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Future Worlds Center

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Future Worlds Center
TypeCivil Society Organization
Location
Founder
Yiannis Laouris
Main organ
Board of Directors
AffiliationsInternational Society for the Systems Sciences
European Union for Systemics
Institute for 21st Century Agoras
Budget1,000,000 Euro annually
Staff20
Volunteers>50
Websitehttp://www.futureWorldsCenter.org
https://www.FutureWorlds.eu/wiki

Future Worlds Center (FWC) is a non-profit, non-Governmental independent organization active in programs with future orientation in areas related to positive social change, social entrepreneurship and transformation.

Founding history

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Future Worlds Center was founded in 1991 as Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute. In the late 1990s, it expanded its operations pioneering in a number of humanitarian, multicultural and peace related projects.[1][2] At the end of 2005, with a new Constitution, it evolved into a larger organization with a pure international orientation integrating all humanitarian, peace, and multicultural activities under one umbrella.

Notable Operations

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According to its new Constitution, Future Worlds Center is an incubator of ideas, projects, social entrepreneurs and organizations committed to socio-technical reforms.[3] Since its inception it has envisioned, designed and implemented more than 100 projects, employed more than 200 young scientists, and founded several organizations, including CYBER KIDS, Technology for peace, the Cyprus Safer Internet Center along with the Cyprus Safer Internet Hotline and Helpline, the Cyprus Community Media Centre[4] funded by the United Nations, Youth Power,[5] Cyprus NGO Platform "Development", the Cyprus Refugee Council.[6]

Innovations in Education

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The organization has developed the curriculum for CYBER KIDS, a chain of computer learning centers, that started in Cyprus and expanded in 7 countries in the early 90s. CYBER KIDS was a mass-scale experiment to achieve massive social change in a whole country.

Future Worlds Center also implements many EC-funded projects that conduct research and inform societies about the safer use of the Internet; Cyberethics,[7] Cyprus’ Safer Internet Center, which includes a Hotline[8] and a Helpline.[9]

Promoting regional peace

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Future Worlds Center pioneers in envisioning, designing and implementing projects that promote the culture of peace and reconciliation in Cyprus, the region and the globe. The Technology for peace,[10][11] initiative in 1997, founded by Yiannis Laouris and Harry Anastasiou members of the Cyprus Conflict Resolution Trainers Group aimed to capitalize on the proliferation of the Internet as a means to break the communication barriers between the northern and the southern parts of divided Cyprus. Other notable peace projects include the Youth promoting Peace,[12] Civil Society Dialogue, the Act Beyond Borders, Everybody's song,[13] and many projects funded by HasNa Inc.

Active promoter of the MDGs

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Future Worlds Center is leading a number of pan-European efforts, which aim to promote the Millennium Development Goals within Europe and in Sub-Saharan countries. It was a founding member of the Cyprus Islandwide Development NGO Platform[14] and the Cyprus Community Media Centre.[15] The Accessing Development Education project[16] has collected teaching materials or guidance books on topics like Development Education,[17] Global citizenship, Human Rights, Millennium Development Goals and many others from across Europe into one central depository. The Teach MDGs project[18] focuses on increasing awareness and public support for the Millennium Development Goals by actively engaging teacher training institutes, teachers and pupils in developing local oriented teaching resources promoting the MDGs with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and integrate these into the educational systems of countries across Europe.

Leading Research and Applications in Structured Dialogic Design

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The organization has implemented more than 120 Structured Democratic Dialogues in diverse contexts,[19] including, peace and conflict resolution,[20][21] government and societal challenges (e.g., reforming the local authorities[22] or the Wine Villages of Cyprus[23]), supporting pan-European groups of experts discover obstacles and design actions to improve access to broadband technologies for all but also for people facing accessibility challenges;[24][25] discovering and collectively agreeing on research agenda priorities, thus influencing European Commission funding;[26] reinventing democracy.[27] Its scientists advanced the underlying science enabling virtual dialogues.[28][29]

Supporting vulnerable groups

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Future Worlds Center is the implementing organization of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representation in Cyprus. Its Humanitarian Affairs Unit implements projects that aim strengthening asylum for refugees and asylum seekers on the island. This Unit has founded the Unit of Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture. As of January 2018, a spin-off was created and the Cyprus Refugee Council was created.

Notable Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Building A Multi-Ethnic and Multi-National Cyprus to Promote European Values and Regional and International Peace". Archived from the original on 2011-10-22. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  2. ^ Extending EU Citizenship to the Eastern End of Europe
  3. ^ "Future Worlds Center Vision and Mission - Future Worlds Center Wiki". www.futureworlds.eu.
  4. ^ http://www.cypruscommunitymedia.org Cyprus Community Media Centre Website
  5. ^ "Member Organizations | Youth Power Cyprus". Archived from the original on 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  6. ^ "Cyprus Refugee Council". www.facebook.com.
  7. ^ "CyberEthics". www.cyberethics.info.
  8. ^ "Cyprus' Safer Internet Hotline". Archived from the original on July 31, 2011.
  9. ^ Cyprus’ Safer Internet Helpline Archived 2012-08-03 at archive.today
  10. ^ Laouris, Y. (2004). Information technology in the service of peacebuilding: the case of Cyprus. World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution, 60(1-2), 67-79. Article in World Futures about the project.
  11. ^ Laouris, Y., & Laouri, R. (2008). Can information and mobile technologies serve to close the economic, educational, digital, and social gaps and accelerate development?. World Futures, 64(4), 254-275. Includes a MAP of all groups supported
  12. ^ https://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Youth_Promoting_Peace Youth Promoting Peace; has organized >40 events in which thousands of people have participated.
  13. ^ "IPage". Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  14. ^ List of national development platforms
  15. ^ "Cypruscommunitymedia.org". www.cypruscommunitymedia.org.
  16. ^ "Index of /". www.developmenteducation.info. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008.
  17. ^ "Development Education initiative in Europe". Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  18. ^ "www.teachmdgs.net". Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
  19. ^ https://futureworlds.eu/wiki/Chronological_List_of_SDDPs_by_Future_Worlds_Center_and_Associates Chronological List of SDDPs by Future Worlds Center and Associates
  20. ^ Laouris, Y., Erel, A., Michaelides, M., Damdelen, M., Taraszow, T., Dagli, I., Laouri, R. & Christakis, A. (2009b). Exploring options for enhancement of social dialogue between the Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus using the Structured Dialogic Design Process. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 22(5), 361-381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9134-z
  21. ^ Laouris, Y., Michaelides, M., Damdelen, M., Laouri, R., Beyatli, D., & Christakis, A. (2009a). A systemic evaluation of the state of affairs following the negative outcome of the referendum in Cyprus using the structured dialogic design process. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 22(1), 45-75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-008-9111-y
  22. ^ Laouris, Y., & Michaelides, M. (2018). Structured democratic dialogue: An application of a mathematical problem structuring method to facilitate reforms with local authorities in Cyprus. European Journal of Operational Research, 268(3), 918-931.
  23. ^ Michaelides, M., & Laouris, Y. (2024). A cascading model of stakeholder engagement for large-scale regional development using structured dialogical design. European Journal of Operational Research, 315(1), 307-323.
  24. ^ Laouris, Y., & Michaelides, M. (2007). What obstacles prevent practical broadband applications from being produced and exploited. In P. R. W. Roe (Ed.), Towards an inclusive future: Impact and wider potential of information and communication technologies (pp. 281-299). EPFL Press.
  25. ^ Laouris, Y., Michaelides, M., & Sapio, B. (2008). A systemic evaluation of obstacles preventing the wider public benefiting from and participating in the broadband society. Observatorio J, 5, 21-31.
  26. ^ Roe, P., Gill, J., Allen, B., Boyle, B., Heck, H., Shitta, G., & Laouris, Y. (2011). Towards a technology transfer roadmap from the Coordination Action in R&D in Accessible and Assistive ICT (CARDIAC). Technology and Disability, 23(3), 171-181.
  27. ^ Laouris, Y., & Romm, N. R. (2022). African youth’s visioning for re-inventing democracy in the digital era: A case of use of structured dialogical design. World Futures, 78(1), 18-61.
  28. ^ Laouris, Y., & Dye, K. (2024). Multi‐stakeholder structured dialogues: Five generations of evolution of dialogic design. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 41(2), 368-389.
  29. ^ Laouris, Y., & Metcalf, G. (2024). Assessing the viability of virtual structured democratic dialogue. Systems Research and Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3006
  30. ^ "Anna Lindh Award to Future Worlds Center - Future Worlds Center Wiki". www.futureworlds.eu.
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