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Larry Fergeson joined Future Worlds Center in 2005 for a year as an intern from the MS Conflict Resolution graduate program at the Portland State University, a student of Prof. Harry Anastasiou. Upon his second return to Cyprus in 2007 he assumed initially responsibilities in Program Quality and as a Fundraising Coordinator and subsequently as Project Coordinator of UCYVROK - Uniting for Citizenship and Participation and New Media Landscape projects. In 2009 he became the Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Unit.
In June 2010, Larry moved to Cyprus Community Media Centre where he serves to the present day as its General Manager.
Early life at Future Worlds Center
Upon joining Future Worlds Center, Larry started writing EU, UN and other international body grant applications with the assistance of his mentor Yiannis Laouris. He was also involved in drafting project reports and academic papers. Larry helped to secure international funding for civil society building, media, human rights/social justice and global development projects, was responsible for program design, monitoring and evaluation, communication/visibility strategies and budgets in accordance with organizational strategic plan, promoted synergy and coordination in project design, monitoring and evaluation among the organization’s focus sectors/themes of media, social justice and development and enhanced program quality and impact by ensuring effective program design to achieve scalability and sustainability. Larry provided oversight of proposal development, monitoring and evaluation ensuring lessons learned applied to project revisions and new project designs to improve program quality and identification of possible funding options while also creating detailed project plans including needs assessment, stakeholder analysis, problem and objectives assessment, logical framework, indicators for implementation, project activities, implementation and monitoring and evaluation indicators, impact assessment, sustainability analysis and budget development. Additionally, he managed the projects called UCYVROK - Uniting for Citizenship and Participation, New Media Landscape and assisted with the project Youth Ambassadors for Millennium Development Goals.
In 2009 Larry became the Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Unit with overall personnel management, communications and financial administration of a major department that directly responds to the needs of vulnerable populations with direct services. He also designed and implemented communication/visibility strategies, advocacy and awareness raising campaigns on Human Rights and Social Justice issues for stakeholders and the general public. He was responsible for the management, advocacy and communications for the “Human Rights and Reconciliation – Act Beyond Borders funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, with actions taking place in Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Cyprus funded project Strengthening Asylum which provided legal aid and social support to asylum seekers and refugees in Cyprus, the United Nations Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture UNVFVT project Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (URVT)” which offered services and rehabilitation to asylum seekers and refugees in Cyprus who were victims of torture and he helped coordinate the Research Promotion Foundation (Cyprus) funded research project “Inclusion/Exclusion of Refugees in Cypriot Society”
Current Achievements
Since 2011, Larry is the General Manager of the Cyprus Community Media Centre. More important is the fact that Larry was instrumental both for the creation as well as for the expansion of the Cyprus Community Media Centre because he was the project leader in writing the application for its creation but also during the past few years he managed to raise over a million euro to expand the operations. He is professional Project Manager for the United Nations Development Programme - Action for Cooperation and Trust and also elected Secretary of the Board of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE)
Short Bio
A dynamic, versatile and highly motivated project manager, media expert and fundraising coordinator with extensive experience of working for development organizations, aid agencies and the media. Well-organized and solutions-focused with excellent communication and leadership skills. Possesses the drive, passion and commitment to meet challenging targets, develop complex programs and achieve strategic goals under pressure.
Larry’s areas of interest include media ethics, conflict resolution, civil society capacity building, democratic dialogue processes, development education and uniting youth in constructive ways. His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism from Texas State University and graduate studies in conflict resolution at Portland State University, both in the United States. Additionally, he also acts as a media consultant/expert, radio programme producer and television presenter.