Presentation by Judit Tamas, Organizer of the Carolinas Hungarian Group HATOG 7 Conference, Sept. 21-22, 2013, Atlanta, GA Brief History of the Carolinas Hungarian Group
• Dynamic, fast growing community • Events started 10 years ago • Group founded and website established in 2007
Mission Statement
• To form an active Hungarian community in the Carolinas that will connect Hungarians, Hungarian-Americans, Hungarian speakers, and anyone interested in the language and culture of Hungary. • To provide opportunities to keep the Hungarian language, culture and heritage alive and to pass it on to the next generations. • To welcome newly arrived Hungarians.
To achieve these goals, the Carolinas Hungarian Group organizes many cultural and social events, such as meetings, celebrations and family camps. MEMBERS • Almost 500 registered members and their families • Membership from North and South Carolina and nearby states • Members live in all parts of the region, many far from each other • Most members are New Wave Hungarians (1st generation) • Young Hungarian families with children who immigrated within the past 20 years • Majority speaks Hungarian, share similar backgrounds, has close ties to Hungary • 2-3 new members join every week
EVENTS • Past meetups since 2007: over 100 • Events in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Elkin, Spruce Pine, Ocean Isle Beach, New Bern, NC and Columbia, Charleston, Isle of Palms, Myrtle Beach, SC • We try to vary the locations so everyone can attend. WEBSITE http://www.meetup.com/The-Carolinas-Hungarian-Group/
• Dynamic, bilingual website, updated daily, free to members
• Event planning platform
• Active message board, which allows us to communicate with one another between events
• Members can ask questions, answer questions, talk about upcoming or past events, share information, etc.
• Photo albums (about events, Hungary, Hungarian cuisine, holidays)
• Private website, which prevents our personal member information from being accessible to the public Events and activities:
• hold meetings, get-togethers, special events, celebrations, annual family camps • represent Hungary at the region's international festivals (Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, etc.) • promote relevant resources in the region • support and advertise events, that may be of interest to our members • provide a calendar of events on our website • announce events through e-mail, newsletters and on-line postings • enable members to communicate with each other through e-mail and to the entire group through our website's message board
Following are some photos to highlight our many cultural and social events, such as meetings, celebrations and family camps. International Festivals Columbia, Charlotte Fall Camps - 7th coming up - Beach locations - 80-100 participants - Themes from Hungarian history & culture - Music, games, drama, arts and crafts, food and outdoor activities centered around the theme Easter Camp
• 9th camp coming up • Location: in the mountains • Largest, most popular event • 170-200 participants from several states • Hungarian Easter traditions Contact us: E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.meetup.com/The-Carolinas-Hungarian-Group/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karolinaimagyarok