Don’t Hate, Appreciate

This project will implement a set of activities to help youth understand the difficulties of refugees arriving in Cyprus as well as the reasons the led them to flee their country of origin, to empower and support the youth to play an active role in the integration of refugees, to increase the attitude towards acceptance, solidarity, and the promotion of social inclusion and to build and strengthen the necessary support structures for young people to continue in youth activism.

Relative to the population, in 2020, the highest number of first-time asylum applications was lodged in Cyprus (792 per 100,000 inhabitants). Participants will have the opportunity to have a first-hand experience of the refugees’ living conditions as well as the incredible work of NGOs and the UNCHR that try to help. The project will also cover the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The project will target youth as well as youth leaders (aged 15-22). Activities during the exchange visits will cover research on youth opinions and attitudes, workshops to promote activism and debates as well as comprehensive training programs. The project may include visits to the first reception centers (eg. Pournara).