From Cyprus to Berlin: “Exploring Co-existence, Learning Together” – A Milestone in Peace Education
In the context of providing opportunities for contact and collaboration between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot teachers and students, the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) implemented the educational trip to Berlin project “Exploring Co-existence, Learning Together”.
Through two successful trips to Berlin, Germany, educators and students had the opportunity to engage in a program centred on the themes of conflict, reconciliation, peace, and intercultural understanding.
In August 2023, a group of 10 teachers and 4 trainers embarked on the first phase of the program, which focused on enhancing their capacities as educators and advocates for peace. Over the course of the visit, participants toured significant historical sites related to conflict and reconciliation and attended workshops and presentations. These activities helped strengthen their ability to promote critical thinking, multiperspectivity, and intercultural respect in their classrooms back in Cyprus. Throughout the year, the teachers actively engaged in AHDR’s comprehensive professional development programs, including teacher training sessions and the AHDR Teachers Academy. During this time, they developed workshops and lesson plans tailored to foster critical thinking and intercultural understanding, which they later delivered to the students participating in the following year’s educational trip to Berlin. Their ongoing commitment to AHDR would see them return to Germany the following year, this time as mentors to their students.
As the program continued, 20 students aged 14 to 17 were selected through a rigorous application and interview process to join the teachers for the second phase of the project in July 2024. Accompanied by their teachers and AHDR staff, the students travelled to Berlin where they explored historical sites and participated in guided tours, museum visits, and interactive workshops. These experiences were designed to develop their critical thinking skills, foster intercultural understanding, and nurture empathy towards others. The project created meaningful opportunities for participants to reflect on the history of conflict and separation while exploring themes of peacebuilding, reconciliation, and antiracism.
The program successfully empowered teachers and students from across the divide to return to Cyprus as AHDR Peace Ambassadors.
From Cyprus to Berlin: “Exploring Co-existence, Learning Together”, was implemented in collaboration with the German NGO Gesicht Zeigen! and funded by the Federal Foreign Office of the Republic of Germany.
Anna
Thomaidou
Anna Thomaidou (b.1991) is an art educator and artist with a background in architecture. Her practice revolves around the space-surface that is constantly revealing layers, often kept unnoticed. She is interested in the collective and personal memory and identity, as well as concepts of the self and the other. Thomaidou holds a BA and MA in architecture from the University of Nottingham (UK), an MA in Contemporary Art Practices from the Frederick University (CY) and a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Nicosia (CY). She is currently teaching at Pascal English School Larnaka.
Constantinos
Kyriakides
Constantinos Kyriakides is a Mathematics Teacher from Limassol. He has taught in both lower and upper secondary, private and public education. He was assigned as a Deputy Head Teacher in 2023 and is now seconded in the European School Luxembourg II, as part of the delegation from Cyprus. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Leicester, MEd in Educational Leadership and School Improvement from the University of Manchester and is currently a PhD candidate in the European University Cyprus. He has been involved with various projects of AHDR such as Imagine, the Holocaust as a start, different seminars and conferences, and the educational trip to Berlin.
Damla
Solyali
Damla is 38 years old. She graduated from Eastern Mediterranean University with a degree in history and completed her master’s degree in modern history at Reading University. After completing her education in England, she worked as a museum assistant at the Museum of English Rural Life. Upon returning to Cyprus, she began teaching and has been working as a history teacher. What matters most to her is doing everything with passion and excitement. For Damla, constantly improving herself, learning, and gaining new experiences is the essence of life. One of her greatest passions is traveling, as she finds learning through experience and interacting with different cultures invaluable.
Gulcin
Keleszade
Gulcin Keleszade is a 38-year-old history teacher. Since 2007, she has been educating students and fostering a love for history. She holds a degree in history from Eastern Mediterranean University and a PhD in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on peace education and history teaching. She works in a secondary school in Kyrenia. She is also actively involved in AHDR projects such as “Learning to Investigate the History of Cyprus Through Artefacts” and “Imagine”. Throughout her career, Gulcin has actively participated in numerous workshops and conferences across Cyprus and Europe, sharing insights and learning from other experts in history education.
Hale
Çağansoy
Hale Çağansoy holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara. She further pursued a master’s degree at the same institution specializing in ethnicity and family, demonstrating a keen interest in societal dynamics. She is also a P4C (Philosophy for Children) facilitator, worked as a research and event coordinator, and continually participates as a teacher ambassador of peace in intercommunal projects held in Cyprus. Additionally, she has been actively involved in education and research, having taught sociology, philosophy, and psychology classes in various schools.
Ibrahim
Ekin Erkan
Ibrahim Ekin Erkan completed his degree in mathematical physics (MMath) from the University of Liverpool and worked on high-performance computing simulations in lattice quantum chromodynamics in collaboration with Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the University of Cyprus as part of the HPC-LEAP program. Since 2016, he has been a physics teacher in various public schools and is currently teaching at Bulent Ecevit Anadolu Lisesi. Ibrahim has been involved in bicommunal peace-building activities since high school and is a founding member of the New Horizon Astronomy Initiation, where the team works towards gender equality in physics and astronomy.
Maria
Polychrona
Maria Polychrona teaches Literature and History in public secondary schools. She is a keen traveller and considers herself a citizen of the world. She is passionate about anti-racist and inclusive education and has designed and pursued several projects in these fields. She is also a Teacher Ambassador for Peace and enjoys particularly working in bicommunal and peace education projects.
Sinem
Akejder
Sinem Akejder is an English language teacher. She has taught in primary, lower and upper secondary schools. She holds a BA in American Culture and Literature from the University of İstanbul. She has been attending AHDR’s projects, workshops and seminars since 2017. Her aim is to contribute to peace building activities, workshops for students and teachers as long as she can.
Souzana
Anastasi
Souzana Anastasi received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Art History from Bard College at Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. For her senior thesis, she explored the artistic movement of Constructivism and the political influence on its development. After completing her B.A., she continued her studies in The Hague, earning a certificate in European Law and Policy. In 2021, she co-founded M.A.M.A Contemporary, a non-profit cultural organization that aims to promote young artists. She works as a full-time history teacher at Aspire British School in Pafos, Cyprus, and is also enrolled as a post-graduate student in Art History at the Cyprus University of Technology.
Cansu
Karşılı
Cansu Karşılı is a Geography teacher at Famagusta Turk Maarif College. She has been actively volunteering on awareness raising on environmental and social issues. She participates in workshops and seminars about peacebuilding, human rights, gender equality and active citizenship. In addition to social issues, she is also interested in climate change and effects on the environment. After completing her undergraduate degree, she completed her masters degree in Ankara. In 2011, she was nominated for the European Union scholarship programme for the Turkish Cypriot community. In 2013, She completed Msc in Physical Geography and Ecosystem Analysis at Lund University in Sweden. She has now started her PhD in Physical Geography.
Panayiotis
Englezakis
Panayiotis Englezakis acquired his BSc in Computer Engineering from University of Cyprus and his MSc in Computer Science from University of Manchester. Having worked years as a researcher and software developer, he changed disciplines and enter in the teaching realm, teaching computer engineering in teenagers at Vocational Education. His interests in promoting human rights and peace building in the island of Cyprus, lead him to train in peace education through various AHDR trainings and projects.
Koula
Aristodemou
Koula Aristodemou is a high school teacher with a great interest in peace education and sustainability. With a Master’s in Environmental and Sustainable Education from the University of Cyprus, and another in Classical Studies from the University of Leeds, Koula blends her expertise in history, Greek language, and environmental issues to foster dialogue and understanding. She has extensive experience in project management, having coordinated various EU-funded projects at local NGOs, where she organized workshops, educational campaigns, and community-based environmental initiatives. She actively participates in peace education workshops, including the IMAGINE Project, promoting anti-racism and reconciliation efforts.
AHDR Peace Ambassadors – Students
Alexandros Koudounas
Alexandros Moustakas
Altay Kazma
Christos Andreou
Marcel Enrique Alcazar
Luca George Burlacu
Ezra Evcimen
Tuğra Vurana
Valeria Scarcella
Salih Soyluoğlu
Kaynak Ege Karasel
Kayra Soykara
Ebru Karaca
Cleo Damerla
Marilia Somaraki
Nefeli Mousoulidou
Özgü Ertoprak
Panagiota Kapari
Yağmur Gözügüzel
Yasemin Bozkirli
