Review of the 2025 Activities and Presentation of the IMMA’s New Program for 2026

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, the presentation of the Foundation’s activity report for 2025 and its new program for 2026 took place at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, addressed to representatives of the Mass Media.

The Director of IMMA, Athina Pavlidou, highlighted the 📈 increase in visitor numbers and public engagement with the Museum on 🌐 social media over the past two years, describing the 2024–2025 period as the strongest year of growth. She also noted that the Foundation’s strategy focuses on sustainability, outreach, development, and audience engagement, with the main pillars of action for 2026 being:

• accessibility

• inclusion

• digital and lifelong development

• environmental awareness

• collaborations in Greece and abroad

The importance of IMMA’s archival material and its educational and social role—through research, collaborations with local authorities, and actions involving public participation—was emphasized by the Director of the Center for Research on Macedonian History and Documentation (KEMIT), Professor at the University of Macedonia, Stavroula Mavrogeni. She also analyzed the cultural impact of the Foundation’s temporary exhibitions across the rest of Greece and the Balkans.

The concise, productive, and creative way in which History is presented to the general public—through both the permanent collection and the thematic temporary exhibitions of IMMA—was discussed by the Foundation’s Historical and Scientific Associate, Dr. Konstantinos Papanikolaou, who emphasized how memory can be transformed into art. The experiential approach to historical events through educational programs and parallel exhibition activities was presented by IMMA Historian and Researcher, Vangelis Kansizoglou.

The innovation of IMMA in organizing weekly workshops on reading engagement and creative writing for children was highlighted by educator and author Katerina Tzavara, Head of the Museum’s Educational Programs. The aim is to create a community of young readers who will have a voice and an active role in the city’s cultural life. Finally, the launch of a new workshop theme titled “Young Journalists in Action” was announced, in which distinguished journalists will be invited to speak to children about their profession and the secrets of journalistic writing.

We warmly thank all journalists and reporters for their presence and for promoting the event. We look forward to—and are working toward—an even more creative and outward-looking year, in which IMMA will play a leading role in the city as a place of intercultural and intergenerational meeting, learning, and entertainment.