Kon Karapanagiotidis had a nickname growing up. The boy with the unpronounceable surname was dubbed “Mr Alphabet”. As the child of Greek immigrants, the now CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre thus grew up with an acute appreciation of the otherness experienced by refugees, and the need to wrap your arms around such people.

“You understand the importance of what we call ‘philoxenia’ in Greek culture, which is to welcome and accept the stranger,” he says. “Everything I do comes from an understanding of where I come from, what I’ve been through, and how lucky I am to be here," he tells Konrad Marshall, senior writer for Good Weekend Magazine. 

Kon Karapanagiotidis had a nickname growing up. The boy with the unpronounceable surname was dubbed “Mr Alphabet”. As the child of Greek immigrants, the now CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre thus grew up with an acute appreciation of the otherness experienced by refugees, and the need to wrap your arms around such people.
“You understand the importance of what we call ‘philoxenia’ in Greek culture, which is to welcome and accept the stranger,” he says. “Everything I do comes from an understanding of where I come from, what I’ve been through, and how lucky I am to be here," he tells Konrad Marshall, senior writer for Good Weekend Magazine.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks

‘Lead with love. It will return to you tenfold’: Asylum seeker advocate Kon Karapanagiotidis

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/006124a5-d12a-4af9-9e4d-afc000509cd9/transcript

Advertisement