DARE CYPRUS - Day One for Civil Society in Cyprus

About this project

<p>DARE project is aiming at two Outcomes, namely (a) Increased Citizen Participation in Civic Activities and (b) Enhanced Capacity and Sustainability of Civil Society in Cyprus. The project targets Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and individuals in both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. The project targets all CSO but it will focus on the Civil Society Organisations in the fields of Youth, Gender Equality, Environment, and Health.&nbsp;</p> <p>The project consortium comprised of 3 partners. SEAL CYPRUS is coordinating the project DARE CYPRUS. They are based in the Republic of Cyprus. They are working on social issues, and they provide opportunities for competence development to individual learners such as Educators, Youth Workers, Human Resource Professionals etc. and for capacity building to organisations. Project Partner 1, The Management Centre of the Mediterranean is representing the Turkish Cypriot community. Project Partner 2, Capital Youth Association from Liechtenstein is implementing projects at national level in one of the Donor Countries. The two partners in Cyprus will jointly work towards the project outcomes with the support of the partner in Liechtenstein.&nbsp;</p> <p>The project Activities include training and consulting in topics such as (indicatively):&nbsp;&nbsp;Human Resource Management in Voluntary Projects when implementing (European) Citizens’ Initiatives;&nbsp;Online Campaigns and Petitions;&nbsp;&nbsp;Validation of non-formal Learning with Open Badges; Stakeholder Dialogue in four steps; (1) Exploring and Engaging, (2) Building and formalising, (3) Implementing and evaluating, (4) Developing further, replicating or institutionalising.&nbsp;A combination of communication methods will support the visibility of the project, the partners, and the Donors.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The project also contributed to knowledge sharing and capacity building, with 40 CSO members receiving training and coaching to enhance their skills in advocacy, volunteer management, and organizational development. Additionally, the donor partner, Capital Youth Association, played a crucial role in sharing best practices and expertise from the EEA and Norway Grants framework, providing valuable insights into how civil society can be more effective in promoting democratic participation. Public outreach was another major achievement, with the social media campaign reaching over 42,000 people, significantly exceeding the original target of 20,000. Participation in local festivals, such as the Mehmetcik Grape Festival and UpToYouth Festival, allowed the project to engage directly with over 1,000 people, raising awareness about the role of civil society in fostering peace and reconciliation. A lasting impact of the project is the development of an online training platform, which provides CSOs and activists with resources on stakeholder dialogue, human resource management in voluntary projects, and online campaigns. This platform ensures that the knowledge gained through the project remains accessible and continues to support capacity-building efforts beyond its completion.

Project partners

• Capital Youth Association (CYA) e.V. Donor project partner· Liechtenstein
• The Management Centre of the Mediterranean Project partner· Cyprus