Washington DC- The seventh Hungarian Americans Together (HATOG) conference will be held in the Greater Atlanta Area, on September 21-22, 2013. The conference is organized by Southeastern members of the Hungarian American Coalition, sponsored by the Hungary Initiatives Foundation, with the Atlanta Hungarian Meetup and John Parkerson, Honorary Consul as participating local organizations.
Since their inception in 2008, the HATOG conferences have been bringing together Hungarian American organizations, schools, clubs, churches, media, and associations to discuss how to ensure the preservation of our Hungarian cultural heritage and how to best reach out to the new generations of Hungarian Americans. The Atlanta HATOG will be the first held in the Southeastern United States and will focus primarily on the increasingly active community in this region.
The two-day conference agenda provides opportunities for the mostly Southeastern-based Hungarian-American leaders and organizations to share their experiences and network with each other. Interest in the conference has been unexpectedly high: 65 participants are expected. The Goizueta Business School at Emory University will provide the venue on Saturday, while Sunday’s session will take place at the campus of Agnes Scott College. Agenda items include: a presentation by Dr. Tamás Fellegi on the new Hungary Initiatives Foundation; “Pass It On”- establishing strategies for preserving and passing on Hungarian heritage; Hungarian Language Instruction and Hungarian Studies; Hungarian Scouting; Hungarian Dance and Music; and the effective use by organizations of communication and social media.
In addition, conference participants will be treated to the U.S. Premiere of “Heritage,” a new documentary film from award-winning filmmaker, Reka Pigniczky. Nine interns who have spent the past 6 months in the United States as part of the Korosi Csoma Sandor internship program, will also be in attendance.
On Sunday, September 22, the Atlanta Hungarian Festival will be held at Agnes Scott College (ASC) in Decatur, GA. Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, President of ASC, is a proud Hungarian American who will be present to help open the festivities. The Festival will include performances by the Életfa Hungarian Folk Band.
The conference will be covered by the “Five Continent, One Nation” program of Hungary’s Duna World Television.