AR 2006/Activities

Extending EU Citizenship to the Eastern End of Europe http://www.eucitizenship.net

“Extending EU Citizenship to the Eastern End of Europe,” was inaugurated on the 1st of January 2006 and concluded on the 31st of December 2006. Lead Agency is the Future Worlds Center and although most activities focus on the Cyprus reality, the tools and methodologies are tested and disseminated in Denmark, Belgium, as well as in the Southern Eastern end of Europe (Turkey, Palestine, Lebanon). The project responds to the strong need for EU citizenship awareness, especially in the new member states. The proposed awareness activities make use of printed and electronic information material (distributed to relevant bodies as well as to the wide public), workshops (offered to special target groups), panel discussions (for the public) and live Radio/TV programs. The need for relevant, accurate, immediate and easy-to-access information is satisfied using an innovative communication tool, an automated call-answer centre (ACC). The ACC responds on an easy-to-remember, widely publicized toll-free telephone number. It offers a tree-structured number of layered responses. Training in topics relevant to EU Citizenship has been delivered to specialized groups such as: lawyers, teachers, activists, school counsellors, civil servant etc. Curriculum units for high schools focusing on selected fundamental human rights have been developed and will be submitted to the Ministry of Education for inclusion in their regular curriculum. The project has received funding from the EC, DG JLS.

Strengthening Asylum for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Cyprus

The Future Worlds Center is the implementing partner of a UNHCR project, which aims at supporting asylum seekers and refugees throughout their legal procedures. The applicant offers free legal advice to asylum seekers and refugees. Funded by UNHCR.

CyberEthics http://www.cyberethics.info

The Future Worlds Center has established the Safer Internet Awareness Node as member of the Insafe European network. Partners are the University of Cyprus, the Family Planning, the Olive Branch Foundation (Turkish Cypriot NGO), the Cyprus Youth Council and the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. The primary objective is to implement a strong campaign, under the acronym “CyberEthics” concerning the safe use of Internet in Cyprus, which will serve the needs of all people that live on the island (i.e., also Turkish Cypriots and other minorities) and address not only issues of pornography, but also racism (currently on the rise in Cyprus), gender discrimination and inappropriate use of peoples’ images. The second objective is to engage in the process actors from the government and the civil society, thus contributing towards the eradication of cyber crime through informed actions of European citizens and public institutions that aim to change behaviours, mentality and attitudes, giving special emphasis to rural and less developed areas of the country.

I.S.O.L.A. http://www.isolaproject.org

The Future Worlds Center is an implementing partner of the project entitled: ‘Innovative Strategies and Opportunities for Less Favoured Areas’, with the lead agency being Cultural Association of ORIENTARE in Cagliari/ Italy. The main aims of the project are to involve Youth from Less Favoured Areas in Trainings and Actions that will strengthen their social skills, their qualifications for their professional careers, and that will help disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union. The Local Coordinator of the organisation attended a 5-day Training on the Youth Programme, Project development and management skills for working in multilateral teams in Cagliari/ Italy.

Peaceful Europe http://www.peacefuleurope.info

The Future Worlds Center acts as an implementing partner of the project entitled ‘Peaceful Europe’, with the lead agency being the Municipality of Senigalia/ Italy. The project includes the development of an educational curriculum on Peace, as well as local and international workshops and seminars for citizens of all ages. The organisation will implement workshops for primary school children and their parents, for high school students, and for elders – the objective of the workshops in all cases being intercultural dialogue and peace. A group of 12 young citizens will take part in a 5-day international event in Italy in May 2007.

Unit for the Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture http://www.urvt.org

The Unit for Rehabilitation for Victims of Torture is a project funded by the European Refugee Fund and the Asylum Service of Ministry of Interior. This project has been initiated by the Future Worlds Center and it will be registered as a spin off organization. The aim of this project is to create awareness and education on victims of torture, into the already available services in Cyprus dealing with asylum seekers and refugees and to create a unit for their rehabilitation. This unit assists victims of torture by providing multidisciplinary treatment and rehabilitation services, and raises public awareness of issues concerning torture and rehabilitation. It consists of a social worker, a medical doctor, a psychologist, a secretary, and a coordinator.

Everybody’s song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding http://www.everybodys-song.net

The Future Worlds Center developed and coordinates this international youth project which started in December 2006 and runs until May 2008. Its general aim is to reflect on the role of music in intercultural understanding and to identify ways on how to utilise it in youth work. It involves youth organisations from five different South East European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, FYR Macedonia, Greece and Serbia. Main activities:

• international contact making seminar and training in FYR Macedonia
• country-specific activities: workshops, intercultural music events and productions, awareness raising activities
• international youth art camp in Serbia
• international youth exchanges in Greece and FYR Macedonia
• movie screenings and panel discussions in FYR Macedonia and Cyprus
• online platform
• final international seminar in Cyprus
• website with contents in seven different languages (Albanian, Bulgarian, English, Greek, Macedonian, Serbian and Turkish)
• multimedia CD-ROM (DVD)
• documentation booklet

Establishing an island-wide development NGO platform in Cyprus http://www.cyprusngdos.org

As one of the 5 founding members, the Future Worlds Center was strongly involved in creating an island-wide platform for NGOs active in issues related to development, and NGOs that aspire to assume a more active role in this area. Cyprus was the last EU country to establish a national NGDO platform and the applicant has played an instrumental role in materializing this goal. The creation of the platform has been supported and facilitated by CONCORD (http://www.concordeurope.org) and TRIALOG (http://www.trialog.or.at). Members of the organisation have participated in study visits to Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava, in coordination with TRIALOG organised a conference on Development with speakers from the European Commission (EuropeAid) and the Maltese platform, hand have participated in numerous other European events. (DEEEP Summer School on Sports and Development; DE Meeting in Helsinki, Development Education Partnership Fair in Vienna, Development Education Training for the new Call for Proposals in Warsaw). The Future Worlds Center is the Cypriot representative to the Development Education Forum of DEEEP (http://www.deeep.org).

Talk of the Island http://www.talkoftheisland.org

Talk of the Island is the first bi-communal radio programme on the island of Cyprus. It wants to promote a culture of peace and to display balanced news reporting by informing all island communities about local issues and events that are not typically covered by the current media. The show also provides a forum for open, island-wide dialogue and direct communication about on-going issues. Talk of the Island aspires to be instrumental in providing a vehicle for all Cypriots who share a vision for the future and that of a unified Cyprus. Talk of the Island started broadcasting in October 2005. The program is implemented by two skilled producers working together, one from northern Cyprus and one from southern Cyprus. It is broadcasted weekly in both parts of Cyprus. Talk of the Island is also broadcasted online at http://www.talkoftheisland.org.

Tech4Peace http://www.tech4peace.org

Technology For Peace develops theory on how technology can and must be used in the service of peace. More specifically, originally as a project and for the past two years as self sustaining unit within the organization, Tech4Peace develops educationally relevant and socially responsible IT & Mobile-based curriculum. Through its Development Education program, it aims to internationally promote the use of technology as a means to bridge the various divides on our planet – the digital, cultural, economic, literacy, gender and people with disabilities. The initial purpose of the project was to design and develop a comprehensive virtual infrastructure for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot peace-promoting individuals and groups and indirectly support their activities by introducing an Information Technology dimension to their work. Furthermore, the project aimed to become the central reference, information and meeting point, which will be providing different types of support, information, ideas and inspiration to the various peace building initiatives both in Cyprus and overseas. Although located in Cyprus, it has an international scope.

SteLLLa http://www.stellla.eu

SteLLLa “Stimulation of eLearning for Life Long Learning for adults”, is a partnership of 7 European partners from Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain supported by the EU Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and sub-programme GRUNDTVIG. Life long learning will be a key factor for the professional, personal and social success of adults in tomorrows’ society. It is the ambitious aim of steLLLa to develop a generic method for autonomous learning for adults that can be implemented in the training courses of various professions. Starting from concrete eLearning tasks; trainers, learners and the partner institutions will create new good practice examples for several domains. Adult learners will be involved in the test settings. The project will promote these new eLearning techniques to enhance the Life Long Learning opportunities for adults. Via transnational meetings and discussions with trainers, learners and specialists, via conferences (life and video), the eLearning platform and our website, we will optimize and promote this eLearning method as a stimulating factor in the open and distance learning for adults.

Cost 219ter

The Future Worlds Center serves as the National Contact Point in the European network COST Action 219ter: Accessibility for All to Services and Terminals for Next Generation Networks. The Action merges the new mobile technologies to a humanitarian angle, aspiring to the day which new mobile technologies will be accessible and beneficial to all. Driving principle of the action is that the latest mobile systems will provide the opportunity for building a more inclusive telecommunications arena. The applicant has recently organized a European conference in Cyprus (http://www.cnti.org.cy/cost219) and is co-authoring a book chapter in a Cost219ter book publication.