The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) has launched the Imagine Peace Academy, a new initiative aimed at expanding peace education and strengthening intercommunal engagement in Cyprus.
The academy was officially launched on 20 September at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia as part of International Day of Peace celebrations, AHDR said.
According to the organisation, the academy builds on the experience, methods and partnerships developed through the Imagine programme and seeks to provide a more structured framework for peace education that can adapt to changing political circumstances and support long-term engagement between communities.
AHDR said the academy is based on four pillars: the Educators' Academy for Peace, the Junior Academy for Peace, the Parents' Engagement Platform and a Regional and International Hub.
The initiative will offer teacher training, educational activities for young people aged 7 to 18, dialogue opportunities for parents and expanded local and international partnerships. It will also establish networks of Educational Ambassadors and Youth Ambassadors for Peace, alongside study visits, annual conferences, alumni activities and exchanges.
The launch also featured the premiere of a new Imagine peace education campaign highlighting the experiences of past participants and the impact of dialogue and peace education. The campaign complements the "Imagine Peace Voices for Cyprus" project, supported by Germany's Federal Foreign Office, which aims to reconnect and strengthen networks developed through the Imagine programme.
Speaking at the event, Mirko Kruppa, Chargé d’Affaires at the German Embassy in Nicosia, said it was important to create space and visibility for reconciliation efforts on the island.
He stressed the need to strengthen "the agency of people working so hard to bring communities closer together" and said Germany's support would help sustain and expand the educational work developed through Imagine.
The academy's launch formed part of a broader International Day of Peace programme organised by AHDR, the Home for Cooperation and The Home Cafe under the theme "Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day."
Events included dialogue, educational and creative activities, an NGO fair and a civil society discussion on combating racism and discrimination. The programme concluded with the signing of a Commitment to Action for Anti-Racist Education in Cyprus, launching a participatory process towards a civil society action framework on the issue.
Source: AHDR
