The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation and The American College of Greece team up to empower the futures of young people
The Antetokounmpo family is partnering with The American College of Greece to provide meaningful opportunities for hundreds of young people who face life’s steepest challenges to achieve their dreams.
The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation, a global charitable foundation, is bringing on board the esteemed American College of Greece, a nonprofit college in Athens, Greece founded in 1875, to expand the educational curriculum of the Antetokounbros Academy, a pro bono program by CAFF, founded in partnership with Nike, which serves more than 100 low-income youth each year. In addition to the program curriculum, the partnership will provide 24 college scholarships for under-resourced young people as well as refugees, so they can gain life skills and pathways to higher education.
“We created CAFF to honor our father Charles, who taught us that each of us has a responsibility to help others achieve their dreams,” said the brothers Giannis, Kostas, Thanasis, Alex and Francis Antetokounmpo in a joint statement. “Our journey is proof that investing in others can unlock the potential inside every person—no matter where they start or what difficulties they face. It is our vision to unlock and fuel opportunities to allow everyone to reach their full potential. We believe deeply in the power of good mentorship, education and sport and are committed to offering opportunities to young people so they can thrive personally, academically and professionally.”
The five-year initiative includes two connected pillars: 1) Educational curriculum by The American College of Greece will provide five annual life skills and leadership development workshops as well as mentoring to more than 100 boys and girls ages 10-17 participating in the AntetokounBros Academy. 2) The pathways program will provide to 24 scholarships for outstanding graduates to pursue their degrees at The American College of Greece’s Deree College. Four recipients will be alumni of the AntetokounBros Academy and 20 will be Education Unites scholars, The American College of Greece’s program serving refugee, migrant and displaced students.
“This year marks our institution’s 100th anniversary after resettling in Athens, Greece as refugees having escaped the Smyrna Catastrophe in Asia Minor. Guided by our founding motto, ‘Not to be Served, but to Serve,’ The American College of Greece has grown to provide best-in-class education to thousands of students each year, including a large cohort of refugee students,” said The American College of Greece President David G. Horner. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate The American College of Greece’s anniversary than by leveraging our deep educational capacity and long-standing commitment to equitable, values-based education with the strengths of the Antetokounmpo family, whose own journey underscores what is possible through education, commitment and hope.”
The life skills and leadership development workshops will be delivered by faculty on the campus of The American College of Greece’s prestigious Pierce College, which provides primary and secondary education for 2,500 students annually.
“This collaboration prioritizes diversity because we know diversity enriches our learning environment and fosters a sense of belonging,” said Sr. Vice President of Administration and Pierce Iliana Lazana. “Both partners are committed to supporting young people of different nationalities, religions, neighborhoods and genders to come together to build relationships, develop skills, and pursue their dreams.”
“We embark on this partnership with a joint vision and a commitment to inclusivity and creating a model for a better society,” added the Antetokounmpo brothers. “We are certain that this partnership will leave a positive footprint and offer essential help to families who need support; and – this is just the beginning!”
For more information about the AntetokounBros Academy, please visit antetokounbrosacademy.net.
About
The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation
The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation was founded in 2022 by NBA superstars Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo and their family. The global foundation provides necessary resources to organizations that help people and communities. CAFF is inspired by the example of Charles and Veronica Antetokounmpo, who taught their family that the opportunities we receive are not just for enriching ourselves, and that each of us has a responsibility to help others achieve their dreams. CAFF is fueling a global movement to dramatically improve the quality of life of millions of people.
For more information visit: caff.foundation
AntetokounBros Academy
A team where anyone can belong. A team for all.
The Antetokounmpo brothers’ vision is to provide children coming from low-income families with the opportunities they lacked when growing up and let kids experience the power of sports to change lives.
NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers – widely known as AntetokounBros – have launched AntetokounBros Academy, a community program launched in 2019 in Athens, a partnership by CAFF with Nike, operated by Eurohoops organization. The program combines basketball training and life skills coaching for 100 boys and girls aged 10 to 17 whose families don’t have financial means.
The basketball component of the program involves two basketball trainings twice a week and basketball analysis sessions to get a deeper understanding of the game. In addition to the kids, there are 12 training positions for junior coaches aged 18 to 25 under the supervision of Head Coach Evina Maltsi, an international athlete, who has made history in women’s basketball.
The educational part of the curriculum from 23/24 season will be provided by Pierce College, thanks to the partnership of CAFF with the American College of Greece. The curriculum will provide mentorship workshops that develop negotiation, public speaking, leadership skills, as well as inspiration from Nike athletes.
Most importantly, the program provides real Pathways, from academic University Scholarships at Deree University; to scholarships at pro basketball academies, language schools and job opportunities for the junior coaches.
During the Season of 23/24, CAFF is partnering with BioIatriki Nutrition to provide a holistic healthcare assessment and a personalized nutrition guideline to every participant of the AntetokounBros Academy.
The mission of this program in Greece is to provide access to sport, inspiration through education, and scholarships to open pathways in life.
All participants receive Nike basketball apparel and shoes for the whole season. Food is provided at each training and meeting.
CAFF is grateful to the Onassis Foundation for their generous and constant support over the seasons of 2019 – 2023 for running the educational side of the Academy, providing workshops and inspirational speeches. The Onassis Foundation’s contribution to the program continues with the One of a Kind Scholarship, an opportunity to study at Greek Universities and receive invaluable livelihood allowances which has been given to 6 participants of the Academy already. We are looking forward to announcing one more scholar this season!
More details and information: antetokounbrosacademy.net/en
The American College of Greece
Founded 150 years ago by American women, The American College of Greece has evolved into the oldest and largest American-accredited nonsectarian, nonprofit educational institution in Europe. Today, The American College of Greece remains grounded in its founders’ vision to provide equitable and inclusive education, enrolling more than 7,000 students in its comprehensive Pre-K through graduate-level system.
Headquartered in Boston and governed by a U.S. and Greece-based board of trustees, The American College of Greece is a U.S. 501c3 non-profit, financially stable and rapidly growing. Students’ degrees are accredited in the U.S. by the New England Commission of Higher Education and validated throughout Europe by the Open University of the United Kingdom.
The American College of Greece’s mission is to add distinctive and sustainable value to students as well as Greece, American education, Hellenic heritage, and the global community through transformative teaching, professional engagement, academic research, and service.
The American College of Greece has been committed to educating refugee students since its own forced relocation to Greece 100 years ago. The American College of Greece’s robust scholarship program for refugee students, Education Unites, was established in 2017 with financial support from the U.S. Embassy and is the only one of its kind in Greece. The American College of Greece has supported more than 150 students through the program and currently provides a range of scholarship support including tuition, housing, meals, books and stipends to students from countries around the world.