6th Lemesos International Documentary Festival 3-10 August 2011

CCMC is proud to announce it is partnering with the prestigious 6th Lemesos International Documentary Festival this year, taking place between 3-10 August 2011. There is an excellent selection of documentaries this year to choose from, including Lucy Walker’s ‘Waste Land’, Banksy’s ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’, Anna Tsiarta’s ‘In This Waiting’ and more. All films will be screened in their original language with English and Greek subtitles and entrance is free. Also, don’t miss the selection of masterclasses and seminars, and the opportunity to apply for a one-on-one meeting with acclaimed director, festival programmer and lecturer Rada Sesic. CCMC will have the opportunity to show some of its work too, so stay tuned for more details shortly. Download the poster and the full programme. 

Exhibition on the ‘Right to Learn’ Youth Initiative by milia

A fresh and active group of young people called ‘milia’, has in the last three months organised a highly successful programme of experiential workshops on the theme of education, the creative results of which will be exhibited this Friday and Saturday 20 and 21 May 2011 at the Nicosia Municipality’s ‘Peace’ Venue. Believing that it is crucial that the broader public hear the voices of youth on the ‘Right to Learn’, milia volunteers will exhibit the wonderful collages, innovative proposals and powerful short films produced by participants during milia workshops. The exhibition will be open on Friday 20/5/2011 at 17:30-21:00, and on Saturday 21/5/2011 at 11:00-19.30, at the Nicosia Municipality’s ‘Peace’ Venue, located at the end of Ledra Street. For more information see http://yeiamilia.wordpress.com/

‘Milia’, which was set up last September as an informal group of young volunteers from the fields of education, youth work and civic society groups, organised four weekend sessions of interactive workshops for 12-18 year olds, funded by the European programme ‘Youth in Action’. The workshops took place on 19-20 February and 12-13 March in Nicosia, on 27-28 March in the village of Galata and on 16-17 April in Limassol.

The theme of all workshops was the basic right of each person to an education which responds to their needs, and which promotes a democratic society where all people receive respect but also respect the rights of others.

Facilitated by Cyprus Youth Council trainers who employed non-formal learning methods such as creative activities, discussion groups, teamwork and media, beneficiaries explored in depth their own learning styles and experiences as well as their education as a human right. They made recommendations on how to improve the educational experience in our country, as well as short movies on the theme, inspired too by their discussions with individuals who had experienced global education first hand.

The young people’s feedback has been overwhelmingly positive – claiming that the experience had left them feeling enriched in their self-esteem, empowered and inspired by the understanding and perspective gained on education. Organisers have said that the ideas of these young people will feed into future ‘milia’ activities, having seen how much they have to say about, and can contribute to, a healthier model of education.