There are people we believe they will always be with us. That they will be there to talk, to laugh, to argue, to make amends. But there comes an unexpected, striking moment, when you realize that life will not grant you that favour. Our friend, our colleague, the person dear and close to us will not be accompanying us through life; we will not grow old together. He is off to a different journey. Why? There are no answers, no explanations, no interpretations. We are left with the need to accept the reality that we are on our own, that we have our own path to follow. The thoughts however remain; the memories of laughter, of confrontations, of working together are always there to accompany us; to help us not to forget.
This issue is dedicated to Pericles Papandreou, a brilliant scientist, who received his PhD from LSE and Head of the Planning and Designing Department of KETHEA for a number of years. His early loss has left an irreplaceable void. Pericles was one of the most prominent colleagues and friends who followed the people of KETHEA through a process towards maturity, as well as the development of the organization itself into a national-wide detoxification network, offering multiple services, from prevention to intervention in prison.
Pericles’s interest in researching, planning and developing interventions for juvenile delinquents, incarcerated migrants, or any other group or individual experiencing social exclusion was limitless; his thought and judgment were always clear and unbiased.
Pericles was always seeking, wondering and investigating ways to change the course from margin to inclusion through collective interventions in respect of human rights. He criticized us when we got off track. He joined KETHEA as a new scientist and offered his most creative years, contributing in a substantial way by devising strategies and planning interventions for the organization as well as developing policies against social exclusion.
Pericles was well known for his sense of humor, his intelligence and his unique ability to foresee socio-political and economical changes and the forces which lead to the exclusion of individuals, systems and organizations. It is hard for one to forget the endless conversations on the problems that could occur from the new order and the abolishment of institutions and of the welfare state, long before the crisis was in sight. Pericles, with his educational background, his intelligence and his judgment could predict and worn about facts and complications immerging in the field. The therapeutic communities of KETHEA are celebrating this year 30 years of operation. We would all like to have Pericles with us to celebrate and remember good moments and bad, disappointments and accomplishments, conflicts and resolutions. He is not with us here today, but his signature remains in the programs which were developed with his input, as well as in each and every one of us.
The Editorial Group
