The “Michalis Christakis” Innovation Award from the Panhellenic Association of Local Government Secretaries-General “Kleisthenes” was awarded to the Secretary General of the Municipality of Athens, Mr. G. Vakountouzis, for the experiential educational workshop “Small Lessons in Democracy for Tomorrow’s Citizens.” The program was designed by the Head of the Archives, Ms. V. Sfika, and the President of the Hellenic Association for the Promotion of Rhetoric in Education, Ms. E. Loutrianakia, classicist at the 1st Arsakeio Gymnasium of Psychiko. In its two years of operation, it has already recorded the participation of 40 schools and 1,100 students.
This significant distinction underscores the expanded educational role that modern local government is called upon to fulfill. The City of Athens demonstrates that, beyond fulfilling its narrow administrative obligations, it actively invests in the city’s intellectual capital, making historical memory a functional tool for democratic awakening and social cohesion.
