Creating Friendships for Peace (CFP) was created in 1981 to help teens in Northern Ireland overcome the long-running religious and nationalist conflict known by most as "he Troubles." After some successes there, the program shifted to Cyprus, a tiny island in the Mediterranean, divided by the conflict between Greek and Turkish residents.
The program starts with a summer camp, bringing hundreds of Cypriot teens together to have discussions about their view of each other — the hope is CFP can slowly work away at divise stereotypes.
For one of the teens, Alex, discussing the ways both sides talked about each other was eye opening.
“One of my favorite activities last year was when we talked about the stereotypes we have for each other,” Alex said. “It was like a very emotional and heartbreaking experience, because we didn't know that we spoke so badly of each other until it was on paper in front of us. And I wanted that to change.”
“I joined this program because I grew up hearing a lot of one-sided stories.” said Lauren, another one of the participants. “Every single time I met my family, I was hearing one-sided stories that did not sound realistic and made the other side of my country sound inhumane, and I did not want to believe those. And when I discovered that there was this camp that would help me learn more about my country and get to know more people, make friends, I did not want to miss the chance. I wanted to have my own opinion.”
Another member of the group, Sue, shared that after the first year of the camp, the changes happened quickly,
“After the first year camp for me, um, my social circle changed a lot,” She said. “I didn't have many friends from the South, and basically that changed my whole social circle and the way my family and my other close friends from the North see the southern people.”
Following the summer camp, CFP board member Jon Berger supervised the journey of four teens to Wilmington. For three weeks, the teens participated in team-building activities and public service projects. They partnered with Nourish NC to collect food donations and with the Northside Co-op to host a bimonthly dinner. They also went surfing and exploring the beaches.
The goal for the girls is to work through the conflict in a neutral place. They built rapport through community service and bonding activities
”I want to break the stereotypes that everyone built up around the history and around the politics that they teach us at school,” said Dominika, “I don't believe in [them] anymore. There's always a two-sided story. We cannot only believe the one side. So I was interested to learn the other part of it.”
At the camp, and here in Wilmington, the girls learned they shared many types of food, fashion — and, of course, music.
The girls hope that, after their return to Cyprus, they can help shift the mindset of the next generation. For Dominika, it's personal — she said she wants peace for herself and future generations
“And I don't want to go through borders, and I don't want to show my passport just to go meet my friends and spend time with them. It's too much and I want a peaceful environment for the next generation,” she said.
For Creating Friendships for Peace, this pilot launch in Wilmington is a small step in the right direction. But the program requires a significant investment of money and time — and it’ll need the support of the Wilmington community to grow.
Lauren shared, “One thing that Jon [Berger] mentioned to us about this year was how it was not easy to find host families. And I think that if we get the word out and about the things that we did this year. And after all, Cypriots are generally good people. We just want peace. We just want to have fun and learn. I think more families who want to host teens, that would be the first step.”
You can find more about Creating Friendships for Peace here.
Disclosure notice: CFP board member Jon Berger is a member of WHQR's Board of Directors, which has no say in editorial or reporting decisions.
