Problems and Purpose

The Cyprus Friendship Programme has been established in the Mediterranean state of Cyprus with the aim of bringing two sides of a separated nation together. The conflict between Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots that the Programme looks to overcome can be traced back to the 1950s, when Cyprus was a hotbed of political activity. 

Background History and Context 

In the 1950s opposition to British rule in Cyprus was rife, with Greek-Cypriots craving enosis (unity with Greece) and Turkish-Cypriots pushing for Cyprus to be split into two. Commonly referred to as ‘The Cyprus Problem’, this tension manifested itself in acts of aggression between the Greek nationalist group EOKA and Turkish-Cypriot communities all over the country, in the hope that the resulting social disorder would distract the British troops threatening Greek nationalism[1]. After years of violence, Cyprus was declared an independent state in 1960, but this only lasted three years, with violence once again breaking out between the communities and the constitution thereby collapsing. Conflict now stemmed from a belief that Turkish-Cypriots were given too much power, in the now defunct constitution, in proportion to their relatively small population size[2]. On 15th July 1974 a Greek-Cypriot coup d’état was co-ordinated by the military Junta in Greece and carried out by the Cypriot National Guard, causing the Turkish invasion of Cyprus[3]. The buffer zone initially established by the UN still remains today and with it a lifetime of grudges and stereotypes, despite the fact the border was partially opened in 2003. 

The Cyprus Friendship Programme (CFP) was established in 2009 and was largely based around the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland (CFPNI), a scheme intended to bring together young people from both sides of Ireland. Since its creation the CFP has worked with over 750 teenagers of both Turkish and Greek descent and has plans to work with many more[4]. 

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities 

The Cyprus Friendship Programme was initially started by the non-governmental organisation, HasNa. Since providing key funding for a two year ‘pilot-phase’, HasNa has since taken a step back, with the CFP becoming an independent NGO in 2012. Since gaining independence, the CFP has largely relied on donations from supporters; In fact in 2012 ‘contributions’ were listed as the only source of support and revenue. Since then contributions peaked in 2016 with $219,082 listed, before taking a drop in 2017, with just $147,668 reported (still 86% of its revenue)[5]. Despite this fluctuation, contributions remain the key source of income for the CFP, even though they do not list any fixed donors or sponsors. Other income comes from sources like dividends and unrealised gain. 

Funding aside, as the CFP is closely modelled on the CFPNI, many of the decisions, aims and specific activity programmes had therefore already been designed, leaving mainly the implementation of the Programme to be worked out. One of the Programme’s final aims is to become officially integrated in the schooling system, as at the moment they rely heavily on connections with groups such as youth clubs and teacher unions, because political influence over the schooling system makes it extremely difficult to engage with schools directly[6]. 

Participant Recruitment and Selection

The CFP has specifically aimed itself at Cypriot teens from both communities, who must have at least one Cypriot parent and be between the ages of 15-18. Teenagers wanting to take part must have at least one more year in the Cypriot schooling system after they complete the Programme[7]. 

Those wishing to participate in the US programme are also required to hold a valid passport, of which a copy must be sent to the CFP before an application can be considered. Participants will also need to be able to travel, as a residential trip to the Troodos Mountains is also included. 

Should they meet the initial requirements, the first step in applying to the CFP is for the teens to answer essay questions, which ask for information such as why the applicant wants to apply, what extra-curricular activities they have done and how they plan to represent Cyprus in the US. On completion of these questions, a parent must pay $20 and a teacher must provide a reference as well as copies of any report cards or prizes that the applicant has received. Applications are then reviewed by a team of volunteers made up from both communities, before the teenagers whose applications are successful are invited to an interview[8]. It should also be noted that most of the teens who engage in the Programme come from private high schools[9].

Methods and Tools Used

Know what methods or tools were used? Help us complete this section!

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

The Programme is run by one Greek-Cypriot and one Turkish-Cypriot chief co-ordinator, who lead a group of fellow volunteer co-ordinators tasked with making key decisions affecting the scheme. The majority of the co-ordinators are teachers from public schools in both communities. At the time of writing the co-ordinators are listed on the CFP website as: Georgia Argyrou, Maria Asvesta, Fuat Emirtaneoglu, Simge Kahvecioglu, George Koumandaris, Cise Sakalli and Ionna Skordi[10]. This group is responsible for the everyday running of the Programme, including the organisation and facilitation of the project’s activities and workshops. There are also co-ordinators on the ground in America to facilitate the residential trip to six possible states – New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland, Oregon, California and Hawaii. At the time of writing, these area co-ordinators are listed as: Tom McCarthy, Bo Dean, Tammy and Vern Haas, Becky Stirn and Wendy Acosta, along with transportation co-ordinators Kim Bell and Dianna Cook[11]. 

Students who have participated in the Programme are encouraged to return as volunteers the following year. A Youth Committee is formed by ten of these volunteers – the Committee’s main role is to allocate tasks to other returning teens as well as coming up with any new ideas that can be introduced by the CFP in the future. However, the Youth Committee are also permitted to join in with and help run activities, as other volunteers would[12]. 

Parents whose children have participated in the Programme are also encouraged to get involved, making up the bi-communal Parent Committee, who are tasked with assisting in the organisation of activities, logistics and finance. Although the teenagers are given certain freedoms when it comes to organising activities, the Parent Committee do hold the power when it comes to financial matters.[13] There are also Host Families in America, who house the Cypriot teenagers for their four week stay at their own expense – the CFP do not cover any of the costs that these families incur while caring for their visitors[14]. 

The actual Programme that the CFP offers begins in February, where teens from both communities come together, before forming formal pairs, who stay together during the stay in America. Whilst together, pairs are encouraged to learn about what they have in common, as well as to meet each other’s families. During their American adventure, participants engage in activities such as a team building ropes course, workshops on conflict resolution and the environment as well as community service, in addition to various social events scheduled throughout the four week period. Other camps provided by the CFP include volleyball games, karate instruction, drama workshops, oragami and talent shows along with many more activites. There is also a graduation that takes place in October[15]. 

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

Various other groups have been inspired to form thanks to the CFP. For example, The Cyprus Women’s Association was formed by two women whose daughters met during the Cyprus Friendship Programme. The Association has since launched the project ‘Peace2Peace’, which intends to break down prejudices between Greek and Turkish women all over Cyprus[16]. There are also some groups far more connected to the CFP, such as CFP Parents and Friends Association, who help the Programme to raise funds and organise bi-communal events for adults, not just teenagers[17]. 

Not only do ex-participants of the Programme volunteer for committees, but some of them have formed their own institution – the CFP Alumni Association (CFPAA), created by two members of the class of 2009, Idil Cazimoglu and Thalia Ioannides. Every year the pair invite every ‘CFPer’ to a restaurant in the buffer zone, to discuss how the friendships and respect formed during the Programme can be continued. The CFPAA has also launched their own initiatives, including The United Nations Youth and Student Association in Cyprus[18].

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The Cyprus Friendship Programme has now been running for almost ten years and has no plans to halt its progress. With its sister programme in Northern Ireland – the Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland – running for 20 years, it would seem senseless for the CFP to stop now. Having already worked with over 700 teenagers and their families, the CFP is beginning to make a real difference. In 2015, for example, the UN helped to facilitate negotiations between Turkey and Cyprus for the first time. These talks may have recently fallen through, and it should be noted that at the time of writing there are no plans to pick them up again, but the fact that they occurred at all should not be ignored. These are two communities who hold deep resentment towards each other and organisations such as the CFP should be commended for their work in trying to overcome stereotypes and disrespect. Clearly, with the talks falling though, there is still a long way to go to completely change the opinions of those in charge, but nonetheless the talks in 2015 demonstrate how feelings are evolving for the better. On a side note, it is possible that we will see these talks restart in the near future in order to facilitate Turkey’s wish for access to the European Union.

Such a revolutionary concept in Cyprus would expected to have received a large amount of media coverage, however quite the opposite seems to be true. A quick Google search only turns up a handful of reports on the Programme from both Turkish and Greek media in Cyprus. Although these reports are available, none of them are opinion pieces, rather reporting on the Programme from a neutral point of view, merely stating the facts. One might expect that reports on such a peace oriented organisation would be more enthusiastic, but press outlets such as The Cyprus Mail[19], Phile News[20] and the Detail Newspaper[21] have reported on the scheme without opinion. Fundamentally this is evidence of the scale of the job that the CFP is undertaking – these news reports show the reluctance of normal Cypriot people to engage with ‘the other’ and get over their long-held grudges. However, it is not all negative, the CFP itself promotes the fact that in 2011 it was selected as a finalist for the Intercultural Innovation Award by the United Nations, despite competition from over 400 other groups from 70 nations[22]. 

It is worth noting the fact that teenagers regularly return to volunteer for the Programme, showing they are surely doing something right; if nothing else, the participants clearly enjoy themselves. Also, this acts as an evaluation system, as these volunteers that return are given the ability to change the way the Programme is run and introduce new activities and events. This means that the CFP is always changing for the better and becoming more aligned with what the students want. 

The Cyprus Friendship Programme is also part of a broader process, as in 2018 the CFP joined forces with ‘Jerusalem Peacebuilders’ to transfer the Programme strategy into Israel and Palestine, in the hope that they can have a similar impact on the young people of the Middle Eastern Region[23]. The CFP and the CFPNI have already neatly demonstrated that the Programme can be transferred to different regions, so it is perhaps not unreasonable to expect this latest branch of an already fantastic scheme, to be a success.

See Also

References

[1] Yüksek, D. and Carpenter, N. (2018) ‘Participatory Contact Zones and Conflict Transformation: The Participatory Intensities of the Cyprus Friendship Program’, Conjunctions: Transdisciplinary Journal of Cultural Participation, 5(1), p. 1-21.

[2] Burke, J. (2017) Britain and the Cyprus Crisis of 1074. London: Routledge.

[3] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3035

[4] http://cyprusfriendship.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/CFP-Newsletter-Final-Final.pdf 

[5] http://cyprusfriendship.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FINAL-2017-Financial-Statements-CFP.pdf 

[6] Yüksek, D. and Carpenter, N. (2018) ‘Participatory Contact Zones and Conflict Transformation: The Participatory Intensities of the Cyprus Friendship Program’, Conjunctions: Transdisciplinary Journal of Cultural Participation, 5(1), p. 1-21.

[7] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3042 

[8] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3042

[9] Yüksek, D. and Carpenter, N. (2018) ‘Participatory Contact Zones and Conflict Transformation: The Participatory Intensities of the Cyprus Friendship Program’, Conjunctions: Transdisciplinary Journal of Cultural Participation, 5(1), p. 1-21.

[10] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=2578 

[11] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3064 

[12] Yüksek, D. and Carpenter, N. (2018) ‘Participatory Contact Zones and Conflict Transformation: The Participatory Intensities of the Cyprus Friendship Program’, Conjunctions: Transdisciplinary Journal of Cultural Participation, 5(1), p. 1-21.

[13] Yüksek, D. and Carpenter, N. (2018) ‘Participatory Contact Zones and Conflict Transformation: The Participatory Intensities of the Cyprus Friendship Program’, Conjunctions: Transdisciplinary Journal of Cultural Participation, 5(1), p. 1-21.

[14] https://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3033 

[15] http://cyprusfriendship.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2018-TEEN-FAMILY-HANDBOOK.pdf 

[16] https://cyprus-mail.com/2016/08/05/yarn-bombing-peace-friendship-across-divide/ 

[17] http://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=2601 

[18] http://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3448 

[19] https://cyprus-mail.com/2017/07/01/600-cypriot-youths-attend-bi-communal-us-visits-far/ 

[20] http://www.philenews.com/eidiseis/topika/article/491594/kalokairines-kataskinoseis-ga-kyprioys-mathites 

[21] http://www.detaykibris.com/kibrisli-turk-ve-rum-gencleri-abdde-4-hafta-gecirecek-159839h.htm 

[22] http://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=3050 

[23] https://friendships4peace.org/jerusalem-friendship-program/ 

External Links

http://cyprusfriendship.org/

https://friendships4peace.org/

Notes