Multicultural Cyprus

Multicultural Cyprus Contract Title Building a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-National Cyprus to promote European Values and Regional and International Peace Contract Number 47351_07_006 Funding Period 01/06/2007 to 30/06/2008 Funding Agency UNDP/UNOPS Total Cost €84,000.66 Partners Human Rights and Education Network Cyprus Adult Education Association University of Cyprus – Department of Political Science Young Cypriot Scientists Network Website http://www.multiculturalcyprus.net

Overall Objective

The main objective is to promote awareness and increase the sensitivity of the Cypriot Society on how a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Cyprus serves European values and promotes regional and international peace.

Activities

To meet the main objective, the project will engage students, teachers and parents in workshops and activities to create a vision map for a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Cyprus, as well as visualize and implement specific activities, which contribute towards materializing the vision for a multi-cultural society. Through a number of additional actions, such as Panel Discussions, a Conference and Information Events it targets the Cypriot society, at large. To meet the objectives of the project, the applicants intend to employ two different types of activities: (1) Panel discussions and (2) Interactive structured democratic dialogue workshops.

Panel Discussions

1. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Latsia: 11 July, 2007
2. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Paphos: 26 September, 2007
3. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Gourri: 29 September, 2007
4. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Nicosia: 9 October, 2007
5. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Paphos: 12 October, 2007
6. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Parekklisia: 27 February, 2008
7. Multicultural Cyprus: Panel Discussion in Dassoupoli: 17 June, 2008

SDDPs organized

1. SDDP Vision of an Ideal Multicultural School, Highgate, Lefkosia
2. SDDP Vision of an Ideal Multicultural School, Deryneia
3. SDDP Obstacles to the Ideal Multicultural School, Deryneia
4. SDDP Obstacles to the efforts of creating the ideal Multicultural School as seen by senior stakeholders

Publications

1. Building a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-National Cyprus: Youth for a Multicultural Cyprus
2. Building a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-National Cyprus: Report of a Structured Dialogue Co-Laboratory Highgate School Nicosia
3. Building a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-National Cyprus: Introduction to Multiculturalism
4. Building a Multi-cultural School: Report of a Structured Dialog Co-Laboratory Elementary School Deryneia A’
5. Χτίζοντας μια Πολυεθνική Κύπρο: Νεολαία για μια Πολυπολιτισμική Κύπρο
6. Χτίζοντας μια Πολυεθνολογική και Πολυεθνική Κύπρο: Εισαγωγή στον Πολυπολιτισμό
7. Χτίζοντας μια Πολυεθνική Κύπρο Πολυπολιτισμικά Σχολεία στην Κύπρο: Στόχοι για ένα Πολυπολιτισμικό Εκπαιδευτικό Σύστημα
8. Çok Etnikli ve Çok Uluslu bir Kıbrıs Kurmak: Çok Kültürlülüğe Giriş
9. Çok Etnikli ve Çok Uluslu bir Kıbrıs Kurmak: Çok Kültürlü bir Kıbrıs İçin Gençlik

People

Yiannis Laouris	Kerstin Wittig	Klitos Simeonides	George Zikas
Joseph Joseph	Savina Joseph	Elina Joseph	Romina Laouri
Neofitos Loizides	Stella Gavrilidou	Eva Argirou	Tonia Loizidou
Larry Fergeson

Target Groups

• Students of different ages
• Parents
• Teachers
• Representatives of the Ministry
• Representatives fro reform Committees

Final Conference and Workshop

The project participated the an international conference ‘The potential of youth to build peace in a multicultural society’ that was organized by the European University of Cyprus as part of yet another UNDP-ACT funded initiative promoting multiculturalism in Cyprus. Future Worlds Center organized one of the Workshops offered during conference, ‘The role of Education in shaping Images and attitudes of Young People’, which mainly brought together teachers, members of civil society organizations and university students. The workshop reflected on the outcomes of the project, and developed a list of actions that teachers and civil society can and should undertake in order to further promote Multiculturalism in the context of Education.

Conference Report

Furthermore, the project concluded with a structured dialogue workshop, which brought together participants of the school workshops and members of the Pedagogical Institute and Ministry of Education and Culture to jointly define goals for multicultural schools. The workshop built on the outcomes of the previous workshops organized in the different schools, and managed to bridge the gap between the immediate school community (pupils, teachers, parents) and the educational authorities.

External Links

• Official Website of Multicultural Cyprus project
• Web Blog of Multicultural Cyprus project