Forum for Youth Advocacy (FOYA)

One of the organisations we support in Cyprus is run by FOYA (Forum for Youth Advocacy).
The following information is taken directly from their website and tells you a bit about what they do.

“The Forum for Youth Advocacy (FOYA) is a non-governmental organisation aimed to empower marginalised youth to realise their full potential, and build peace within themselves and their communities through education, non-violence, and entrepreneurship.

We work to educate and empower youth through working directly with children, and persuading governments and others responsible for children to work to build peaceful livelihoods. We work to integrate marginalised students in mainstream education, workshops and seminars, teachers’ support and training, and advocacy.

Cyprus offers great potential for youth development as the island has remained divided for over 30 years and that only now are both communities beginning to interact on a large scale. Prior to 2003 the island’s two communities were separated by the United Nations patrolled ‘Green Line’. In late 2003 however, inspired by Cyprus’ impeding entry into the EU did Turkish Cypriots ease restrictions on the ‘Green Line’ effectively allowing the two communities to interact for the first time in 30 years. Furthermore, recent studies also suggest that those most opposed to any re-unification effort are they Cypriot youth themselves, as over three generations of Cypriots have lived in a state of division.

At present FOYA aims to establish an office on the disputed island and begin liaising with local organizations in an attempt to help youth realize their potential in creating a peaceful and prosperous Cyprus. This will largely be done through intensive inter-communal youth programs which will aim to deconstruct enemy images and eradicate the “us vs. them” mentality, which is still a powerful force on the dispute island.

Regardless of any political settlement the political elite might conceive, it will ultimately lay in the hands of Cyprus’ future generations to ensure an ongoing and continued commitment to peace. Whilst older generations have enjoyed the interaction with their ethnic counterparts prior to the onset of major hostilities in the 60s and 70s, the youth of both communities however, have not. Interaction between Cypriot youth, while improving, still remains low. FOYA seeks to empower these youth to realize their full ability to impact the future state of peacefulness on Cyprus.”

For more information visit their website www.forumforyouthcyprus.com