The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR), an intercommunal non-governmental organisation, launched the Imagine Peace Academy at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia on Sunday, September 20, during International Day of Peace events.
AHDR said the Academy is the next step in the evolution of Imagine and builds on the methods, relationships and experience it has developed through years of peace education. It said the Academy is designed to adapt to changing political circumstances, stay relevant to the communities it serves and sustain peace education and intercommunal engagement over the long term.
The Academy has four pillars: the Educators‘ Academy for Peace, the Junior Academy for Peace, the Parents’ Engagement Platform and a Regional and International Hub. AHDR said they are designed to let children and young people, educators, parents, alumni and partners join, take part in and stay connected to a wider peace education community over time.
The Academy will offer monocommunal and intercommunal teacher training, plus sustained learning and co-creation opportunities for educators. It will provide educational activities and longer-term pathways for young people aged seven to 18, engagement and dialogue opportunities for parents, and stronger local, regional and international partnerships. AHDR will also develop networks of Educational Ambassadors and Youth Ambassadors for Peace, alongside study visits, annual conferences, the Teaching for Peace Award, alumni activities and exchanges.
Mirko Kruppa, Chargé d’Affaires at the German Embassy in Nicosia, said in a speech at the launch that it is important to create space and visibility that cannot be ignored for pro-reconciliation voices in Cyprus, and to strengthen the agency of people working to bring communities closer together. AHDR said Germany’s support continues to sustain the relationships, experience and educational work developed through Imagine.
The launch also premiered AHDR’s new Imagine peace education campaign, which features the experiences and voices of people who have taken part in Imagine over the years and highlights the impact of encounters, dialogue and peace education. The campaign complements Imagine Peace Voices for Cyprus, another project supported by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. Through it, AHDR will run a parallel series of activities to reconnect and strengthen the networks built around Imagine, including educators, young people and former participants, and to create further opportunities to take part in peace education.
Wider programme
The launch formed part of an International Day of Peace programme organised by AHDR, the Home for Cooperation and The Home Cafe under the message “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day”. The programme brought together people and organisations from across Cyprus for dialogue, educational and creative activities and an NGO Fair.
It also included “Voices Against Racism: From Dialogue to Action”, a civil society discussion on strengthening cooperation against racism and discrimination. The panel was followed by the signing of a Commitment to Action for Anti-Racist Education in Cyprus, which starts a participatory process towards a Civil Society Action Framework for Anti-Racist Education in Cyprus.
About AHDR
AHDR was established in 2003 in Nicosia. It works in history, peace and anti-racist education and promotes dialogue, critical thinking, multiperspectivity, human rights and a culture of peace and non-violence. In 2011, it opened the Home for Cooperation, an educational, cultural and community centre in the UN Buffer Zone in Nicosia.
