Cyprus Friendship Programme, an organization of volunteers cooperating from both the north and south sides of Cyprus, and the Cyprus Friendship Program, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the United States, share the mission to promote peace and understanding in Cyprus by bringing together teenagers from both sides of the divide with future leadership potential, encouraging lifelong friendships among them, and extending these friendships to their friends and families.

CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

Cyprus Friendship Program

Graduation 2013: Five Years of Peacebuilding plus…

October 13th brought over 500 people together to celebrate the completion of CFP’s fifth year. We had a lot to celebrate! As a group, we have accomplished five years of bringing teens and their families and friends together from opposites sides of the divide, five years of peacebuilding and leadership training for the Cypriot youth, five years of raising public awareness that many Cypriots want to move forward – not forgetting, but refusing to let the past hinder a future that allows all Cypriots to work together.

As a program, we have had many new successes in just this year alone. Our DC group has successfully expanded into two distinct groups in Virginia and Maryland and we are happy to announce the addition of Michigan as a new area for next summer. For the first year, teens, who were unable to participate in the U.S. part of the program, were able to attend a week-long camp in Cyprus at the end of July. And, finally, perhaps most dramatically, a potential tragedy – one pair of girls unexpectedly not being able to travel to Portland – resulted in more peacebuilding than we could ever have anticipated. The Cyprus Friendship Program/Programme has moved from the beginning phase of a new organization to a more finely tuned program. Our Cyprus Friendship family has not only grown but solidified as an effective team of international citizens concerned and committed to building peace in our world. There are many ways to participate in this amazing movement – check out our website to see where you might fit in!

www.cyprusfriendship.org

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CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

Our First Bi-Communal Camp

In July 2013, forty two teens from the two communities of Cyprus attended CFP’s first summer camp at the village of Ayios Nicolaos in the Troodos Mountains. This camp provides an opportunity for Cypriot teens who are interested in developing skills for building peace in Cyprus, but may not be able to participate in the month-long U.S. residency program. This first group of camp teens were welcomed and included in the October CFP graduation ceremony. One of the main peace building activities was 'The Walk of History' that explored the different ways in which history is being viewed in the two communities and how negative stereotypes of each other are created. At the end of this session, one of the coordinators shared a story that started during the war in 1974. There is a video of this story on youtube that became a means of forgiveness and reconciliation and made the CFP motto 'People United in A Country Divided' a living reality for everyone present. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXfMP-ZZR8

The camp and all activities in Cyprus are organized and run by the volunteers of Cyprus Friendship Programme and funded by the participants.

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CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

From Disappointment to Opportunity July 3,rd Simone, paired with Sila, was denied a boarding pass to fly to Portland, OR for the U.S. residency portion of CFP. While the other 5 pairs took off for their month of peacebuilding in the U.S., Simone and Sila remained behind. This marks the beginning of CFP’s most dramatic success story of the summer. For ten days, the girls and their families remained together, first in Larnaca to be near the airport, then Kyrenia at Sila’s home. Refusing to unpack their bags, the girls (and their parents) lived by their phones and computers while the CFP Coordinators wrestled with the systems blocking Simone’s entrance. On the 11th day, with no foreseeable answer from U.S. Homeland Security’s block, the decision was made to postpone the girls’ trip until next summer.

During this tense time, the girls and their families bonded so intensely that they now call themselves family. Christiana and Nilgun, mothers of Simone and Sila, despite the physical distance between their towns (Kyrenia in the far north and Paphos in the southwest) see each other regularly. They often all meet in Nicosia for dinner. But even more stunning, the opportunity provided by CFP inspired them to find other ways to bring Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots together. The two women have founded the Cyprus Friendship Women’s Association, (found on FaceBook) and through Christiana’s shop, they are “crocheting peace by peace our island’s reunification.”

Not to be outdone by their mothers, Simone and Sila participated in CFP’s first weeklong bi-communal camp. The two of them have met each other’s friends and are integrated into each other’s lives. And each in their own way, they are continuing their peace work. Simone hosted a Peace of Cake bake sale at her school on December 7th and challenged other CFPers to do the same. To read more about their experience in Sila’s words, visit Kypris, a bi-communal paper founded by CFP alumni. http://www.kyprisnews.com/2013/07/30/my-july-story/%23more-2967

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CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

Some Highlights from the Summer…. We had 58 teens in the United States this summer in five different regions: New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and Oregon. Each group in all the areas has a set of workshops: teambuilding, conflict resolution, an environmental workshop and community service. While the focus of the workshops are the same in each area, each group of teens experience the individual essence of their region. Here are some of the highlights from some of the areas.

In New Hampshire, six pairs of teens participated in a public art project as part of a larger community service project to raise awareness to the needs of Keene’s homeless population and 100 Nights, the local transitional shelter. Mentored by artists Hari Kirin Khalsa and Heather Stockwell, they learned the technique of creating mud murals and spent a week designing, mudding and talking about the everyday work of building peace. For more photos and information about the project, visit the CFP website: http://cyprusfriendship.org/?page_id=2533

Four pairs in Atlanta travelled to Camp Evergreen, an overnight camp where they worked on their teambuilding skills.

In the Oregon/SW Washington area, CFP teens spent a weekend with the Native American people of the Confederated Tribes of Warms Springs on their land and in their community. A special hike guided by Warm Springs youth and elders to a pristine Alpine Lake, an afternoon of stories by the Warm Springs elders and a gift exchange between our CFP teens and tribal members, provided a weekend of cultural discovery and understanding for all involved.

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CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

Reflections from 2013 CFP Teens Costas … Absolutely unexpected: the sense of ignorance when leaving Cyprus compared with the abundance of knowledge acquired and memories peacefully created during our month in the United States! It goes without saying that the people we met, who are simply paragons of magnanimity, had a colossal impact on the invigoration of our relationship with the other teenagers, as well as our mutual understanding and respect. We have grown so fond of each other, and I am certain that the memories will last forever. The remarkable activities of the program in the U.S. were beyond enjoyable and eye-opening. I feel blessed to have had this chance to participate in such a program and am utterly grateful to have met such intellectual and ambitious people. Costas on right with his partner, Volkan, and host Laurie Lubsen, in front of their art installation in Virginia.

Kyprianos ... A month of our lives that can’t be explained with words, a month that even if others experience in the years to follow, won’t be the

same as ours. Moments that we will never forget – painting, swimming, laughing, screaming, playing, traveling ... living! And all these with some of the

most amazing people I have ever met. This opportunity gave us a whole new family who will always be in our hearts, a family, that even if about 5,682.9 miles keep us apart, our shared memories keep us together. A month was an experience, but friendship is for life, regardless of differences like religion and language or even history try to keep us apart. Because these are the things which really bond us tightly together. Because I know that some point in history, our grandparents lived together, and who says that can’t be done again? Kyprianos, above, with partner Volkan

Fatma & Maria’s Poem A friend I found in a Cypriot just like me, A friend I'd never have otherwise got the chance to see, We found each other just over the green line, She’s now that funny sister of mine, We stayed up all night to talk and share, We had fun, We learned, We became a close pair, We spent the best month of our lives together, And as we got closer to one another, We realized that this friendship will truly last FOREVER, An experience enriched with amazing stories, They say a picture is worth a thousand words, To us this picture is worth a thousand memories.

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CFP Newsletter Winter 2013

(Reflections, cont’d.)

Maria on the CFP graduation … In a day’s time you can alter not only a whole person’s life, but a whole country’s history. A day can arouse a mixture of emotions, pride in searching for a resolution, love for the people you’ve met through the process and confidence in the impending change. Well that day, the CFP teens went up on stage and shared their talents, expressed their stories and spoke from the heart…. A lot of work was required to bring together this amazing, beautiful and inspiring performance! Families came together from both communities for this event. Looking back at the first time I met everyone I saw a massive change in everyone’s state of mind and approach. Everyone had matured yet stayed their same teenage self; there was a sentimental beautiful atmosphere. The buzz kept echoing for hours after the graduation itself, teenagers, coordinators and parents truly treasured this precious moment. This is not where the journey to peace stops, it cannot be. Our hopefulness, inspiration and motivation give us the determination to succeed.

Welcome to the CFP Family! Patsy Lovely and Karla Janing are our newest members in the CFP Family. Both women were on vacation together in Larnaca when they met a father whose teen had participated in the CFP program. Seeing their interest, the father immediately called Nicos Anastasiou, the principal Greek Cypriot Coordinator, and they arranged to meet in the lobby of their hotel. Two months later, both women signed on to serve our newest US Coordinators in Michigan. This is just one more example of how simple interactions can grow into meaningful moments.

CFP’s 1st Online Fundraising Campaign Using the Indiegogo platform, CFP recently concluded its first online fundraising campaign with significant results. In addition to raising $5,756 - enough to fund three CFP teens next summer - we gathered a group of over 260 followers on the new CFP FaceBook page, with more joining every day. In addition, the CFP community clearly rallied to spread the word, as 559 viewers from 62 countries visited the campaign web site. We will do another online campaign in the spring.

Thank you, thank you, thank you …

Here is a shortened list of the viewers:

Country New Visits Country

New Visits

United States 221 Brazil 3

Cyprus 104 Croatia 3

Pakistan 28 Indonesia 3 United Kingdom 25 Israel 3

Turkey 21 Philippines 3

Greece 18 Uruguay 2

Canada 12 Japan 2

Germany 9 South Korea 2

India 9 Romania 2

Australia 8 Singapore 2

Hungary 6 Slovenia 2

Italy 6 Vietnam 2

(not set) 6 29 countries 1

Mexico 5

Switzerland 3

France 4

Russia 4

Sweden 3

Thailand 4

Ukraine 2

Bulgaria 3