Christmas gifts for the children of refugees, Χριστουγεννιάτικα δώρα για τα παιδιά των προσφύγων, Mülteci Çocuklar için Noel Hediyeleri

Christmas gifts for the children of refugees

Future Worlds Centre in cooperation and with the support of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Cyprus, UNHCR, offers free legal advice to refugees and asylum seekers.

This Christmas FWC is organising a gift collection as a means to support the families of refugees and asylum seekers in Cyprus. For this purpose, we kindly request that all gifts are wrapped and the age and gender for which they are intended is written on, ages 0-14.

This Christmas let us all give some joy to the children of these families by offering them a gift.

For information please contact us Tel 22 873820, Fax: 22 873821. We are open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. Our offices are situated at 5 Promitheos str. 5th floor, 1065 Lefkosia

Χριστουγεννιάτικα δώρα για τα παιδιά των προσφύγων

Ο οργανισμός Future Worlds Centre σε συνεργασία και με τη στήριξη της Ύπατης Αρμοστείας των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για τους Πρόσφυγες στην Κύπρο UNHCR στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος παροχής δωρεάν νομικής στήριξης σε πρόσφυγες και αιτητές ασύλου ευαισθητοποιείται και προσφέρει στα παιδία των αιτητών.

Αυτά τα Χριστούγεννα ας δώσουμε λίγη χαρά στα παιδιά των οικογενειών αυτών προσφέροντας τους ένα δώρο.

Παρακαλούμε όπως τα δώρα που προσφέρετε να είναι τυλιγμένα και να φέρουν την ηλικία και το φύλο για το οποίο προορίζονται (από 0-14).

Για πληροφορίες παρακαλούμε όπως επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μας στο τηλ: 22 873820 φαξ 22 873821. Είμαστε ανοιχτοί Δευτέρα μέχρι Παρασκευή από 9πμ – 5μμ. Τα γραφεία μας στεγάζονται στην οδό Προμηθέως 5, 5ος όροφος, 1065 Λευκωσία.

Σας ευχαριστούμε


Mülteci Çocuklar için Noel Hediyeleri

Future Worlds Center, UNHCR ile birlikte mültecilere ve sığınma isteğinde bulunan şahıslara ücretsiz yasal danışmanlık vermektedir.

Bu noel, FWC hediye toplayarak bu ailelere ve çocuklarına destek olma kararı almıştır. Sizlerde eğer FWC’nin bu etkinliğine katılmak isterseniz, hediyelerinizi sarılmış, yaş grubu (0-14) ve cinsiyeti hediyenin üzerine yazılmış şekilde bize teslim edebilirsiniz.

Gelin bu noel bu ailelerin çocuklarına küçük bir hediye ile neşe katalım.

Daha fazla bilgi için 22 873820 telefon numarasından veyaz 22873821 faks numarasından bize ulaşabilirsiniz. Pazartesi-Cuma gunleri 9.00 – 17.00 saatleri açığız. Ofisimiz 5
Promitheos sokağı’nda 5. kat lefkoşa adresindedir.

Teşekkürler

Wipe Out Hate. It’s time to stand up against any form of fascism or racial discrimination

The 9 November is the International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism. It is the day on which people commemorate the ‘Crystal Night’, a series of attacks against Jewish homes, shops, towns and villages which took place on 9 November 1938 and resulted in the death of 91 Jews and 30,000 Jewish men taken to concentration camps.

Sadly although history has taught us many lessons since, racism and fascism continue to exist in our society today. Racism and fascism may take many different forms – from open attacks to hate speech to institutionalized racism. Individuals or organized groups inflict fear upon the targeted community, which is their greatest power and by taken control of public spaces they marginalize communities and minorities, isolating them and weakening them.

In memory of the International Day Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, Future Worlds Center is especially concerned about recent developments in Cyprus as we have been witnessing a rise of racist and fascist tendencies which recently are materializing into acts of violence. Last Friday we witnessed an unprecedented racial attack against refugees, immigrants and antiracist supporters by fascist groups, which acted under the tolerance of the police and in the presence of political figures. This shocking instance of physical violence, efforts of political coverage and impunity needs to alert us all. Future Worlds Center thinks it is time for each and every one of us to stand up against any form of fascism or racial discrimination and to take a step forward to constructively support our increasingly culturally diverse society for the good of all of us. It is time to wipe out the hate and to ensure the voices of vulnerable groups are not being pushed away from the public spaces in the name of nationalism.

Cyprus is a country deeply hurt by nationalistic and racist violence and the duty of creating a peaceful society, free of hatred and violence for all is the duty of all.

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For more information about the International Campaign against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, please visit: www.unitedagainstracism.org.

Your Choice to Act!

Life is about choices. You choose to study, you choose where to live, you choose what to eat, you choose what to buy, you choose where to go for holiday. Throughout your life,`you choose`, which means your choice is your life,and it is what the world has become. You can also chose to act with your everyday choices,and prevent global issues such as hunger, poverty, discrimination, diseases, child labour, and environmental crises.

Visit our new blog, on which we will post articles related to the choices that we have - and that we should think about more often: http://your-choice-to-act.blogspot.com.

Cost of `buying cheap` - Do you know what you pay for?
It feels very good when we find a good deal for groceries, or clothing. In Cyprus, especially lately with the number of choices we have for supermarkets, including all the local and international brands and chains, we can easily find real cheap deals which are good quality. This means you can buy more, and enjoy more!

We feel mesmerized, and so much carried away with the offers we are given, as if it’s a theater and we are the leading actor in this huge grocery store. Everything is for us. All we need to do is `buy and enjoy`. However unfortunately most of the time, we don’t think about what we really pay for. Is it really cheap, good quality shirts or chocolate? Or is it the critical working conditions, child labor, and sweatshops these huge discount supermarkets trade with or set up in Global South to produce and offer these cheap offers for us? What do we really pay for?
- to read more please visit the Your-Choice-To-Act Blog.

National Seminar on Global Education: we need a common vision!

On 22 and 23 October, the National Seminar on Global Education brough together the key stakeholders in the field and assess the state of art of global/development education in Cyprus and raise public awareness on the basis of the EU strategy “European Consensus on Development Education” as well as the Council of Europe’s current process towards adopting a recommendation on global education. The aim of the seminar was to prepare the basis for a future national global/development education strategy and respective plan of action.
The seminar included introductory speeches related to the topic, interactive workshops that offered practical tools for the participants, as well as a structured dialogue workshop during with the participants discussed and identified the main challenges to promoting Global Education in Cyprus - namely the lack of a common vision, the lack of political will, and the lack of planning, coordination and joint strategies.

The seminar brought together approximately 50 participants such as teachers, representatives from ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from non-governmental organisations dealing with global/development education at national, regional and local level, as well as foreign experts from the European Multi-Stakeholder Group on Development Education and the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe.

This seminar was organised by the Cyprus NGO Platform “The Development”, in which FWC holds the position of the secretary and the Representative to the Development Awareness Raising and Education Forum of CONCORD, in partnership with the North South Center of the Council of Europe and the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture. The activity took place in co-operation and with the support of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

A report of the outcomes of the seminar will be available shortly. For more information, please contact the NGDO Platform or the FWC representative in the platform.

Development Education and Awareness Raising: FWC participates in EU conference in Brussels

FWC Head of Global Education Unit, Ms. Kerstin Wittig, participated in the European Conference "Development Education and Awareness Raising", organised by the European Commission and held in Brussels on 11 & 12 October 2010 with the purpose to engage European Union stakeholders in discussing and developing proposals that lead to improvements in the Euroepan Commission's support for Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR)
The conference brought together 100 invited individuals and representatives of governments, organisations and networks with an interest in Development Education and Awareness Raising from within and outside the European Union and its member states, including from:

• European Parliament;
• government departments in the EU member states;
• networks and organisations of Non-State Actors and Local Authorities;
• international networks and organisations active within in the European Union;
• European Commission Directorates;
• academics and Development Education and Awareness Raising practitioners

The conference programme included a variety of working groups that elaborated specific proposals, based on the European Commission's DEAR Study Interim Report. Emphasis was put on the necessity for increased Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue, for more cooperation and complementarity among the different stakeholders, and for a political commitment to DEAR.
For more information about the DEAR Study and discussions, please click here or contact Kerstin Wittig.

TeachMDGs First Project Newsletter published

The TeachMDGs project has issued its first newsletter! This newsletter aims to inform you about the EU-funded TeachMDGs-project and keep you up to date with its activities and publications.

How can you and your school participate in the project?
Are you interested in Global Education and the Millennium Development Goals? Are you a teacher? A student? A teacher trainer? Get involved in our activities, be part of our team!
We are looking for motivated and active teachers, teacher trainers, university students who are studying to become teachers, pupils, NGO members who are experienced in the topic of the MDGs, as well as other interested and active citizens! There are plenty of ways to be part of the project, either in the phase of developing teaching resources, in becoming a trainer, in bringing a global perspective to your school or your classroom, in participating in trainings, in establishing school partnerships… we are also open to new ideas about how to promote MDGs in the school environment!

You can download the newsletter from the TeachMDGs.net website by clicking here.
For more information about the project, please contact the project coordinator Kerstin Wittig.

Linking Trade and International Development - Training for Cypriot NGOs

The “Trade & Development” training, which was held in the context of the MeDevNet project, brought together 15 participants from various NGOs across Cyprus to explore how trade in linked to international development, what role Corporate Social Responsibility plays and how we as citizens and NGOs can contirbute to greater global justice in trade and trade-related areas. THe training hosted the international expert Dr. Petra Kreinecker, from the Network Social Responsibility in Vienna, Austria, and Mrs. Petra Daniel who is a senior instructor of Social Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Humanities European University Cyprus.
For more information about future trainings and about the project, please visit the MeDevNet.org website or contact the project coordinator Selen Mesutoğlu.

Borderstories: Cypriot, French and German Youth explore borders and walls in Berlin

How do we perceive borders? How do they influence our view of the other side, of the life behind the line, behind the wall? How does the fall of a wall or the shifting of a border influence our society? How do the borders and barriers in our minds influence our social actions and interactions? How can experiences around borders of one society be related to other societies?
These are some of the questions that more than 20 participants from Cyprus, France and Germany discussed and explored during a week-long intercultural training course in Berlin (18-25 September 2010). The training was the first in a series of 3 training courses, which are organised by Future Worlds Center, Lichtschliff e.V. (Berlin) and Une Terre Culturelle (Marseille), and which are sponsored by the Franco-German Youth Office.
The training focused on non-formal intercultural learning methodologies with a special emphasis on photography - in small, mixed groups, the participants created their own concept of how to approach borders through the photographic lense. The week-long training culminated in an Photographic exhibition.
The next training will take place in Nicosia from 30 April until 7 May 2011.
For more information, please visit the Borderstories Blog or contact the FWC coordinator.

The Millennium Development Goals In The Context Of Development Cooperation Projects

The MeDevNet Project has been working on improving the capacity of Development NGOs and the synergies between NGDOs and local authorities with the trainings and activities it has been organizing so far. The “Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Context of Development Cooperation Projects” training took place on 27 and 28 July, and introduced the participants to the MDGs, to development theories, EU Development Policies, as well as to good practices in development cooperation projects. The trainers of the training were key experts of Development. At the training, where also EU representatives attended as trainers, participants had the chance to interact with other NGOs who have the same interest, and got more involved in the Development Issues.
For more information about the project, please visit the www.MeDevNet.org website or contact the project coordinator, Ms. Selen Mesutoglu.

FWC volunteers participate in media trainings in Turin

Two active volunteers from FWC participated in media trainings held in Turin from 12-16 July, organized by the polish organization Salesian Missionary and Voluntary Service in the framework of the EU-funded project MDGs-Media for Development goals.
Ivan Charalambous and Jacob Ketuma took part in the workshops along with participants from Poland and Czech Republic which are the partner countries of the project.
The training which lasted for 5 days (from 12th to 16th July) was intended to equip the youth with the technical skills required for creating multimedia materials on Development issues. The participants attended workshops on film and radio production. They explored different ways of shooting and had the chance to practice them with the help of experienced trainers. They learnt about the construction of a documentary and explored the practical aspect of putting all the different elements (video, music text) together. They also had the chance to explore how a story is created and how a documentary can be constructed with the voice recorder and other relevant equipment.
Both volunteers will utilize the knowledge and skills gained during school trainings expected to be implemented this Auntumn in the framework of the project. In the upcoming workshops, the youth leaders will act as trainers to upper secondary school students with the aim of empowering them to create media materials on the MDGs.
For more information contact the project coordinator at nicolina.markidou@gmail.com

FWC supports Community Media in Cyprus

As Future Worlds Center is a founding consortium member of the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC) we are proud to notify our friends that CCMC is launching their new website! Please click here to visit the website for yourself and see all the great work CCMC is doing for all communities in Cyprus.

CYPRUS’ FIRST INTERCOMMUNAL COMMUNITY MEDIA WEBSITE LAUNCHED 1 SEPTEMBER

(Nicosia, 31/08/10): Cyprus’ first intercommunal community media website is being launched 1 September 2010 by the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC), showcasing dynamic new content representing civil society organisations from all communities of the island.

The CCMC, which works in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT) in Cyprus, has launched its site at www.cypruscommunitymedia.org and it contains videos, photo galleries, articles, and community media-based news. The material features the work and activities of CCMC consortium members, a group of 25 organisations drawn from a broad range of civil society organisations throughout Cyprus – including the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

Content includes short films covering issues such as human rights, health, youth, women, reconciliation, cultural events, development education and more. There is also a large resource section with links to community media organisations, public broadcasters and radio stations around the world, helping to forge better connections between civil society in Cyprus and global networks.

The site also features a community calendar, giving activists and civil society organisations the opportunity to upload their events and share it with a wider community, as well as information and booking form facilities for CCMC’s extensive schedule of training workshops.

“This new website will give people the opportunity to see a showcase of the work our members do throughout Cyprus,’ said CCMC consortium member İlke Dağlı. “Community media is a fairly new concept here, and we hope to use all available avenues to equip people with the information, resources, tools and equipment to make creative media. Cypruscommunitymedia.org is one of those avenues and we hope it will flourish into a community-led, discussion driven site.”

The English language version of the website is being launched on 1 September 2010 followed by versions in Greek and Turkish on 7 September 2010.

About CCMC:

The Cyprus Community Media Centre opened its doors in late 2009, aiming to encourage community media in Cyprus and support local organisations and groups in communicating their message to the public. The Centre does this through training, support, equipment, creating videos, holding public events, and offering tailored advice. CCMC is located in the heart of Nicosia’s buffer zone, in the grounds of the Ledra Palace, making it as inclusive and available as possible to all communities of the island.

FWC selected by European Commission for a 3-year peace project in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

“This is a great honour for Cyprus and for peace builders in the region to be recognised for their efforts and expertise”, says Future Worlds Center, as it facilitates a structured dialogue workshop in Cyprus from 26–30 July to empower civil society actors from Israel and the Palestinian territories

Cypriot non-governmental organisation Future Worlds Center (FWC) based in Nicosia, Cyprus has been awarded a contract from the European Commission for a 3-year EU project entitled, “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders”. The project aims to empower civil society actors, youth, and local authorities in Israel and the Palestinian territories through a comprehensive set of structured dialogue workshops, civil society trainings, as well as multi-communal public debates, round tables and conferences.

With the assistance of partners, the Palestinian Dialogue Center (PDC) in the Palestinian Territories and the Association for Progressive Education in Honor of Meir Yaari (YAARI) in Israel, Future Worlds Center will be utilising the strategies that have proved most effective from their years of experience in conflict resolution work in Cyprus. Through the use of the science of Structured Dialogic Design (SDD) and capacity building trainings for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the partners will work together to contribute positively to civil society in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

From 26 July to 30 July, a group of Palestinians and Israelis will be in Larnaca, Cyprus to participate in a series of SDD workshops facilitated by Dr. Aleco Christakis, father of the science and Dr. Yiannis Laouris, president of the board of Future Worlds Center. Laouris says the aim is to empower these stakeholders to “act in a more coherent manner for jointly agreed upon aims, enhancing the enforcement of equal standards, participation of women and youth, thus strengthening democratic processes and promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts”.

Laouris explains that the reason Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) process was chosen is “that it facilitates the peaceful conciliation and management of group interests and promotes solutions on divisive matters or controversial areas by actively engaging civil society actors to collaborate on jointly developed community action projects to foster mutual understanding”. “With SDD,” continues Laouris, “the participants can create joint, strategic action plans to promote greater cohesion in working on democratic participation and representation of underrepresented groups in civil society”.

Moreover, the project, “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders” (EuropeAid/127237/C/ACT/Multi) aims to enhance the capacity within CSOs to act within their community, and on a national as well as a trans-national level.

Notes:

Future Worlds Center (FWC) is “building inter-linked socio-techno-cultural worlds through science and dialogue”. Our mission is to explore and utilize the evolution of information and communication technologies to strengthen the process of peace-building and civic education, and to disseminate and promote the principles of Human Rights, Tolerance and Diversity.

Formed in 1991, Future Worlds Center has a long history of activities and projects that promote peace and reconciliation in Cyprus. FWC supports and empowers democratic peace-oriented civil society initiatives and is the European leader in using the Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) process.

For more information about “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders” (EuropeAid/127237/C/ACT/Multi) go to (http://www.actbeyondborders.net/)

For more information on Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) process:

http://globalagoras.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structured_dialogic_design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Society_Dialogue_project_in_Cyprus

OPEN TRAINING: The Millennium Development Goals in the context of Development Cooperation Projects

Date: 27, 28 July 2010
Venue: CCMC, Nicosia

Come and Join us at the first series of MEDEVNET Trainings on “ The MDGs in the Content of Development Cooperation Projects” at Cyprus Community Media Center where key experts of Development, EU representatives will enlighten you about how you can be more involved in Development Projects. Also, You will have the chance to interact with other NGOs who has the similar interest that you have, and get more involved in the Development Issues.

For information and for RSVP your attendance, please email to Selen Mesutoglu. We look forward seeing you all at the training session!!

TeachMDGs - First Internal Workshop a success

The EU-funded project TeachMDGs has just successfully completed its first internal workshop, which was held in Tallinn, Estonia from 8-11 July 2010. The workshop brought together members of the project team, teachers and teacher trainers from Cyprus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania and Scotland. Throughout the four days, the group explored the Millennium Development Goals and the global and local issues around them, and jointly developed a set of goals for Teaching Resources that are to be developed within the 3-year project. The workshop managed to conclude with a detailed framework of recommendations and learning objectives for a comprehensive set of resource materials. These materials are now being developed by the 5 partner organisations, in close collaboration with teachers, teacher trainers and educational authorities in order to ensure their compatibility with local school curricula, as well as in close collaboration with diaspora communities from Cameroon and Afghanistan.

For more information about the project, please visit the website at TeachMDGs.net or contact the Project Coordinator. You can also link to us on facebook.

FWC selected by European Commission for a 3-year peace project in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

“This is a great honour for Cyprus and for peace builders in the region to be recognised for their efforts and expertise”, says Future Worlds Center, as it facilitates a structured dialogue workshop in Cyprus from 26–30 July to empower civil society actors from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Future Worlds Center based in Nicosia, Cyprus has been awarded a contract from the European Commission for a 3-year EU project entitled, “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders”. The project aims to empower civil society actors, youth, and local authorities in Israel and the Palestinian territories through a comprehensive set of structured dialogue workshops, civil society trainings, as well as multi-communal public debates, round tables and conferences.

With the assistance of partners, the Palestinian Dialogue Center (PDC) in the Palestinian Territories and the Association for Progressive Education in Honor of Meir Yaari (YAARI) in Israel, Future Worlds Center will be utilising the strategies that have proved most effective from their years of experience in conflict resolution work in Cyprus. Through the use of the science of Structured Dialogic Design (SDD) and capacity building trainings for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the partners will work together to contribute positively to civil society in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

From 26 July to 30 July 2010, a group of Palestinians and Israelis will be in Larnaca, Cyprus to participate in a series of SDD workshops facilitated by Dr. Aleco Christakis, father of the science and Dr. Yiannis Laouris, president of the board of Future Worlds Center. Laouris says the aim is to empower these stakeholders to “act in a more coherent manner for jointly agreed upon aims, enhancing the enforcement of equal standards, participation of women and youth, thus strengthening democratic processes and promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts”.

Laouris explains that the reason Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) process was chosen is “that it facilitates the peaceful conciliation and management of group interests and promotes solutions on divisive matters or controversial areas by actively engaging civil society actors to collaborate on jointly developed community action projects to foster mutual understanding”. “With SDD,” continues Laouris, “the participants can create joint, strategic action plans to promote greater cohesion in working on democratic participation and representation of underrepresented groups in civil society”.

Moreover, the project, “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders” (EuropeAid/127237/C/ACT/Multi) aims to enhance the capacity within CSOs to act within their community, and on a national as well as a trans-national level.

For more information about “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Civil Society Acts Beyond Borders” (EuropeAid/127237/C/ACT/Multi) go to (http://www.actbeyondborders.net/)

For more information on Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) process:

http://globalagoras.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structured_dialogic_design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Society_Dialogue_project_in_Cyprus

FWC 2008 Annual Report

Please click here to view and or download our 2008 Annual Report.

Declaration of Solidarity to the Refugees

On the 19 June 2010, Vicky Germanakou, coordinator of the Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (URVT), had the opportunity to be one of the signatories of the Declaration of Solidarity to the Refugees. The event was organized on the occasion of the World Refugee Day by the Opinion Action Services Ltd and the University of Cyprus with the participation of the Minister of Interior and the Asylum Service. The signing of the Declaration signified a further step to the commitment taken on by the Government of Cyprus, along with the involved society groups, in ensuring to the protection and well-being of asylum seekers and refugees in Cyprus. In this respect, the Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture, which operates since 2006 under the Humanitarian Unit of the Future Worlds Center, ensures to provide rehabilitation services to asylum seekers and refugees who are victims of torture and trafficking, assisting them and their families, to re-build their lives and harmoniously integrate into the local society.

For more information about URVT and its services please visit: www.urtv.org

CyberEthics invited to POGO Women’s Organisation Seminar

Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, was invited as a guest speaker and panellist at the POGO Women’s Organisation Seminar with the subject “Sexual Molestation of Minors: Prevention Policies”. The seminar included guest speakers from local child protection and welfare societies and the social services, and was initiated by an introduction by the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Mrs. Sotiroulla Charalambous.

A detailed expose of the nature and extent of sexual molestation in Cypriot society was the presented, upon which Lawrence presented the work of CyberEthics as a node responsible for generating awareness on issues such as online grooming and sexual exploitation, as well as the role of the Safer Internet Helplines and Hotlines. An extensive discussion with the audience then ensued, with the event lasting a total of 3 hours, 2 hours over the initial estimate.

For more information about internet safety, as well as CyberEthics and its services, please visit www.CyberEthics.info.

CyberEthics at the IZ' Primary School of Limassol

Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, presented the work of CyberEthics as well as the basics of Internet safety to a group of pupils of the IZ' Primary School in Limasso. The 80 pupils who attended the presentation, which ran for two hours, showed great interest and shared their opinions and concerns with their school-mates and the coordinator of the Helpline. The children and teachers expressed the necessity for a similar presentation to be given to their parents in order to get them 'up-to-date' with technology in the same manner that their children are.

CyberEthics at the MedSchool, Larnaca

Lawrence Kalogreades of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline gave a presentation about Internet safety to an audience of concerned parents and educators at the MedSchool in Larnaca, Cyprus. The lecture resulted in a lengthly discussion about how to keep children safe, the legal concerns of Internet activities, as well as examples of legislative actions taken by other EU nations. The event lasted for about two hours, one hour over the estimated time-span, indicating the high level of interest on behalf of the parents and school representatives.

Join our Online Survey about Development Issues!

Are you working with a civil society organisation or a local authority in Cyprus, Greece or Malta? Are you interested in development issues? Then please take 10 minutes of your time to complete the online survey for the Mediterranean Development Network!
The survey is part of the EU funded project "Capacity and Synergy building among Development NGOs and Local Authorities in Greece, Cyprus and Malta for Development".

The overall objective of the project is to enhance cooperation of NGDO platforms and Local Authorities in the three countries, Greece, Cyprus and Malta in order to become efficient agents of development and to participate in the planning of and the debate over EU development policy.

Throughout the durtion of the project, we will offer a set of trainings and workshops on topics related to development issues and policies, an international Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Programme for CSOs, a study visit to EU institutions in Brussels, and an international Partnership Fair. For more details about the project and its activities, please check the project website at www.MeDevNet.org.

The project is implemented by the Development Education Centre European Perpective (Greece) in partnership with Future Worlds Center in Cyprus, KOPIN (Malta), the Valetta Local Council (Malta) and the Local Union of Municipalities & Town Councils of Attica (GREECE).

For further information, please contact the project coordinator.

FWC represented at The European Network of Rehabilitation Centres for Survivors of Torture Conference

The European Network of Rehabilitation Centres for Survivors of Torture is holding its annual conference from 18 - 21 May in Copenhagen, Denmark. For the first time in its history an NGO from Cyprus has been invited to attend. FWC, which operates the only rehabiitation for victims of torture in Cyprus, is that NGO.

Rehabilitation Centres for Survivors of Torture from around Europe are represented at the conference and many themes will be discussed. This year’s theme is “Right to health and rehabilitation” and RCT together with OASIS is hosting the conference.

The overall theme of the conference is the rights based aspects of health and rehabilitation; how does this issue play out in terms of policy and practice? What are the health professional and political perspectives on the issue? What obligations do States have vis a vis the health of torture survivors? To what degree have States met these obligations?

About the network
Within the boundaries of the Council of Europe about 100 centres and programmes provide assistance to victims of human rights violations, either asylum seekers and refugees in host countries, or victims of past or current regimes.

Considering the political developments in Europe and in particular the fall of the Soviet regime, the enlargement of the European Union and the development of a common EU asylum system, there was a strong need for more cooperation and a sharing of experiences and expertise between the regional organisations providing support to victims of torture and also the appeal of facing new international challenges together.

Therefore, in 2003, the organisations created an informal network: The European Network of Rehabilitation Centres for Survivors of Torture.

The network presents three levels of activities:

* Large networking conferences
* Workshops and groups focusing on specific issues
* A clinical discussion group
* Ongoing dialogue and coordination through use of internet

Participants include psychotherapists, doctors, psychologists, social workers, lawyers and administrators.

CyberEthics on NTV's noon news programme

Lawrence Kalogreades of CyberEthics and coordinator of the Safer Internet Helpline was hosted by Dimitris Souglis on NTV's noon news programme. The two discussed the recent events in Cyprus regarding Internet related crimes and how the public has reacted to them, as well as the perceived causes of the increase in such events. Lawrence then explained to the viewers how to keep themselves and their children safe by changing some simple things in the way that they behave online (you can find out more at www.cyberethics.info). The issue received considerable attention as indicated by the fact that the number of people dialing in to address their concerns on the issue was so high that it was not possible to address each caller individually. That being said, CyberEthics and its associates have been invited back and will soon be featured more extensively on NTV.

Panel Discussion on the Millennium Development Goals and the role of the Cypriot Society – more collaborative efforts needed to achieve the MDGs

A panel discussion addressing the role of Cyprus to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals was successfully held Monday, 3rd May at the European University Cyprus with the participation of high-level guests from the European Parliament, Cyprus government, NGO members, academics and university students.

The discussion was opened by Dr. Kostas Gouliamos, Vice-Rector Research and External Relations, and moderated by Mrs. Petra Daniel, Senior Instructor at the Department of Social and Behaviour Sciences of European University.

Mrs. Frances-Galatia Lanitou-Williams, Head of Department of Development and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cypriot MEP Ms. Antigoni Papadopoulou, Dr. Petros Stathopoulos, Professor of Social Work from School of Humanities and Social Sciences of the European University Cyprus and Ms. Kerstin Wittig, Head of the Global Education Unit at Future Worlds Center were members of the panel who discussed about the contribution of Cyprus towards the Millennium Development Goals, the role of the Cypriot Official Development Assistance, Cyprus’ participation in international efforts especially with regards to gender related poverty alleviation, as well as the role of civil society and the educational sector in contributing to the commitments of the MDGs and a globally responsible society.

Guest speakers celebrated Cyprus’ contribution as a donor within the European Union, but agreed that further initiatives should be taken to raise awareness on global responsibility of citizens and ensure sustainability of actions in this area. Panelists pointed out the important role that Media and Education play towards achieving these aims and stressed the necessity of establishing further collaboration between different stakeholders involved in the MDGs.

The discussion was attended by a variety of university students, educators, diplomats and civil society representatives from different backgrounds who contributed by raising their own questions and offering their comments. The event is expected to contribute to a stronger cooperation between governmental bodies, civil society and academia in actions promoting the MDGs in Cypriot society. The event was jointly organized by Future Worlds Center and the European University Cyprus in the framework of the EU-funded project “TeachMDGs” which is currently being implemented by Future Worlds Center.

This event is supported by the EU funded project ‘TeachMDGs’. The main aim of the project is to increase awareness and public support for the Millennium Development Goals through actively engaging teacher training institutes, teachers and pupils in developing local oriented teaching resources about the MDGs with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa and promote these through comprehensive teacher trainings. TeachMDGs is coordinated by Future Worlds Center in partnership with Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria and Scotland. The views expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of Future Worlds Center and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

Safer Internet presentation at Ayia Fyla Lyceum

On the 14th of April 2010, members of the Cyberethics team, Dr. Yiannis Laouris and Mrs. Georgina Shitta together with the Head of the Cyber Crime unit of the Police Mr. Markos Nikolettis, had the opportunity to give a presentation to the students of the Ayia Fyla Lyceum, in Limassol. Around 250 students were present, who eagerly participated in the discussions after the presentations were over and in fact had many valid points and questions regarding Internet use and their own perceptions about how to use the Internet properly.

Cyberethics Parent’s Association presentation in Limassol Primary

After being invited by the Parents’ Association of the 10th Primary School Xalkoutsa in Limassol, Mrs. Georgina Shitta, Cyberethics coordinator, Mr. Panikos Iakovou from CYTA and Savvas Simaiou from the Cyber crime unit of the Police, gave a presentation regarding Internet safety on the 28th of April 2010.

The teachers, parents and their children listened on as the presenters explained how to keep themselves and their children safe while surfing online. This generated much discussion at the end of the presentations since most people consider the Internet to be a source of danger rather than as a source of knowledge and democratic expression, which the parents agreed with and wanted to become more informed about how to keep their children’s Internet use productive rather than harmful.

The school’s officials extended their gratitude for the presentation and want to organize such a presentation again to the pupils of the school.

Safer Internet Day 2010 Conferences

On February 9th, Safer Internet Day 2010, the Cyprus Safer Internet Center organized a conference in Nicosia to celebrate the day. First presenter at this event was Mrs. Goula Frangkou, delegate of the office of Commissioner for personal data collection, which discussed about personal data, laws, rights and obligations. Second presenter was Dr. Michael Vafopoulos, coordinator of the post-graduate program in Web science at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki that discussed about social networks, options and opportunities in real life. Following Dr. Vafopoulos was Mr. Nikos Vasilakos, reporter and counselor for www, representing Internet Now! and president of the Association of Hellenic Internet Users. After the presentations followed a discussion between the presenters, the audience and a panel of six students (2 from the Cyprus children parliament) coordinated by Mr. Yiannis Laouris that led to a very interesting and productive discussion. In detail the children that took part in the panel discussion were: Christos Dimitrof (B’ Technical school Limassol), Stefania Charalambous (Gymnasium Kokkinochorion), George Charalambous ( Lyceum Dasoupolis), Dimitra Katechaki (Gymnasium Faneromenis Larnaca), Anthoulla Fella (President of the Children’s Parliament) and Tasos Stylianou (Children’s Parliament member).


On February 10th an English speaking Safer Internet Day conference took place at the CYTA amphitheatre. First speaker was Dr. Michael Vafopoulos, coordinator of the post-graduate program in Web science at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki that discussed about social networks, options and opportunities in real life. Following Dr. Vafopoulos was Mr. Michalis Kitromilides from the office of Commissioner for personal data collection, which discussed about personal data, laws, rights and obligations. After the presentations followed a discussion between the presenters, the audience and the children’s panel coordinated by Mr. Yiannis Laouris that led to a very interesting and productive discussion. In detail the children that took part in the panel discussion were: Charalambos Mouzouris (GC School), Melissa Soukiouroglou (GC School), Rania Kouros (English school), Maria Kountouri (Pascal English school), Savvas Kourtis (American Academy Larnaca), Nicholas-Stafenos Helas (Children’s Parliament member) and Fay Wonepfer (Children’s Parliament member).

CyberEthics meet with the pupils of the Aradippou Primary School

Georgina Siitta, coordinator of the CyberEthics Internet Awareness Center, and Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, were invited by the Aradippou Primary School in order to give a presentation about various issues regarding Internet safety and ethical behaviour. About 70 children listened on as Lawrence and Georgina explained the benefits and hazards of the Internet, and how the children themselves can learn to behave safely and responsibly while interacting online. The children were excited by the subject matter and had alot to say about their own usage of the Internet and their own concerns or experiences while online. The concluding comment was that in the case of the children, it is their responsibility to behave sensibly and respectfully while on the Internet, and also to be willing to act as teachers for their parents some times in order to get their parents better acquainted with their own children's changing world and social attitudes.

CyberEthics at Radio Pafos 93.7FM

Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, was invited to discuss safer Internet issues on the Radio Pafos program 'Προχωράμε Μαζί', hosted by Olga Ioannou. The two discussed the importance of understanding the Internet as a beneficial tool which however can contain hidden hazards for the inexperienced. With this in mind, the program focused on the responsibility of the parents to become educated in ICT in order to be capable of giving proper advice and guidance to their children, as well as avoiding hazards themselves. The discussion attracted the attention of the audience who called in and asked questions and also challenged the position that parents can make a difference when it comes to a child's behaviour on the Internet. As a concluding remark, Lawrence stated that parents should not turn a blind-eye to their children's activities on the Internet, but should not spy on their children either. With that in mind, a spirit of collaboration and mutual understanding should be developed in order for the youngsters to feel comfortable discussing these issues with their parents, not only because they feel that it is acceptable but also because they need to feel that their parents are also knowledgable in the subject.

Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline coordinator at Aradippou Primary School

After being invited by the Parents’ Association of the Aradippou Primary School, Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, gave a presentation regarding Internet safety.

The parents listened on as Lawrence explained how to keep their children safe but also how to give them enough liberty in order to not be suppressive. This view generated much discussion since most people consider the Internet to be a source of danger rather than as a source of knowledge and democratic expression, which the parents agreed with and wanted to become more informed about how to keep their children’s Internet use productive rather than harmful.

The school’s officials extended their gratitude for the presentation and have already invited Lawrence back in order to give the same presentation directly to the pupils of the school.

Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline coordinator at Lykeio Kykkou B’

Lawrence Kalogreades, the coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, had the opportunity to give a presentation to the students of the Lykeio Kykkou B’, in Nicosia, Cyprus. A total of about 70 students were present, who eagerly participated in the discussion and in fact had many valid points and questions regarding Internet use and their own perceptions about how to use the Internet properly. Due to the student’s requests, Lawrence focused the discussion on how to stay protected from phishing scams, keeping one’s personal details safe, and how to make sure that a student can stay safe while on Social Networking Sites.

CyberEthics at “Elefthero Vima” on CyBC Radio 1

Lawrence Kalogreades, coordinator of the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline, and Yiannis Laouris, director of the CyberEthics Awareness Node, were the guest speakers at the CyBC Radio 1 discussion show “Elefthero Vima”.

Yiannis and Lawrence were given the opportunity to inform the public about the role of CyberEthics in regards to Internet safety in Cyprus and how its role has evolved over the years into including a Helpline, Hotline, and also running relevant research projects on Internet use and video game addiction. The discussion also covered popular issues such as the use of Instant Messenger programs and their dangers, how to protect one’s computer from viruses, to how to use Social Networking Sites safely. The discussion ran from 7:25 until 8:25pm.

CyberEthics at CyBC-1’s early morning programme, “Epta Deka”

Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline coordinator, Lawrence Kalogreades, and the director of the CyberEthics Awareness Node, Yiannis Laouris, were invited to the CyBC-1 early morning program “Epta Deka” on Tuesday the 20th of April.

Yiannis and Lawrence discussed with their hosts the activities of the CyberEthics project as a whole, the role of the national Helpline and Hotline in dealing with Internet related dangers and distress, and how parents can best inform their children as well as themselves about how to stay safe and most of all productive while on the Internet.

Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline coordinator at the Youth Board Multimedia Center in Paphos

Lawrence Kalogreades gave an hour long presentation to a group of children, teenagers, and parents at the Youth Board Multimedia Center in Paphos on Saturday the 17th of April, 2010. Lawrence explained to his audience his role of being the coordinator of the Cyprus Internet Helpline, as well as how CyberEthics can help them with advice and guidance on how to stay safe on the Internet.

Associates of Paphos TV were also present, who filmed the presentation and also interviewed Lawrence in order to highlight the importance of CyberEthics’ work in keeping the youth of today safe.

Interested in learning Turkish or Greek with your mobile phone?

Are you interested in learning Turkish or Greek with your mobile phone? If yes, then the project entitled 'Intercultural Dialogue & Linguistic Diversity via MobLang’ – a EU funded project with partner organizations from Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Basque Country, Greece and the UK is just for you!

Specifically, we aim at teaching basic language skills, such as survival phrases, short dialogues, numbers etc through the use of mobile phones.

In Cyprus, we will teach basic Greek to Turkish Cypriots and basic Turkish to Greek Cypriots, respectively. We hope to help bridge the gap and therefore reinforce dialogue between both communities through the acquisition of basic conversational language skills.

At the moment we are in the process of designing the language curricula. And here is where we need your input! In order to find out what you want and how exactly you want to learn a language, we developed a short online survey for your input. We appreciate if you take 5-10 minutes of your time to answer the few questions that will guide us in our curricula development. We need your opinion in order to create a language course that you will want to use in a few months time for free!

The survey is available in English, Greek and Turkish. Please click on the link below to chose your preferred language:

Turkish: http://www.unipark.de/uc/MobLang_Cyprus_Tr/
Greek: http://www.unipark.de/uc/MobLang_Cyprus_Gr/
English: http://www.unipark.de/uc/MobLang_Cyprus_Eng/

Thank you very much for your support!

For more information on the project please refer to our website: www.moblang.eu

Launching Event of the “MDGs - Media for Development Goals” Project

Future Words Center and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, European University Cyprus hosted University students from Cyprus at the Launching Event of the “MDGs - Media for Development Goals” Project on 21 April 2010 at the Amphitheatre Delta, European University Cyprus.

The project aims to involve Student Youth in the development of multimedia tools to promote Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

During the Launch Event University students had an opportunity to learn more about the scope of the project and about how they can become involved. There are multiple trainings focused on using new media as an innovative tool for the promotion of development issues. The trainings will take place in Italy, Peru, Kenya and Poland in summer 2010. Two University students from Cyprus will be selected to participate in the trainings on behalf of the project and then become multipliers of the knowledge they have gained.

Petra Daniel, Senior Instructor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, European University Cyprus opened the Launch Event.

Students then had the opportunity to hear from Kongnso L. Cyrille, Sec. General of the International Students Association (ISAC) who inspired the youth leaders with his speech “How do the MDGs relate to youth leaders in Cyprus?”.

Nicolina Markidou, Global Education Unit, Future Worlds Center then gave a presentation of the “MDGs - Media for Development Goals” Project which was followed by a question and answer session.

For more information about the project and to obtain an application form please click here

Future Worlds Center, a Cypriot Non-Governmental Organisation based in Nicosia is a partner in the project: “MDGs - Media for Development Goals” (contract no. DCI-NSA ED/2009/202-170) that is being coordinating with two other European countries (Poland, Czech Republic).


“The project MDGs – Media for Development Goals is funded by the European Union. The contents of this publication is the sole responsibility of Future Worlds Center and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union."

FWC coordinates Cyprus' first European conference on Development Education

Future Worlds Center, welcomed teachers and NGO leaders to Cyprus for the island’s first European conference on Development Education. Participants from Cyprus, Scotland, Ireland, Bulgaria, France, Poland, England, Slovenia and Lithuania have started to gather for 3 days in Limassol to discuss opportunities and challenges faced integrating a global perspective into schools across Europe. A representative of the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus opened the conference with an address to the participants Thursday morning. Educational authorities from the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and the General Teaching Council of Scotland will also address the attendees.

Interactive workshops for participants will be conducted in parallel over the entirety of the conference as well as a Structured Dialogue with relevant educational stakeholders. These will help participants exchange experiences, learn what is happening in other EU member states and create new links among teachers Europe-wide.

“Global Education is very important for Cyprus and teachers here are very responsive”, said Kerstin Wittig Future World Center’s head of Global Education and Coordinator of the project “Accessing Development Education” who is hosting the European conference in Cyprus.

“Development Education is still a fairly new concept in new member states and the European Commission promotes the idea by supporting NGOs who work in this area. The Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus has been very supportive of these activities and the project itself”, she said

The EU funded project “Accessing Development Education” has been active for the last two years and engages educators and schools in Development Education activities and equips them with relevant training and materials, thus making them promoters and multipliers of national campaigns and initiatives that aim to create awareness about development issues and global interdependencies.

The project is coordinated by Future Worlds Center (Cyprus) and implemented in partnership with Scotdec (Scotland), Youth Career and Advising Centre (Lithuania), KADE (Ireland) and C.E.G.A. (Bulgaria). The conference will run from Thursday 8 April to Saturday 10 April at the Navarria Hotel in Limassol.

FWC at 3rd COST International Training School

"Dr Yiannis Laouris and Lawrence Kalogreades attended the 3rd COST International Training School on Toward Autonomous, Adaptive, and Context-Aware Multimodal Interfaces: Theoretical and Practical Issues, which took place in Caserta, Italy. The training school took place on the 15-19th of March, 2010.

Lawrence Kalogreades documented the work he is doing in collaboration with Dr Antonis Loizou at the CNTI/FWC Neuroscience Lab through his presentation entitled "The effects of violent gaming on psycho-physiological and electrophysiological measures of stress". An abstract of the presentation follows:

The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether experienced video‐game players demonstrate fewer physiological stress markers (i.e., elevated heart‐rate, respiration, blood pressure, ventilation, and forehead muscle conductivity) in comparison to inexperienced gamers. With the aid of the Nexus 10 biofeedback recording hardware, the physiological responses, as well as integrated brain wave activity of the subjects will be recorded while playing violent and non‐violent video games. This psychophysiological multimodal data profile will be correlated with their Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory personality profiles as well as the type of game being played."

FWC hosts Conflict Resolution Students from USA

In continuance of FWC's long collaboration with graduate students interested in Peace Building FWC hosted a student group from American University in Washington D.C. Eleftherios A. Michael, Cyprus native and Assistant Professor and Academic Director at the Peace and Conflict Resolution Program from American University in Washington D.C. (http://observer.american.edu/washingtonsemester/peacecr/index.cfm) was in Cyprus again this year with 25 students for a study visit about bi-communal activities and activists from the 19th to the 27th of March 2010.

The students met with political leaders island-wide and also heard from civil society groups currently coordinating bi-communal projects in Cyprus. FWC presented it's "Jumpstart" project, and students also heard about the "Cyprus Network for Youth Development" of which FWC is a member and also from the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC) staff about all the exciting trainings and productions happening. FWC is a member of the Management Committee of CCMC.

FWC attends Concord's "How to translate advocacy into media"

FWC media expert Larry Fergeson participated in the 4th Communication meeting of Concord in Brussels from 15-16 March 2010. CONCORD is the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development. Its 18 international networks and 24 national associations from the European Member States represent more than 1600 European NGOs vis-à-vis the European Institutions. The main objective of the Confederation is to enhance the impact of European development NGOs vis-à-vis the European Institutions by combining expertise and accountability.

This meeting deepened the 2009 training that provided the first information on “how to improve your relations with the media”.

This meeting helped to translate an advocacy strategy into media messages based on the Aid Watch case study. The meeting also gave members a chance to practice skills and prepare the 2010 Aid Watch campaign.

Local reggae/dub sound system supports families of refugees and asylum seekers

On March 6, 2010 an event called "ROOTS REGGAE AND DUBS" took place at Tritos Pantheon featuring Roots Crew Soundsystem + selector Dubu and mc Kippa. Not only was it a great night of music but the organisers also were socially progressive and responsible to their local community! They donated 1 Euro from each ticket to support families of refugees and asylum seekers in need in Cyprus.

Please click here for more info on the organisers!

We very much appreciate all the people who made this event happen and thank them for thinking of those most in need in our local community!

Latest Jumpstart training a great success

A three-day training on Campaigning and Public Relations took place during the weekend 5-7 March at L.A. Resort in Lapta/Lapithos, as part of the project
“Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign”, implemented by Youth Center Union and FWC.
The training brought together 18 youth, aged 18-30 from all across Cyprus aiming at providing them with skills and knowledge on how to organize successful events and activities in the framework of the “Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign”.

During the training, participants attended sessions dealing with the idea of “space” and had the chance to critically explore propaganda and media manipulation mechanisms. They then focus on Campaigning and investigated Public Relations methods which they could utilize during the organization of their own activities. At a later stage, participants formed groups and set out to come up with concrete action plans for activities in the areas of Environment, Human Rights and Leisure.

Apart from the sessions, participants went out together and took walks to the nearby village. These activities helped young people develop stronger bonds and strengthened the dynamic of the group.

Participants of each action team will meet regularly together so as to organize their activities and monitor their own actions, under the coordination of Youth Center and Future Worlds Center.


Please click here to read an article about the training in Kathimerini newspaper.

FWC presents Cyberethics at Levent College

FWC associates Selen Mesutoglu and Lawrence Kalogreades presented CyberEthics information to students at Levent College in north Cyprus. Click here to read more about the event printed in Kibris Newspaper.

Limassol teachers participate in Global Education Training

A training for teachers aiming at equipping teachers of Primary and Secondary Education with skills on how to incorporate Global/ Development Education in class was successfully implemented by FWC at Pedagogical Institute in Limassol on 1st and 4th March 2010 as part of the E.U.–funded project “Accessing Development Education”.

26 teachers from all across Limassol participated in the interactive workshops which were conducted by experienced teachers who have been active in the field of Global/ Development Education and have taken part in capacity-building activities as part of the E.U.-funded project “Accessing Development Education”

During the training, teachers explored the main issues, skills and attitudes promoted by Development Education by the use of interactive participatory methods which also form part of Development Education methodology. Furthermore, they also discussed different ways of incorporating the global dimension in their lessons in class.

Teachers showed great interest in the activities and found the sessions quite useful for their teaching. Some of them said that they felt motivated enough to implement some of the activities they had learnt about in class.
Future Worlds Center promised to keep in touch with the participant teachers and provide material and further information regarding the European Conference of Development Education expected to take part from 8-10 April in Limassol as part of the project.

FWC represented at Anna Lindh Foundation Forum 2010

The activities of the Anna Lindh Foundation Forum 2010 were officially inaugurated at the Intercultural Fair, one of the key sections of the Forum's Medina.

The Anna Lindh Forum is a major civil society gathering for the promotion of intercultural action across the Mediterranean region. Taking place in Barcelona the Forum brought together for the very first time over 500 civil society and NGO representatives from the 43 Union for the Mediterranean countries to debate and create action in favour of dialogue, mutual understanding and peace.

The fair gathered 128 organisations, like FWC, in the Euro-Med region who are active in Intercultural Dialogue. The fair had an open space feel with areas of specialisation highlighting the different organisation's work in education, youth, peace, co-existence, migrants and diversity.

For more information click here.

FWC Brochures in 3 Languages

The Future Worlds Center Brochure is now available in English, Greek and Turkish.






Please click here for English

Please click here for Greek

Please click here for Turkish

Jumpstart Youth Campaign Training on Public Relations and Campaigning

Youth Center Union and Future Worlds Center are jointly organizing a training on Campaigning and Public Relations (PR) as part of the E.U. funded project ‘”Jumpstart - Youth Peace Campaign in Cyprus” for the weekend 5-7 March, at L.A Resort hotel in Lapta/Lapithos.

The training will include sessions on Campaigning and Ethics, Public Relations and formation and work with specific action teams.

Eligible applicants to the training are young people island-wide, aged 18-30 who would like to get actively involved in peace-building activities relating to the areas of Human Rights (Youth/Gender issues), Environment (ecology, urban planning) and Entertainment (music, dance performances, workshops). These small-scale projects will be implemented during a Peace Bus tour around the island, expected to take place over several weekends from May - July 2010.

The Campaigning and PR training will engage 15 people from each community. Participation criteria will include willingness and availability to contribute to further activities as well as previous experience in youth projects.

The actions within the Jumpstart - Youth Peace Campaign in Cyprus aim to increase confidence-building and co-operation between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Youth (18-30).

“Jumpstart - Youth Peace Campaign in Cyprus” project is implemented by Youth Center Union (Genclik Merkezi Birligi), a Turkish Cypriot organization, which is the main applicant, and Future Worlds Center (legally reg. Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute) which is the partner organization for the Greek Cypriot Community. The project is funded with support from the European Union.

Note: *Accommodation and food are covered by the Jumpstart - Youth Peace Campaign in Cyprus project. Transportation from Nicosia will be provided by bus.

Participation form:
If you wish to participate in the upcoming training, please fill in the attached form and send it back to Jumpstart co-ordinators at:
nicolina.markidou@gmail.com and huseyin.kursat@gmail.com by Friday 26th February.

Cypriot Youth ready to plan their own joint Events

15 Youth Leaders from across Cyprus took part in the second workshop on Event Management, organized by Mediation Association and Future Worlds Center on Saturday (20 February 2010) as part of the Youth Activism project. During the workshop, the young leaders learned techniques for creative planning of events, discussed the Event Management Cycle, budget planning and monitoring mechanisms. Moreover, the youth leaders took on the challenge to design and plan their own events, transforming the theory into practice. A next planning meeting has already been arranged to follow up on the inital event ideas - a multi-cultural concert within the framework of the European Campaign Against Racism!
For more information and updates on the event, please contact Kerstin Wittig.

Students of American Academy build links with Romania to promote MDGs

A group of students of the American Academy in Nicosia will visit their new partner organisation in Transylvania, Romania next October in order to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Within the context of the EU-funded project Youth Ambassadors for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the American Academy in Nicosia, with the strong support and guidance of Senior Teacher Mrs. Eva Argyrou and Headmaster Mr. Gianfranco Onestis has organised a series of workshops for their year 10 and year 11 students, and has created a link to a community centre in Transylvania, which will now link up the Cypriot school to local partner schools. In partnership, the Cypriot and Romanian youth will then act as young ambassadors for the MDGs and work with orphanages and nursery schools in poorer areas of Romania.
The core group of students and two of the teachers supporting this project got together in a workshop yesterday to explore nursery education in Cyprus, to learn about Romania and to plan the next actions. The students will develop posters and leaflets to inform their parents and other students about the new MDG-Partnership and to promote the exchange visits.
For more information, please contact Kerstin Wittig.

FWC to hold MDG Round Table Discussions at European University Cyprus

FWC is organising MDG Round Table Discussions at European University Cyprus to take place on 17 and 24 Feb from 18:00-21:00. These events are taking place as part of the EU funded project entitled "Youth Ambassadors for the Millienum Development Goals (MDG)", ONG-ED/2007/136-678.

Future Worlds Center, based in Nicosia, Cyprus is an implementing partner organisation in this project along with NGOs from Poland, Greece, Hungary and Czech Republic.

The overall goal of the MDG Round Table Discussions at European University Cyprus will be to organise open discussions on MDGs and the current development situation. Future Worlds Center will provide knowledge, materials, expertise, as well as to moderate the discussion. The aim of the round tables in the end will be the creation and ratification of a "Students Declaration for MDGs". Going forward, Future Worlds Center will collect student signatures on the Declaration at Universities in order to gain additional support.

We gratefully acknowledge the help of Petra Daniel, Senior Instructor, Department of Social and Behavioral Studies and Maria Christodoulou, Events Officer for all of their help in making these events happen.

CyberEthics Team part of the working group organized by the European Commission

Antonis Loizou, coordinator of the Hotline SafenetCY, and Tatjana Taraszow, Educational Material Developer of CyberEthics, were invited as experts to the working group for improving the current methodology for project assessment

The Directorate General Information Society and Media of the European Commission launched the working group 'Developing Indicators for Safer Internet Projects 2009-2013' in order to improve the current methodology for project assessment. The first workshop took place on the 25th of January 2010 in Luxembourg. The working group consists of the INHOPE/INSAFE coordinators and two members from each of the networks (awareness centres, hotlines and helplines).

Two members of the CyberEthics team are among the eight experts: Antonis Loizou, coordinator of the SafenetCy hotline and Tatjana Taraszow, Educational Material Developer.

Following issues were discussed during the first workshop:

* Inputs, Outputs, Outcomes and Indicators of the current projects of INHOPE, INSAFE and Helplines
* Effectiveness and consistency of the use of current assessment and measurement tools
* Indicators for (a) self-assessment and (b) project assessment
* Development of SMART indicators and impact measurements for INHOPE, INSAFE and Helplines - for self-assessment and project assessment as well as for comparison at European level

The second workhop of this working group is planned for mid March 2010.

Safer Internet Day 9 February 2010

Safer Internet Day 2010 is coming up on February 9th. The Cyprus Safer Internet Center - Cyberethics, like every year is celebrating this day with many awareness events during that week. The theme of this year's Safer Internet Day is "Think before you post", since data protection is one of our main concerns we encourage Internet users to be extra careful on what they publish or upload online.

For more information please contact Georgina Shitta at georgina@cnti.org.cy.

Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline - Our operators can now help you via online chat

The Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline has now implemented an online chat applet on its website which allows you to chat with our operators. The applet functions in a manner similar to many popular chat applications like Skype or MSN Messenger. We would like to stress that all messages sent by users via the applet are entirely safe and anonymous.

The Helpline's 7000-0-116 telephone line and the online chat operate between 8pm and 9pm every day.

You can find out more about the Cyprus Safer Internet Helpline and our services at www.helpline.cyberethics.info.

CNTI/FWC to host SDDP seminars, February 25-26, 2010

CNTI/FWC, in collaboration with the Institute for 21st Century Agoras, is organizing a series of seminars which will focus on the methodology of Structured Dialogic Design. During these seminars, we will be reviewing the results of the project "Διάγνωση Αναγκών Μάθησης και Ανάπτυξης στους Οργανισμούς Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας" and also the experiences of the facilitators and participants. The goal of this part of the seminars will be to exchange ideas and establish good practices. Please bear in mind the the seminars will be predominantly in Greek language.

Presentations will also be given by Aleco Christakis, Yiannis Laouris, and Paul Hays.

If you wish to partcipate for one day only, the registration costs are €100. For both days, €150. These costs include meals and printed material.

If you wish to learn more about SDDP, please go to http://sddinternationalschool.wikispaces.com/

If you wish to participate, please contact Lawrence Kalogreades at lawrence@cnti.org.cy / fax +357 22 873821.