Best Practices
#1 - Home for Cooperation
The Home for Cooperation was established by the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research. Officially opened in 2011, the Home for Cooperation is a unique community centre located in the middle of the dividing lines in Cyprus, in the Ledra Palace area, UN Buffer Zone, Nicosia. Today the Home for Cooperation has become a landmark building in Nicosia, acting as a bridge-builder between separated communities, memories and visions through its physical presence and its peacebuilding programs benefiting from the transformative power of arts and culture.
The Home for Cooperation provides working spaces and opportunities for non-governmental organisations and individuals to design and implement innovative projects. It facilitates situations for people to get together and to get to know each other. As a unique venue, The Home, hosts an extensive variety of cultural, artistic, and educational programs and activities with the aim to foster creativity and intercultural trust in Cyprus and internationally.
The Home for Cooperation aims:
• to facilitate and offer a space for initiatives that contribute to promoting communication and interaction between people from different ethnic, religious, or linguistic backgrounds at a local, regional, European, and international level
• to inspire and promote creativity among local and international artists
• to become a platform for cultural expression through diverse mediums
• to offer its resources to support cultural and educational activities that promote interaction, dialogue and freedom of thinking and expression.
Home for Cooperation is an inter-communal hub dedicated to peacebuilding, a building that has gone through decades of division to now stand as a bridge-builder with its own story to tell. Home for Cooperation acts as a bridge-builder, bringing people together to share, exchange, and create new memories and experiences through its physical presence and its peacebuilding programs, benefiting from the transformative power of arts and culture. It is run by a group of people coming from both communities, enhancing as such the notion of unity, common history and common future.
#2 - DARE CYPRUS – Day One for Civil Society in Cyprus
The project is aiming at two Outcomes, namely:
Increased Citizen Participation in Civic Activities and Enhanced Capacity and Sustainability of Civil Society in Cyprus The project targets Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and individuals in both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. The project targets all CSOs, but it will focus on Civil Society Organisations in the fields of Youth, Gender Equality, Environment, and Health. During the project, the CSOs will have the opportunity to receive training and mentoring on topics such as:
• Human Resource Management in Voluntary Projects and (European) Citizens’ Initiatives
• Online Campaigns and Petitions
• Validation of non-formal Learning with Open Badges
• Stakeholder Dialogue
DARE CYPRUS project focuses on increasing the participation of citizens in the civil society field in Cyprus and involves both communities. It has created an online learning platform with courses specialised in HR Management in Volunteering Projects, How to organise online campaigns and petitions, how to validate non-formal knowledge and how to engage stakeholders in civic society activities effectively. DARE CYPRUS is connected to CSO Admin project as they both have the same target audience, same scope and aims.
#3 - For Stronger CSOs: Advocacy and capacity building for the empowerment of CSOs
To improve the operational environment for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and to encourage the creation of a more enabling environment for them. The project focuses on the implementation of Law 104(I)/2017 on Associations, Foundations, Federations and Unions of Organisations, as well as the practices implemented in relation to the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules.
Main actions of the project:
• A survey of the challenges faced by CSOs in relation to the above-mentioned provisions.
• Raising awareness about international standards on CSO management, as well as best practices regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, and how these can be implemented in accordance with international obligations.
• Building capacity for CSOs to be better able to cope with the administrative and financial requirements.
• Producing a set of recommendations that, if implemented, will contribute to a more constructive communication and collaboration between CSOs and public authorities.
• Awareness-raising campaigns: “10 Myths and Facts about Non-Governmental Organisations” | Video “A glimpse into the world of NGOs in Cyprus”
A number of CSOs, including various umbrella CSOs as collaborators, as well as groups that may not have a legal entity, are engaged in the needs assessment and capacity-building activities. Through a series of awareness-raising activities addressed to the general public, the project shed light on the role of CSOs in society. In addition, the project will reach key relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, members of the House of Representatives, and the Central Bank of Cyprus, to increase their awareness regarding current challenges faced by CSOs and how to create a more enabling environment for them.
The project shed light on the role of CSOs in Cypriot society. It is connected to CSO Admin, as it shows our target group what the role of CSOs in a community is and how they can support government initiatives or they can initiate interventions when bureaucracy is making things go slow.
#4 - CAN-CY - Civic Action Now in Cyprus
Civic Action Now in Cyprus (CAN-CY), by Future Worlds Center (FWC) and the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD), aspires to improve inclusion and meaningful participation of youth in socio-political and economic life. CAN-CY responds to key objectives of the Call: “empowering vulnerable groups” (Outcome 2) and “enhancing capacity and sustainability of civil society” (Outcome 3). Implementation is conducted in 7 phases:
1. An online campaign will run on Pusula/Ππούσουλας for approximately 3 months, inviting youth across the island to share their ideas on:
• How to overcome socio-political and economic obstacles inhibiting them from being active citizens (e.g., equal access to services, practising human rights, growth opportunities, economic challenges etc.)
• Interventions/actions (e.g. policies, regulations, reforms, etc.), which if adopted, could contribute towards addressing these obstacles.
2.The top 50 most supported ideas on Pusula/Ππούσουλας will be transferred to Idea Prism App through which their authors will be supported to turn their ideas into S.M.A.R.T.er proposals (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Relevant, Time-bounded).
3. The general public will be invited to evaluate ideas for Impact, Feasibility, and Probability of happening without intervention, by scoring ideas from 1-5 through Idea Prism. The scores will allow us to identify the top 25 proposals that are most promising to act upon.
4. The authors of the top 25 proposals will be invited to participate in a face-to-face event based on a Structured Democratic Dialogue Process (SDDP) to structure their proposals into an Influence Map. The event will be broadcasted live on social media to allow the general public to ask questions or post comments.
5. The project will integrate the results of phase 3 and 4 to produce an effective action-road-map. The action-road-map will be widely disseminated to generate public awareness and mobilize youth action. F2F and online meetings will be organized to discuss how to take concrete steps towards the implementation of the action-road-map and identify the relevant policy makers for its implementation.
6. Mentorship and life-skills trainings will be delivered to support those interested in taking the lead to lobby towards implementation of the action-road-map.
7. All contributors and the wider public will be invited to evaluate the Project’s activities. The survey results and project deliverables will be consolidated into a Policy Recommendation Report and disseminated to identified target groups.
Civic Action Now in Cyprus is a tangible example of youth engagement in civil society as it involves youth in drafting their own projects about civil society and democratic dialogue.
#5 - Education for a Culture of Peace – ‘IMAGINE’
Imagine’ is an Educational Program on Anti-racism Education/ Education for a Culture of Peace launched in October 2017, after many months of effort and with the agreement of the leaders of the two communities on the island. As of 2022, 6117 students, accompanied by 714 teachers, were trained in the Imagine Project. Another 518 teachers were trained in Peace Education both mono-communally and bi-communally, and another 92 head teachers participated in the ‘Imagine’ Head Teachers conference.
The program aims to increase contact between the two communities in Cyprus and promotes peace, understanding and anti-racism on the island in the context of a holistic understanding of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence inspired by UN documents, resolutions and plans of action. The program also aims to decentralize and reach rural areas on the island, which have fewer opportunities to engage in activities that bring members of the two communities together. Participation in the project is completely voluntary and free of charge. The project is based on a step-by-step approach, and the methodology employed in the workshops is adapted to different age groups and educational levels.
Initially, our trainers visit classes interested in participating in the bi-communal activities, create safe spaces for discussion about stereotypes, discrimination, and racism as components of the prevailing culture of violence, and facilitate experiential activities exploring these concepts. An important aspect of this activity is also to prepare students for contact with fellow students from the other community. In a second stage, classes from the two communities are paired and asked to choose between two options of activities at the Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone: 1. “Visit at the Home for Cooperation and Anti-racist Workshop”, where students in mixed groups engage in experiential activities related to anti-racism under the umbrella of Education for a Culture of Peace; or 2. Sports activities with NGO Peace Players Cyprus, where students develop skills for teamwork, tolerance and trust through sports activities.
Imagine is a project developed to bring the two communities of Cyprus together in their effort to battle racism and promote peace. Imagine involves youth from both communities and their teachers, taking into consideration that through education, peace and co-habitation in harmony must be cultivated early.
#6 - CYPRUS DIALOGUE FORUM
The Cyprus Dialogue Forum is a non-formal dialogue that aims to support and complement the formal peace process in Cyprus. It is a safe space for broad based participation and knowledge sharing that has been created to act as an accompanying mechanism to the formal peace process. In the Forum, the organisations work together to support change through the creation of joint visions, options and consensus-building instruments through the development of common understandings and shared knowledge resources.
On the 12th March 2015, the member organisations publicly announced the creation of the Cyprus Dialogue Forum in a Common Declaration (English / Türkçe / Greek-Ελληνικά). The Forum consists of organisations from Political Parties, Trade Unions, Business and Professional Associations and Non-Governmental Organisations from the two communities.
The Cyprus Dialogue Forum is established on two main pillars: the Dialogue and the Support Structures. The Dialogue Structure composes of the Plenary, Segments and Task Groups. The Support Structure composes of the Implementing Committee and the Secretariat.
The CDF was created as a space for citizens to raise and address issues that are not included in the formal political process and creates a safe space for dialogue which upholds the values of respect and tolerance, trust, pluralism, freedom of speech and transparency. CDF is a great example of citizens and organisations cooperation in civic engagement on an issue (the negotiations for the political solution for Cyprus) that is daily effecting the lives of both communities.
#7 - Building a robust and democratic civic space
The programme ‘Building a robust and democratic civic space’ (BUILD) aims to protect, promote and raise awareness of EU fundamental rights & values by supporting civil society organisations (CSOs) in Greece & Cyprus and by increasing their capacity and sustainability. BUILD will launch two open calls for funding, making €2.3 million in grants available to civil society, with the aim of funding approximately 40 projects in Greece and 10 in Cyprus. The calls seek to provide financial support for organisations involved in activities promoting awareness-raising around such themes as EU rights & values, civic participation, advocacy, rule of law, support to vulnerable groups and the exchange of know-how between CSOs across Europe. The main beneficiaries of the programme will be CSOs, but its activities will also involve policymakers, media, civil servants, teachers and vulnerable groups, as well as the general public.
BUILD will also provide an integrated capacity building programme, tailored to the needs of CSOs in Greece and Cyprus, in order to support their organisational development and sustainability. This is part of the overall aim of helping to build a robust and democratic civic space in Europe.
BUILD is a programme that focuses on CSOs in Cyprus and Greece. The integrated capacity building programme will help CSOs to enhance their knowledge and skills about operational and functional issues, as well as about their sustainability in the future.
#8 - PLACE in Cyprus
The project is a collaborative effort between the Civil Society Initiative Association (SiTi) and the NGO Support Centre (NGO SC) and is funded by the European Union under the Civil Society in Action VIII Grant Programme within the framework of the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. The project aims at empowering Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Initiatives across Cyprus to take a more active role in decision making processes by providing advocacy training and advocacy coaching and fostering cross-communal cooperation.
Through its diverse activities, the project endeavours to empower individuals and organisations, strengthen community networks, and promote a sense of belonging and shared responsibility for building a better future in Cyprus.
The “PLACE in Cyprus” project has been meticulously designed to enhance the advocacy capacity of CSO staff, members, or volunteers, promote dialogue, and encourage collaborative efforts among CSOs from diverse fields of work across the divide. The project’s journey begins with a comprehensive Advocacy Academy that spans over four months. Through a series of four modules, implemented in overall 8 days, participants will engage in immersive training sessions, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to effectively advocate for change. These modules will cover various aspects of advocacy, strategic communication, and engagement with policymakers. The Advocacy Academy promises to be an enlightening and empowering experience.
Establishing an Advocacy Hub, PLACE in Cyprus aims to strengthen advocacy actions and increase cross-communal collaborations between CSOs while improving the capacity of beneficiary CSOs for strategic advocacy. A practical and sustainable advocacy hub and help desk will be created as an element of the Advocacy Hub for CSOs in PLACE. Under the Advocacy Hub, there will be face-to-face meetings, online meetings, hybrid meetings and webinars, and social media campaigns for announcements. Cross-communal Partnerships will also have the opportunity to create a joint advocacy project and implement the project through a small grants programme while going through a tailored advocacy coaching.
The PEACE in Cyprus project provides advocacy training to CSOs to support their effort in having a more significant and impactful role in the civil society of both communities of the island. Advocacy is an essential skill CSOs need to have to empower and enhance their role as community players.
#9 - Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme
The project Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme was implemented by the NGO Support Centre, in co-operation with INTRAC (UK), International NGO Training and Research Centre, and the Management Centre of the Mediterranean (Cyprus). The project was funded by UNDP – ACT.
Aims and purposes
The project was developed to strengthen the capacity of NGOs in Cyprus and its main objectives were: to strengthen the role of civil society as a crucial actor in deepening citizen dialogue within and across communities and participation in decisions affecting the island’s development; to develop sustainable local capacity building to support the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities; to enhance skills of individual trainers, leaders, staff and volunteers to improve understanding and practice; to promote a stronger Cypriot civil society by enriching knowledge and skills of individual consultants and organisations in designing, planning and managing their own organisation development processes.
Main activities and products
The project evolved around the following activities: open training courses for CSOs developed to promote participatory learning by exploring a combination of conceptual and practical issues; tailor-made technical assistance for CSOs that provide capacity-building for example in the areas of organisational development, monitoring and evaluation, systems development.
This project aimed at strengthening the role and operations of CSOs in Cyprus, which is one of the objectives of CSO Admin too. Also, it included both communities of the island, making it clear that a common civic space needs to be supported.
#10 - Learn! Improve! Transform! – Capacity Building Toolkit for CSOs (2022)
This toolkit has been developed by the Cyprus Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation, following the implementation of a series of workshops that aimed to support the building of capacities for staff, volunteers, and members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The toolkit comprises the methodology, aims and main activities of six workshops covering the following areas: communication, leadership, positive peace, crisis management, advocacy and CSO management. This publication comprises the methodology, aims and main activities of these workshops with the objective of providing support to CSOs in Cyprus and abroad to strengthen the capacity of their staff, volunteers, and members in the following areas: communication, leadership, positive peace, crisis management, advocacy, and CSO management.
The toolkit includes training material for the following topics:
– Telling your story
– Inspiring leadership
– Building positive peace
– Crisis management for trainers and youth workers
– Management of an NGO and compliance with the legal and regulatory framework
– Introduction to advocacy for NGOs
The above topics are all relevant with the operation and management of a CSO and are closely related to the courses of CSO Admin.