'The issue is not violence, but misery' – Jon Henley uncovers the hopes and fears of young people
'Greece needs help and support because it has great history and it deserves it'. Photograph: John Kolesidis/Reuters
Katherine Poseidon, a secondary school teacher of English in Athens, asked her class of 13-year-olds to write a letter to a foreign newspaper editor about what they would like people outside Greece to really know of their lives here.
"I was quite frankly blown away by what they produced," Poseidon said. "Each has a different focus, but all share their hopes and fears for the future of Greece, and their worries about how the rest of the world views them."
Greece's crisis, and how it is viewed and portrayed, is preoccupying even quite young Greek teenagers. Katherine, who also blogs, sent me some extracts. Here they are:
"My life and everyday routine is the same, but my parents seem different. They try to hide it, but I've heard them talk." - Mina
"Living in Greece is difficult when you see suffering and when the politicians continue to vote in programmes from Europewithout solving the problem. Not all people have caused this crisis, but the people who actually did continue to make wrong decisions. Please do not humiliate our country. Greece needs help and support because it has great history and it deserves it." – Chris
"As you can see, things are bad in our country and it won't be easy for us to get out of this crisis. However, sometimes people exaggerate and talk about Greece as if it is completely ruined and there's no way we can be saved. That is not true and unfair towards us. I'd like the rest of the world to know that we Greeks are proud of our nation. I'm sure that we will overcome this crisis since we are hard-working and persistent and we don't give up easily." – Tetty
"No one seems to care about the huge effort the citizens of Greece make, oppressed by unbearable taxes, the increase in prices and the pressure we put up with from all around the globe. Statistics show that we have one of Europe's top rates of unemployment, poverty and homeless people. Parents worry about their kids' future since they can't even pay for their food. A new image has appeared in Athens, our city that even we can't recognise anymore." – Eleana
"Things have been tight and hard for lots of families. But, honestly, if people believe they are helping the situation by humiliating and throwing the blame on the Greeks, then this is an illusion. Right now Greece needs other countries to help us stand on our own feet and make reasonable changes." – Ioli
"Have you ever thought about the big nations and the advice they gave Greece in the first place that led this country into the state it is now? And we are still taking advice from the 'Good advisers', for no other reason except we have nowhere else to turn. We have not got the choice to recede from the big international forces. So please, consider my advice, and choose not to demote my fellow citizens but help people understand the situation that really exists. Even though I am a 13-year-old I believe I know better about my fellow citizens than the media that change the real story into a tragedy." - Max
"It is sad that most interviews are not taken from people who still feel optimistic about the recovery of Greece. This includes the majority of the population who realise that mistakes have been made and are ready to help their country and compatriots overcome them." - Odysseas
"Everyday life in Athens doesn't correspond to the violence shown on television. There are long lines of people waiting for free lunches, but there isn't a fire outside every building! Supermarkets organise collection points for customers who offer groceries for voluntary organisations. Life in Greece is actually quiet and depressing. Greeks go out far less than before and restaurants and bars are quite empty. So the issue is not violence, but misery! But Greeks continue to stand on their feet. For that they should be respected." - Louise
"Life in Greece has changed dramatically for many people over the last year or so. Everyone has been affected in one way or another, by the loss of a job, unemployment, the reduction of pensions, the increase of taxation. Poor people seem to have been penalised more than the rich, and this is one of the reasons for the protests and violence we see on the news. I think that people in other countries should know that the new generation, to which I belong, considers Greece to have a great future. I think we deserve another chance." - Alexia
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2012/mar/17/greece-on-the-breadline-teenagers-talk?newsfeed=true
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