds were not lost on her lcal audience. As one recent ACT alumna later gushed on social media, «I was very very happy that the Dukakis Center continues to inspire young people as you always did! This is what doing public service means, offering youth inspiration and knowledge!»

Nicholas Piston is a Greek-American humanitarian aid volunteer working in a refugee camp on Mytilini. He crowd-funded his trip to Greece from the US and is keeping a blog of his experiences here. Mr. Piston did a BA in International Relations at the American College of Thessaloniki in 2002-06 and then moved back to his native Philadelphia in the US. Nicholas is on Facebook. more

The Dukakis Center continues to express its ambitions through the events it hosts, from the renowned series of Dukakis Lectures launched by Michael Dukakis and Nicholas Burns during our inaugural year, to the diverse experiential learning platforms we have created. Spring 2016 will be no exception.

On the horizon are two big events, an international conference on «Civic Engagement and the Practices of Democracy,» and a Dukakis Lecture on the Armenian Genocide and the legacy of conflict in the Caucusus by Thomas de Waal of Carnegie Europe. The former is the cornerstone of this year’s Festival of Civic and Urban Culture and will be co-hosted by the Public Opinion Research Unit at the University of Macedonia; the latter is supported by the Armenian Community of Thessaloniki. more

During a ten-day period from April 11-20 the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at the American College of Thessaloniki will host its Second Festival of Civic and Urban Culture. The 2016 Festival will include, among others, two masterclasses; one or more public focus groups of non-voters (apohi); workshops on polling and in direct democracy; a graffiti paint-off; and a one-day conference, on April 18, on «Civic Engagement and the Practices of Democracy,» to co-hosted by the Public Opinion Research Unit, University Research Institute, University of Macedonia.

The conference will consist of a series of round table sessions featuring distinguished scholars and experienced practitioners from Greece, France, the UK, Canada, and the US, to discuss problems and solutions in contemporary democratic governance, and to consider what is being done to encourage engagement, particularly among younger citizens, in municipalities, in schools, in civil society, and in the private sector.

For the event the Dukakis Center has commissioned the Public Opinion Research Unit at the University of Macedonia, the local co-host of the conference, to conduct a national poll of voting behavior in Greece in 2015, specifically to understand better voter abstention in two national elections and one national referendum. To feature in their panel will be a group of younger voters who will have taken part in focus group sessions dedicated to the question of voter absenteeism.

To provide counterpoint, the Dukakis Center has commissioned a Masterclass in Stop-motion Animation, in which a group of young voters will produce brief animated get-out-the-vote campaigns, to be premiered on April 18.

The Dukakis Center organized its inaugural Festival of Civic and Urban Culture in the spring of 2014. First, the Center hosted an open debate, dubbed "Politics at the Coffeehouse,” on the May 2014 local and European elections. The debate, featuring prominent Greek journalists and bloggers, focused in large part on the incidence of unprecedented numbers of younger candidates in the elections, and was further animated by the presence of several local university students running for seats in the Municipal Council of Thessaloniki. The second event in the festival was an exhibition of photography by four Dukakis Center interns, who had attended a masterclass in environmental photography with renowned photographer Chryssa Nikoleri and were assigned to shadow candidates running in local and European elections. The exhibition took place at the Port Annex of the State Museum of Contemporary Art for three weeks during the month of June 2014. Finally, the Dukakis Center and Southeast European Studies at Oxford co-hosted the Fourth Dukakis International Symposium, with keynote speaker Dr. Erhard Busek and a group of distinguished panelists, who engaged in a public discussion on the theme of "The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond."

The Festival will become an annual feature on the spring events calendar of the Dukakis Center.

The Dukakis Center has been engaging in quiet but effective outreach since last summer. Our intention has been to strengthen the new identity we established for the Center in 2014, in terms of expertise and of capacity. The results of our efforts are evident on our website.

For one thing, we have new many partners. Dukakis Center staff have attended events hosted by leading institutions in Paris and Brussels, such as Breugel, France Stratégie, the Institut des Relations Internationales et Stratégiques, the European Council on Foreign Affairs, and La France s’engage. There is every reason to believe that scholars from one of these institutions and others throughout Europe and the US will take part in the near future in events we will organize in Thessaloniki and in Athens. more

Additionally, the Dukakis Center has become an institutional member of several professional networks, notably in the field of democracy promotion. These include the Talloires Network, Tufts University, the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy in Barcelona, Participedia, at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard, and the Network of Democracy Research Institutes, National Endowment of Democracy, Washington, DC.

Finally, we have collaborated with several local and national partners to organize our most recent events, including the French Institute of Thessaloniki, TV100, the Navarino Network, the Kalliopi Koufa Foundation, the Public Opinion Research Unit of the University of Macedonia Research Institute, Fulbright Greece, and Social Impact Hub Athens.

Meanwhile, we continue to diversify the contributions we make to the scholarly and practitioner communities of which we are a part. Among the new projects under way we point to two that are carried over from last year, "The future of democracy and "Public service in the 21st century," both with discrete service learning components. The first is the main theme of the Second Festival of Civic and Urban Culture, to take place throughout April 2016. The latter is the inspiration of several of the Festival’s actual activities, notably two new Dukakis Masterclasses and a workshop in civic engagement tentatively scheduled for April 19.

We call ourselves a think tank, largely for want of a better term. In fact the Dukakis Center is fast becoming a prototype for a new kind of academic and outreach center, one which will give new meaning to public service in the coming decades.