Moblang now on YouTube

MobLang now has its channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MobLang. Join us, be our friend, and subscribe to watch our latest radio and TV interviews at 'Symviosi kai Diapolitismikotita' radio program at CyBC on 7 May 2011 and 'Biz/Εμείς' TV program at CyBC on 18 May 2011!

Borderstories. Yesterday’s and Today’s Borders. Intercultural trilateral training course in Berlin, Nicosia and Marseille

Perceptions of borders influence our society.

This week 25 young multipliers from Cyprus, France and Germany will are in Nicosia for a week-long seminar held at the Cyprus Community Media Centre to explore the stories of and behind borders through the lens of a photo camera.

The seminar is one of a series of 3 seminars. The first was held in Berlin in September 2010. Nicosia is the host city in May 2011 and the final seminar will take place in Marseille 2012. The cities chosen for this project all represent the contexts of different aspects of borders, lines and walls: Berlin as a symbol for the division and reunification of Germany and Europe; Nicosia as the last divided capital city in Europe; and Marseille, a port and immigration city, as a gateway between Europe and Africa.

This particular seminar in Nicosia aims to build on the experiences of the first seminar in Berlin and will encourage participants to explore parallels and connections between the two cities, the way that walls influence social interactions, urban landscapes and narratives. Participants are encouraged to build on the photographic material created during the seminar in Berlin and take it a step further during the weeklong seminar in Nicosia. Furthermore, the seminar will act as a catalyst for the third seminar in Marseille.

The seminar will conclude with a public photo exhibition on Friday 6th May at 18:00hrs, presenting the work produced by the participants. The exhibition will be part of the larger events around the inauguration of the Home for Cooperation in the Buffer Zone opposite Ledra Palace. Everyone is invited to attend.

The seminar receives funding from the German-French Youth Office and the German Embassy in Cyprus. Sponsors include the Cyprus Tourism Organization..

For more information please visit the seminar’s blog at http://borderstories.tumblr.com/

3rd International Facilitators Training School: Structured Dialogic Design (SDD)® Process

3rd International Facilitators Training School: Structured Dialogic Design (SDD)® Process

Future Worlds Center Press Release
For Immediate Release

For more information, please contact Elicia Reed:
elicia@futureworldscenter.org or +357 22 873 820

Revolutionary international facilitation training school focuses on Co-Laboratories of Democracy and the science of Structured Dialogic Design (SDD)®.

Future Worlds Center of Cyprus in collaboration with the Institute for 21st Century Agoras of California, USA are organizing the third International School for Structured Dialogue, a groundbreaking approach to authentic and disciplined dialogue facilitation.

(Nicosia): Cypriot non-governmental organization, Future Worlds Center, and the U.S. based Institute for 21st Century Agoras, invites all who are interested in becoming active Structured Dialogic Design Facilitators and Mediators to learn more about the science of SDD® at the 3rd International Facilitators Training School in Nicosia, Cyprus from 25-27 July 2011.

Structured Dialogic Design (SDD)® is a truly democratic approach to facilitation and mediation where all participants have an equal opportunity to voice their ideas and opinions. The use of the Cogniscope II software helps to structure these ideas, cluster, and map their mutual interdependencies. Further information about this process can be found on the Institute for 21st Century Agoras website http://www.globalagoras.org/.

The training will include theoretical foundations exploration, practical applications, re-discovering the science of structured dialogue, role-playing, lectures, and virtual lectures (webinars). The school intends to offer 3 credits towards the professional certification program.

Instructors include the Father of Structured Dialogic Design, Dr. Alexander N. Christakis, Professor of Informatics at the University of Piraeus, Greece, Nikitas Assimakopoulos, SDD Facilitator Dr. Yiannis Laouris of Future Worlds Center, Author and SDD expert, Thomas Flanagan, Executive Director of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras Kenneth Bausch, and Marios Michaelides, Senior SDD Facilitator from the Cyprus Government’s Academy.

Participation is for anyone who would like to work towards professional certification and anyone interested in learning more about the Co-laboratory of Democracy approach and the science of SDD®. The fee for the school is 350 Euros, which includes the registration fees and certificate, coffee and snacks, all reading materials on CD, two books discussing the theory and practice of the science of dialogue, access to the SDD® International School website for materials, a limited version of the Cogniscope II software, and the Gala dinner.

To register, please visit: http://www.sddp-international.org
To receive a brochure and registration form email elicia@futureworldscenter.org

ENDS

For Reference on SDD®:

Forty years of research, development, and testing, in a variety of complex situations, both in the private and public sectors, have produced the Structured Dialogic Design Process (SDDP) that engages stakeholders in participative democracy through disciplined dialogue. Workshops using SDD are called Co-Laboratories of Democracy because they enable people to harness their collective wisdom and power to construct the future.

Three decades of research have revealed unshakeable human burdens that undermine successful dialogue. The first two types of burdens include well-documented research into (a) human limitations of cognition, and (b) group pathologies (individual, group, and collective). The third burden relates to (c) the current focus of critical theorists, namely: the impact of power relations.

In a larger context, organizations and societies must be responsive to their stakeholders if they are to sustain their viability and vigor. The movement toward “flat hierarchies” in business recognizes the importance of wisdom that a company possesses everywhere in its chain of command. For example, in the context of the postmodern management paradigm, to increase productivity management gurus urge companies to practice varieties of participative democracy by establishing cross-functional teams that share leadership in order to meet the demands of change more efficiently.

The virtues of participative democracy stem from its openness to all kinds of opinions from all kinds of stakeholders. When people and their positions are respectfully listened to in an activity, they are involved. When decisions are made on an equitable basis, people support those decisions and are likely to work for their implementation.

The principal utility of a participative process would be to enable people to participate in finding solutions to complex problems affecting the quality of their lives independent of their discipline, experience, or educational background. It also would lead to cooperation with the other stakeholders of a particular situation, by excavating the wisdom of the people through structured dialogue.

(http://sddinternationalschool.wikispaces.com/What+is+the+SDD+process%3F)

FWC leads European Consortium that offers free language lessons via mobile phone

Cypriot non-governmental organisation, Future Worlds Center, invites those who are too busy to attend a language course or those who do not want to attend a traditional language course, to try “MobLang” as a perfect tool to help leahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrn the basics of a new language in a fun way. With a few minutes each day MobLang teaches you the most common phrases. Special exercises help you with the pronunciation while you practice your newly learned words and phrases. MobLang is easy to install on your mobile and simple to use.

MobLang is a project funded by the European Union that provides tools to study a new language through mobile technology. It allows users to get to know the language and deepens their knowledge about other cultures. More information can be found at the MobLang website http://www.moblang.eu/.

The MobLang project is officially entitled “Intercultural Dialogue & Linguistic Diversity via MobLang” and is within the Framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme / Transversal Programme / Key Activity 2: Languages (European Commission, EACEA). The local Cypriot organizations Future Worlds Center and the University of Cyprus Language Centre are teamed up with partners in Europe from Greece, the United Kingdom, and Spain. The consortium offers a variety of languages to learn such as Albanian, Basque, Greek, Irish, and Turkish.

Participation is for anyone who wants to learn some basic language skillshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif via their mobile phone. The cost of the actual course is free for the first 150 people registered. There is no participation fee; however, a donation of €10 will be appreciated to cover costs for a SD card. All those who register after the first 150 are kindly required to donate a higher amount.

The MobLang mobile course is supported further with regular Language Cafés for socializing with individuals who speak the language being learned, watching short movies, and going shopping or to a café to practice vocabulary with native speakers. The duration of the course is 1-2 months (depending on participant’s speed). Participants attend at least once at Language Café in order to receive the program and install it properly on their mobile.

To register, email moblang.register@cnti.org.cy or call (+357) 22-892909.

Cyberethics Carnival Party!

The Cyprus Safer Internet Center – Cyberethics, invites you to a Carnival Party which has as a general theme “the Internet” (the costumes need to be related to the Internet, i.e. antivirus – doctor etc).

The best costumes will be awarded prizes!

See you all on Saturday 5/3/2011 at 11:30pm at Down Town Retro Club, Limassol.
Entrance fee: 35 euro with Open Bar!!

For more information and reservations, please call at 22873820 (office hours) or at 99806388 (Iliada).

Great Opportunity: Call for Participants from Cyprus for an International Training called "Human Rights Creative"

Future Worlds Center is a partner in the international multipliers’ training course "Human Rights CREATIVE" from April 4th to 11th 2011 and we are looking for participants from Cyprus! Other participants coming are from England, Netherlands, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Malta and Germany. The deadline is 28 February so act now to be included!

Please find the detailed description below.

If you know anybody (teachers, trainers, social workers, students etc.) who might be interested in participating, please pass this information on and promote the course. It will be a very exciting and very international event.

Training Course "Human Rights CREATIVE“ at International House Sonnenberg / Germany

April 4th to 11th, 2011

About the project

The Training Course ”Human Rights CREATIVE” is organized by the International House Sonnenberg in cooperation with the DARE-network (www.dare-network.eu) and nine partner organizations from different European countries that are active in the field of Human Rights education, and it is mainly financed by the “Youth in Action” Programme of the EU.

During the training course between 30 and 40 multipliers from the nine partner countries that are United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Germany will firstly get a short general introduction into the topic of Human Rights and Human Rights Education (HRE), in order to then get to know a wide range of methods with a creative approach (such as theatre, film, arts etc.) that can be used to work with (international) young people on the topic of Human Rights.

About us

The International House Sonnenberg is an education center offering many different kinds of conferences, seminars and other educational activities for youth, children, adults and families. A huge focus lies on international encounters, political issues and training courses for multipliers.

More information: www.sonnenberg-international.de

In April 2009 we facilitated the course “Methods of Human Rights Education in Youth Work” in cooperation with the DARE-network. You can find the documentation at http://www.dare-network.eu/downloads/DARE_BLUE_LINES_Methodologies_of_Human_Rights_Education.pdf

Target group

The Course addresses young multipliers, aged between 18 and 35, such as youth workers, youth leaders, social workers, teachers, students of educational subjects but also volunteers and all other people working with youth and interested in the topic of Human Rights.

Topics that will be covered in our training course “Human Rights CREATIVE”:

? What are Human Rights and where do they come from?

? The importance and aims of Human Rights Education (HRE)

? A simulation game on a current topic related to Human Rights

? Individual Workshops, held by different international experts, teaching a variety of creative approaches for teaching Human Rights, e.g. theatre methods, artistic methods, video/films, photography, …

? Exchange of experiences and best-practice examples in the field of HRE

? One-day-excursion to visit projects/organizations active in Human Rights Education

? Developing ideas for (joint) practical projects, using creative methods of HRE


Objectives

- to equip international multipliers with a range of creative methods for teaching Human Rights

- to stimulate participants to take an active role in promoting Human Rights

- to arise young people's awareness of topics related to Human Rights

The methodology of the training course

The project is designed as an open learning process based on participants’ exchange of experiences and opinions. The training course follows the approach of non-formal and social education. In addition we will invite international experts to hold workshops on creative methods and to give presentations on the theoretical background of Human Rights (Education).

Working language

English – all participants must be able to actively communicate in English

Prerequisites

We are expecting from participants in our training course “Human Rights CREATIVE” to have:

? previous experiences and knowledge of working with young people

? great interest in the field of Human Rights

? good English communication skills

? willingness to contribute to the program with a presentation on either your organization, a certain project you have been involved with or a good practice example. It should be practical information that the other participants will benefit from!

? willingness to develop a project within the Youth in Action Programme as an outcome of the training course

? willingness to participate throughout the full duration of the Training Course

Financial conditions

The participation fee for each participant will be: 130,- Euros

There is a reduced fee for participants from Eastern European countries: 80,- Euros

The fee includes food and lodging at our beautiful education center as well as program costs during the entire training course.

70% of your travel costs will be reimbursed, if you hand in or show us the original tickets at the training course. Example: If the ticket costs you 200 Euro, then 140 Euro will be reimbursed after the event. (Using the cheapest transport is required: 2nd class train, economy airfare, etc.)

Trainers

Jochen Dallmer, Berlin/Germany, “Young Friends of the Earth Germany”

Samuel Antonio Mejias, London/United Kingdom, Researcher (writing PhD) “Institute of Education, University of London”

Speakers / Workshop facilitators

“Human Rights – origin, vision, reality” – Frank Elbers, Netherlands, Stichting Human Rights Education Associates

“Theatre of Human Rights” – Borislava Daskalova, Bulgaria, Trainer of Forum Theatre

“Children Rights – seen creatively” – Massimo di Rienzo & team, Rome/Italy, Menougualepiu

“Making Human Rights Videos” – Samuel A. Mejias, London/United Kingdom, University of London

“Drumming for Human Rights” – Christine Holtkamp, Trainer of Samba and political action

“Murals – colorful reminders of Human Rights” – Cathy Bird, United Kingdom

“Human Rights in film and sound” – N.N.

Partners involved

? “Partners Bulgaria Foundation”, Bulgaria, www.partnersbg.org

? “Future Worlds Center”, Cyprus, www.futureworldscenter.org

? “European Safer Schools Partnership”, United Kingdom, www.esspd.org

? “Active Citizenship Foundation”, Hungary, www.aktivpolgar.hu

? “Menougualepiù s.r.l.”, Italy, www.menougualepiu.it

? Informal group of multipliers, Malta

? “Human Rights Education Associates”, Netherlands, www.hrea.org

? “Education for the Future”, Poland

Application Procedure

Participation is only possible upon accepted application as the number of places is limited. Please fill the application form that is available to download at www.sonnenberg-international.de > conferences > Human Rights CREATIVE.

Application deadline is 28th of February 2011. Please use the application form only, don’t send additional documents. Selection of participants will be upon their experience and commitment. We seek active people who can use creative methods of Human Rights Education in their youth work. Participation is only possible for the whole programme, not for single days or sessions.

If you are interested in participating, please fill in the attached application form and send it to us by Feb 28th.

Further details on program, location, travel reimbursement and all other technicalities will be given to confirmed participants in March.

For more information about the Training Course, please contact Katja Pötzsch-Martin by e-mail:

k.poetzsch@sonnenberg-international.de or call +49-(0)5582-944-148 / -0

Internationales Haus Sonnenberg
Sonnenberg-Kreis e.V.
Clausthaler Str. 11
37444 St. Andreasberg
Tel.: +49 (0) 5582/ 944 -148
Fax: +49 (0) 5582/ 944 -100

Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign celebrates its achievements

Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign came to a closure on 15th February 2011 in the magical atmosphere of Chateau Status venue in Nicosia.

People who had participated in the campaign at different stages of its implementation gathered together and had the chance to catch up with each other and renew contacts.

Project coordinators Huseyin Kursat from Youth Center and Nicolina Markidou from Future Worlds Center thanked all participants for their support and involvement in the project and gave out certificates to everyone involved.

Special guests were the music band Babamad who performed live music by combining both electronic and traditional instruments.

Jumpstart participants formed a network of people who act as multipliers for further mobilization of young people in the reconciliation process and the strengthening of collaboration between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot community.

The EU-funded project Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign in Cyprus increased confidence building between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot youth 16-30 years and created opportunities for youth to actively engage in reconciliation activities.

"Jumpstart the Peace" Youth Campaign Intercutural Learning

On February 11-13, as part of the EU-funded project "Jumpstart the Peace" Youth Campaign, participants traveled to Omodhos and Limassol for a weekend on intercultural learning. The evening kicked off on Friday night with a wine tasting at the Linos Winery. Participants then moved on to a local tavern in Omodhos for dinner, dancing, and music.

The weekend continued with workshops on intercultural learning, film screenings, and discussions. To conclude, participants painted a large canvas with their ideas of what is multiculturalism. Jumpstart the Peace Youth Campaign will finish with a live music event and closing ceremony featuring the group Babamad at Chateau Status on 15 February beginning at 8:30.

Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign bus tour

On 4-6 February 2011 as part of the Jumpstart Youth Peace Campaign bus tour, which is funded by the EU, 25 participants from across the island traveled to Kritou Terra and Akamas. Throughout the weekend participants attended workshops to understand what is meant by a sustainable environment and to learn about the ecosystem and geology of the Akamas peninsula.

Participants hiked through the Avakas Gorge, visited Toxeftra beach, sea caves, and ate lunch in the Latchi harbor. The weekend concluded with a drive through the Limnitis checkpoint. New friendships were formed and participants exchanged e-mails and facebook accounts to stay in touch.

Jumpstart aims to increase confidence building between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot youth, and create new opportunities for youth to jointly engage. This upcoming weekend Jumpstart will offer workshops on intercultural learning in Limassol. During the weekend participants will explore different interpretations of culture through site visits, media trainings and a fun creative art workshop.

For more information please contact Nicolina Markidou, nicolina.markidou@gmail.com, or Adira Zwelling, zwell.a@gmail.com.

Community Cinema Nights

Community Cinema Nights

Your Choice To Act Community Cinema Nights are a series of six movies, which aims to create a social environment and a forum for discussion where people can interact and socialize while watching thought provoking movies with such subjects as fair trade, humanitarian issues and global imbalances.

Each Community Cinema Night also features a panel discussion about the topics and issues addressed in the film.

“Your Choice to Act“ is a local initiative which aims to raise awareness about how our choices affect global issues.

All Community Cinema Nights take place at the Cyprus Community Media Center.

Reception starts at 18:00, Viewing starts at 18:30

The first chosen movie on the 17th February is "The Dark Side of Chocolate" by the award winning Danish Journalist Miki Mistrati

Is the chocolate we eat produced with the use of child labour trafficked children? Does your favourite chocolate have a bitter taste?

Miki Mistrati investigates the rumours!

Everybody is invited to come to the Cyprus Community Media Center, watch the movie and participate in the following panel discussion!

Free admission!

The movie will be in English without Greek or Turkish subtitles.

It is your choice to act!!

UNHCR's new public awareness project: "A UNHCR tent in the heart of the city"

UNHCR Representation in Cyprus is pleased to announce the launching of its new public awareness project, entitled "A UNHCR tent in the heart of the city"; and cordially invites you to participate in the activities and events that have been organised so far.

As the title suggests, a series of activities will be organised around a real tent, which will be initially placed in Nicosia, at the Multi functional Center of the Nicosia Municipality (former "Old People's House"). The tent will stay there for the whole month of February and will then be placed at a central location in Larnaca.
School and other groups are encouraged to visit the tent, and for this purpose arrangements for group visits can be made directly with UNHCR. Of course, passers by and any interested individual can visit the tent at any time during the working hours of the Center (from 07.30-14.30 on weekdays and Wednesday afternoons). For more information, you can always contact us.

The campaign, which is placed under the auspices of the Municipalities of Nicosia and Larnaca, and supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture, will be launched at a press conference on Tuesday 01/02 at 11.00 hrs, at the Multifunctional Center of the Nicosia Municipality.

Συνέδριο InetRisks Η συνεργασία γονέων-παιδιών ως μέθοδος αντιμετώπισης των κινδύνων στο Διαδίκτυο (Ταξίδι σε εικονικό κόσμο)

Συνέδριο InetRisks
Η συνεργασία γονέων-παιδιών ως μέθοδος αντιμετώπισης των κινδύνων στο Διαδίκτυο
(Ταξίδι σε εικονικό κόσμο)

Σύμφωνα με τα αποτελέσματα του ερευνητικού έργου InetRisks στην Κύπρο, οι γονείς και τα παιδιά, μέσα από την εμπειρία του κοινού «παιχνιδιού» κατάφεραν να αλληλο-εκπαιδευτούν σε θέματα δυνατοτήτων και προκλήσεων του διαδικτύου και να αναπτύξουν δεξιότητες αντιμετώπισης πιθανών κινδύνων. Οι γονείς φαίνεται να διεύρυναν τις γνώσεις τους όσον αφορά τις δυνατότητες του διαδικτύου, τους κινδύνους του διαδικτύου, τους τρόπους αντιμετώπισης των επικίνδυνων καταστάσεων και τους τρόπους χρήσης του διαδικτύου από τα παιδιά τους. Επιπρόσθετα, οι γονείς ανακάλυψαν ότι τα παιδιά τους γνωρίζουν πράγματα και έχουν δεξιότητες που δεν ανέμεναν καθώς επεσήμαναν ότι τα παιδιά τους μπορούν να τους διδάξουν πράγματα και δεξιότητες που είναι καινούργια γι’ αυτούς. Οι γονείς συνειδητοποίησαν ότι μπορούν να συνεργαστούν αποτελεσματικά με τα παιδιά τους.

Με την ευκαιρία της ολοκλήρωσης του ερευνητικού έργου InetRisks (Changing Attitudes of Adults (parents) on Internet-Related Risks for Young Adolescents) το οποίο υλοποιήθηκε με χρηματοδότηση του Ιδρύματος Προώθησης Έρευνας προς το Ινστιτούτο Νευροεπιστήμης και Τεχνολογίας, πραγματοποιήθηκε συνέδριο με θέμα «Η συνεργασία γονέων-παιδιών ως μέθοδος αντιμετώπισης των κινδύνων στο Διαδίκτυο (Ταξίδι σε εικονικό κόσμο) » το Σάββατο, 08 Ιανουαρίου 2011. Στόχος του συνεδρίου ήταν η παρουσίαση των αποτελεσμάτων του έργου (διετούς διάρκειας) και η ενημέρωση των γονέων σχετικά με τους κινδύνους του Διαδικτύου, καθώς επίσης και τους τρόπους προστασίας των παιδιών τους κατά τη χρήση του Διαδικτύου.

Μέσα από τα αποτελέσματα διαφαίνεται επίσης η ικανοποίηση που εισέπραξαν οι γονείς για την ευκαιρία που είχαν να περάσουν χρόνο με τα παιδιά τους.

Όπως σημείωσε ο Πρόεδρος της Προσωρινής Επιτροπής του Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου Κύπρου Καθ. Πάνος Ραζής , εξίσου σημαντικές φάνηκαν να είναι οι αλλαγές στις αντιλήψεις και τις στάσεις των γονιών απέναντι στους κινδύνους γενικά, στους κινδύνους του διαδικτύου, στις δυνατότητες του διαδικτύου αλλά και στη χρήση του διαδικτύου από τα παιδιά. Ο επιστημονικός υπεύθυνος του έργου, Δρ. Γιάννης Λαούρης εξήγησε ότι σύμφωνα με τις αρχικές δηλώσεις των γονιών, οι αντιλήψεις και στάσεις τους για τους κινδύνους γενικά κατηγοριοποιήθηκαν σε αυτούς που παρουσιάζονται συντηρητικοί, σε αυτούς που υπολογίζουν τον κίνδυνο και σε αυτούς που αγνοούν τον κίνδυνο. Κατόπιν, φάνηκε ότι οι στάσεις των γονιών απέναντι στον κίνδυνο διαφοροποιούνται ανάλογα με το είδος του κινδύνου και ανάλογα με την αντίληψη για την ωριμότητα των παιδιών τους ως προς την αντιμετώπιση κινδύνων.

Οι γονείς φαίνεται να είναι ενήμεροι για τους πιο σημαντικούς κινδύνους στο διαδίκτυο. Όπως αναφέρει η κ. Αναστασία Οικονόμου, σχεδόν όλοι οι γονείς αναφέρουν τον εθισμό ως ένα πολύ σημαντικό κίνδυνο του διαδικτύου που προκαλείται κυρίως από την ανωριμότητα των εφήβων και την έλλειψη ικανότητας να βάζουν κάποια όρια. Σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις οι γονείς αναφέρουν τους ίδιους κινδύνους τόσο στην πραγματική ζωή όσο και στη διαδικτυακή (π.χ. κακές παρέες, παραπλάνηση). Σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις οι γονείς δηλώνουν ότι οι κίνδυνοι στην πραγματική ζωή είναι πιο σημαντικοί από ότι στο διαδίκτυο.

Τα σενάρια των δραστηριοτήτων που πραγματοποίησαν από κοινού γονείς και παιδιά είναι διαθέσιμα στην ιστοσελίδα του έργου Inetrisks (www.inetrisks.net), καθώς επίσης και οι παρουσιάσεις, οι ομιλίες καθώς οι συζητήσεις που διεξήχθησαν ανάμεσα στους συμμετέχοντες (παιδιά, γονείς, ομάδα έργου) και τους παρευρισκόμενους στο συνέδριο.

Το έργο InetRisks χρηματοδοτήθηκε από το Ίδρυμα Προώθησης Έρευνας και συντονίστηκε από το Ινστιτούτο Νευροεπιστήμης και Τεχνολογίας. Περισσότερες πληροφορίες για το έργο μπορείτε να βρείτε στην ιστοσελίδα του έργου www.inetrisks.net
Τέλος
Σημειώσεις προς τους συντάκτες
Για περαιτέρω πληροφορίες σχετικά με τα αποτελέσματα του έργου InetRisks παρακαλώ επικοινωνήστε με τη συντονίστρια του προγράμματος Έλενα Αριστοδήμου – elena@cnti.org.cy

Τα παιδιά χρειάζονται περισσότερη βοήθεια για να εμποδίσουν τους διαδικτυακούς κινδύνους, αναφέρει Ευρωπαϊκή διαδικτυακή έρευνα

Τα παιδιά χρειάζονται περισσότερη βοήθεια για να εμποδίσουν τους διαδικτυακούς κινδύνους, αναφέρει Ευρωπαϊκή διαδικτυακή έρευνα

Μια καινούργια έρευνα που διεξήχθη για το Ευρωπαϊκό Συμβούλιο αναφέρει ότι οι εταιρείες διαδικτύου πρέπει να προσφέρουν περισσότερους τρόπους στα παιδιά έτσι ώστε να μπορούν να εμποδίζουν, να φιλτράρουν και να καταγγέλλουν ανησυχητικό διαδικτυακό περιεχόμενο και επαφές.

Όπως αναφέρει η έρευνα, παιδιά και γονείς, νιώθουν εξασφαλισμένοι όταν τους δίνονται εργαλεία για να λάβουν μέτρα ενάντια στους διαδικτυακούς κινδύνους όπως η παρενόχληση, το ερωτικό περιεχόμενο και οι παρεμβατικοί ξένοι. Παρόλα αυτά, δε χρησιμοποιούν συχνά τις επιλογές που έχουν διαθέσιμες (συμπεριλαμβανομένων και των συμβουλών για διαδικτυακή ασφάλεια ή τα λεγόμενα ‘κουμπιά πανικού’ που διατίθενται σε ιστοσελίδες κοινωνικής δικτύωσης) αλλά και η βιομηχανία θα μπορούσε να κάνει περισσότερα για να προωθήσει τη χρήση τους.

Περισσότερα από 25,000 παιδιά από όλη την Ευρώπη (καθώς και ένας από τους γονείς τους) συμμετείχαν στην έρευνα, EU Kids Online, η οποία συντονίζεται από το London School of Economics and Political Science και χρηματοδοτείται από το Ευρωπαϊκό Συμβούλιο και το ‘Safer Internet Programme’ (Πρόγραμμα Ασφαλούς Διαδικτύου). Στην Κύπρο την έρευνα συντονίζει το Ινστιτούτο Νευροεπιστημών και Τεχνολογίας Κύπρου (www.cnti.org.cy).

Η έρευνα αποκάλυψε ότι ενώ το 70% των γονιών μιλούν στα παιδιά τους σχετικά με το τι κάνουν αυτά στο διαδίκτυο και περισσότεροι από τους μισούς προσφέρουν πρακτικές συμβουλές και υποστήριξη, σχετικά λίγοι χρησιμοποιούν τεχνικά μέσα για να τους βοηθήσουν. Μόνο το 28% επιλέγει να εμποδίσει ή να φιλτράρει ιστοσελίδες και το μόνο το 24% παρακολουθεί τις ιστοσελίδες που επισκέπτονται τα παιδιά του.

Η έρευνα δείχνει ότι, τα περισσότερα παιδιά δεν ενοχλούνται απ’ ότι αντιμετωπίζουν στο διαδίκτυο – μόνο το 12% αναφέρουν ότι ενοχλήθηκαν. Και ενώ τα παιδιά λένε ότι η παρενόχληση είναι σχετικά ασυνήθιστη, μόνο ένας στους 20 ανέφερε ότι του συνέβηκε, τα παιδιά που είχαν παρενοχληθεί στο διαδίκτυο ήταν αυτά που έδειξαν να έχουν ενοχληθεί περισσότερο.

Το 23% των παιδιών είδαν ερωτικές ή πορνογραφικές εικόνες τον τελευταίο χρόνο μέσα από όλα τα μέσα ενημέρωσης και επικοινωνίας, με το διαδίκτυο να είναι τώρα τόσο κοινή πηγή όσο η τηλεόραση, οι ταινίες και τα βίντεο. Ενώ αυτό είναι πιο συχνό σε μεγαλύτερους έφηβους, τα μικρότερα παιδιά δήλωσαν ότι ενοχλούνται περισσότερο όταν βλέπουν ερωτικές εικόνες. Τα παιδιά τώρα χρησιμοποιούν το διαδίκτυο σε όλο και μικρότερες ηλικίες – με μέσο όρο την ηλικία των 7 ετών στη Δανία και Σουηδία και των 8 ετών σε πολλές άλλες βόρειες Ευρωπαϊκές χώρες.

Η Sonia Livingstone, καθηγήτρια στα ΜΜΕ και επικοινωνίας στο LSE και υπεύθυνη του προγράμματος EU Kids Online, αναφέρει: ‘Οι γονείς και η διαδικτυακή βιομηχανία έχουν κάνει κάποια πρώτα βήματα για να κάνουν το διαδίκτυο πιο ασφαλές για τα παιδιά αλλά μπορούν και οι δύο να κάνουν πολύ περισσότερα'.

‘Η έρευνα μας δείχνει ότι τα παιδιά δέχονται την εμπλοκή των γονιών τους για τους κινδύνους όταν βρίσκονται στο διαδίκτυο αλλά ότι υπάρχουν πολύ λίγα τεχνικά εργαλεία για να τους βοηθήσουν με το να εμποδίζουν επαφές, να φιλτράρουν ανεπιθύμητο περιεχόμενο ή να καταγγείλουν προβλήματα όταν αυτά συμβαίνουν. Ακόμα και όταν αυτά τα εργαλεία υπάρχουν, υποψιαζόμαστε ότι η ενημέρωση για την ύπαρξη και χρήση τους είναι λίγη. Συνιστούμε στη βιομηχανία να δημιουργήσει περισσότερα εργαλεία, να κάνει περισσότερα για να ενημερώσει γονείς και παιδιά και να τα κάνει ευκολότερα στη χρήση τους.’

Τα στοιχεία για την Κύπρο

- Η Κύπρος βρίσκεται στις πρώτες θέσεις στην Ευρώπη όσον αφορά τη χρήση του κινητού τηλεφώνου για πρόσβαση στο διαδίκτυο (39%) και την πρόσβαση από το υπνοδωμάτιο (62%).

- Στην Κύπρο ένα πολύ μεγάλο ποσοστό (63%) παιδιών ανέφεραν ότι υπάρχουν πράγματα στο διαδίκτυο τα οποία ενοχλούν τους συνομήλικους τους ενώ για τον εαυτό τους μόνο το 9% δήλωσε ότι ενοχλήθηκε από το περιεχόμενο αυτό.

- Το 73% των παιδιών ηλικίας 9-16 ετών έχουν προφίλ σε πλατφόρμα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, τοποθετώντας την Κύπρο στις πρώτες 5 της Ευρώπης.

- Το 91% των γονιών των οποίων το παιδί έχει λάβει προσβλητικά ή επιζήμια/επιβλαβή μηνύματα στο διαδίκτυο, λένε ότι το παιδί τους δεν έχει λάβει ποτέ τέτοιο μήνυμα, κάτι που καταδεικνύει ότι η γονική άγνοια πιθανόν να αποτελεί από μόνη της ένα είδος κινδύνου.

- Το 82% των γονιών των οποίων το παιδί συνάντησε δια ζώσης κάποιον που ήξερε μόνο μέσω διαδικτύου, λένε ότι το παιδί τους δεν είχε ποτέ τέτοια εμπειρία.

- Στην Κύπρο 27% των παιδιών δήλωσαν ότι θα επιθυμούσαν περισσότερη γονική συμμετοχή σχετικά με αυτά που κάνουν στο διαδίκτυο, γεγονός που κατατάσσει την Κύπρο στις πρώτες θέσεις στην Ευρώπη. Παράλληλα οι γονείς δήλωσαν ότι θα έπρεπε να κάνουν περισσότερα (79%) σχετικά με τη χρήση του διαδικτύου από τα παιδιά τους και αυτό κατατάσσει την Κύπρο στην πρώτη θέση σε όλη την Ευρώπη.

Εν κατακλείδι, η έρευνα αποκαλύπτει ότι τα παιδιά στην Κύπρο αξιοποιούν πολύ την τεχνολογία, αλλά όπως δήλωσε η επιστημονική εκπρόσωπος του Ινστιτούτου Νευροεπιστημών και Τεχνολογίας Κύπρου, Έλενα Αριστοδήμου, «ιδιαίτερα ανησυχητικό σε τοπικό επίπεδο φαίνεται το γεγονός ότι η πλειοψηφία των γονιών δεν γνωρίζει τους κινδύνους με τους οποίους βρέθηκε αντιμέτωπο το παιδί τους. Επομένως, ιδιαίτερη έμφαση χρειάζονται οι προσεγγίσεις των γονιών προς τα παιδιά τους έτσι ώστε να γνωρίζουν τι τους συμβαίνει και να μπορούν να τα στηρίζουν όταν αυτά το χρειάζονται. Τα παιδιά ίσως να φοβούνται να μοιραστούν με τους γονείς τους τα διάφορα περιστατικά που βίωσαν λόγω τυχόν απαγορεύσεων και περιορισμών που μπορεί να επιβληθούν. Γι’ αυτό το λόγο είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικός ο τρόπος προσέγγισης των παιδιών από τους γονείς, αφού στόχος δεν είναι οι απαγορεύσεις και οι επιπλήξεις, αλλά η σωστή και ασφαλής χρήση του διαδικτύου».

Η έρευνα επίσης συνιστά την στοχοθέτηση των πόρων και την καθοδήγηση για την ασφάλεια στις πιο μικρές ηλικίες που τώρα βρίσκονται στο διαδίκτυο, όπως επίσης και τη δημιουργία περισσότερου θετικού περιεχομένου που να στοχεύει περισσότερο τα παιδιά. Ωστόσο, οι συγγραφείς επίσης επισημαίνουν ότι τα παιδιά πρέπει να ενθαρρύνονται να παίρνουν ευθύνη για την δική τους διαδικτυακή ασφάλεια όσο γίνεται, και ότι νεαρά άτομα που έχουν ελλείψεις σε ψηφιακές δεξιότητες θα πρέπει να εκπαιδευτούν και να υποστηριχθούν για να διευρύνουν τις ευκαιρίες τους.

Οι ερευνητές εξέτασαν την διαδικτυακή εμπειρία των παιδιών σε 25 Ευρωπαϊκές χώρες και η έκθεση παρουσιάζει όλα τα ευρήματα αλλά και τις συστάσεις πολιτικής από την ομάδα του έργου. Τα αρχικά πορίσματα της έρευνας παρουσιάστηκαν στο Safer Internet Forum τον Νοέμβριο του 2010.

Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες και το ολοκληρωμένο αντίγραφο της έκθεσης δείτε το:
www.eukidsonline.net

Τέλος


Σημειώσεις προς τους συντάκτες

1. Tο πρόγραμμα EU Kids Online στοχεύει στην ενίσχυση της γνώσης για τις εμπειρίες και πρακτικές των Ευρωπαίων παιδιών και γονιών σχετικά με την επικίνδυνη αλλά και ασφαλή χρήση του διαδικτύου καθώς και τις καινούργιες διαδικτυακές τεχνολογίες, έτσι ώστε να ενημερώνει την προώθηση ενός ασφαλούς διαδικτυακού περιβάλλοντος για τα παιδιά.

2. Οι χώρες που περιλαμβάνονται στο EU Kids Online είναι: Αυστρία, Βέλγιο, Βουλγαρία, Κύπρος, Τσεχία, Δανία, Εσθονία, Φιλανδία, Γαλλία, Γερμανία, Ελλάδα, Ουγγαρία, Ιρλανδία, Ιταλία, Λιθουανία, Ολλανδία, Νορβηγία, Πολωνία, Πορτογαλία, Ρουμανία, Σλοβενία, Ισπανία, Σουηδία, Τουρκία και Αγγλία.

3. Στην Κύπρο την έρευνα συντονίζει το Ινστιτούτο Νευροεπιστήμης και Τεχνολογίας Κύπρου.

Η ιστοσελίδα του δικτύου EU Kids Online είναι: http://www.eukidsonline.net/
Για περαιτέρω πληροφορίες σχετικά με τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας παρακαλώ επικοινωνήστε με τη συντονίστρια του προγράμματος στην Κύπρο: Έλενα Αριστοδήμου – elena@cnti.org.cy


Το πρόγραμμα συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση

JOB OPENING - Project Coordinator in Global Education Unit

Project Coordinator in Global Education Unit

Duties and Responsibilities

* General project management
* Organization and execution of all project activities and events
* Preparation of EC reports
* Project proposal writing

Preferred Qualifications

* Experience in Civil Society
* Candidate must be fluent in Turkish and English
* University background in social science would be preferable

Prospective candidates will be evaluated against general criteria representing the Center’s culture namely:

* Ethics, fairness and respect for diversity

* Credibility & resourcefulness

* International orientation

* Ambition & continuous improvement

* Leadership; team player; multi-tasking

* Innovative thinking and attitude

Please send your CVs to:

fwcglobaleducation@gmail.com or to Fax 22873821

Apply until 14 February 2011

Success of New Years party for the children of refugees and asylum seekers

We are happy to announce that the party organized for the children of asylum seekers and refugees here in Cyprus, on Saturday 15 January, 2011 at Acropolis park in Nicosia was a huge success.

More than 50 children attended and had a fantastic time. The excitement and joy they felt was magical. The smiles on their faces as well as the smiles on their parents’ faces were so special to everyone.

We would like to thank the following people and companies for their kind and generous contributions. Without their help, we would not have been able to offer to these children, who have been subjected to extreme conditions in their lives, a few hours of fun.

• The Honourable Mayor of Strovolos Mr Savvas Eliofotos for the “Spilies”
• Get Fresh for their generous donation of sandwiches and jelly & fruit pots
• Pizza Hut for their generous donation of pizzas
• Zorbas Bakeries for their generous donation of snacks
• John’s Box of Surprises for the Bouncy Castles
• Everyone who responded to our request for gifts
• Friends and volunteers of the organization who helped out during the event

Dr. Laouris speaks on Deutche Welle about the technology gap between children and parents

On Tuesday, December 2, 2010, the findings of a Europe-wide study on young people and the internet were released in Berlin. The results were released on a conference organized by the State Media Authority of Rhineland-Palatinate in collaboration with several other organizations including the German Safer Internet Center.
More than 23,000 children and young people between the ages of 9 and 16 were interviewed across 25 European countries by trained psychologists in the context of a pan-European project known as EUKIDSONLINE. The Cyprus Neuroscience & Technology Institute participates in this venture since 2007.

Dr. Laouris, Director of the Cyprus Safer Internet Center and Representative of the EUKIDS network in Cyprus, presented preliminary results of a study that is using the data from these 23,000 questionnaires and which showed that kids experimenting with their selves online are at more risk of being bullied and bullying others on the internet. The study has used completed in collaboration with Dr. Lucian Kirwil from the Institute for Social Studies in Poland.

On an interview conducted by Mrs. Cinnamon Nippard, an Australian journalist working for Deutsche Welle, Dr. Laouris suggested that parents should let their children become their teachers when it comes to technology. This approach would not only facilitate the closing of the technological gap that exists between children and parents, but it will also give them the opportunity to spend some quality time with their kids.
The interview is available at:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6310295,00.html (08.12.2010)

The audio part of the interview is available on line (15.12.2010):
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6326194,00.html (Laouris interview at minute 4).
The New Media Lab of the Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute is currently implementing another research project, which supports very similar conclusions. Inetrisks (available at www.inetRisks.net), funded by the Research Promotion Foundation, has demonstrated that the attitudes of parents as to what constitutes a risk on the internet, change dramatically when they participate in a 6 month-long program that engages them in spending time together with their children in various technology platforms.

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.