In order to encourage the learning of the Greek language by children of the diaspora, the General Secretariat For Greeks Abroad has recently launched Staellinika (www.staellinika.com), a Greek language learning platform.  The platform has been adopted as the official tool of the Secretariat General for Greeks Abroad for teaching the Greek language, Greek mythology and culture to the Greek diaspora.

The platform is provided free of charge to the children of the Greek community, can be accessed from the computer, mobile phone or tablet, and is currently available for the iphone and ipad (ios).  The platform will be updated regularly and the full version is expected in September 2020. Android versions are planned for release in 2021. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also expressed an interest in customizing and adapting the platform for Spanish, German, and French speakers.

The platform facilitates remote language acquisition for learners who range from preschool children to young adults, and consists of courses targeted at different age groups:

  • Kids aged 4+ (Preschool and Kindergarten).
  • Kids aged 6+ (Beginners Greek for ages 6-8).
  • Kids ages 9+ (Beginners Greek).

The courses cover topics ranging from basic Greek grammar and spelling, to Greek mythology and historical events such as Greek Independence Day.

StaEllinika is an initiative of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration and with the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which is funding the development of the apps by the SNF New Media Lab.  It grew out the Rebooting the Greek Language project, an initiative supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to bring new technologies and advances in pedagogy with the purpose of preserving the Greek language in the diaspora.