Creating a children’s book series addressing the conflict in Cyprus that teaches students about respect, diversity, and multiculturalism
Marios
Marios is a caring, passionate educator with a global perspective and a profound belief that education is the primary tool in promoting a culture of peace. His teaching style emphasizes the necessity for culturally relevant pedagogy and urges people to think critically, engage in dialogue, and explore the world to its fullest. Marios recently returned to his homeland of Cyprus after eight years of graduate school in the US, culminating in his PhD in Education (Culture, Curriculum & Change) from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill where he focused on Peace Education.
“The culture of othering is the product of a variety of factors forced upon children, including family, school, and society. There is a space, though, where children are the master of themselves: their imagination.”
Marios took part in the 2018 Gather Fellowship, SE Forum’s partnership with Seeds of Peace.
Peace Literature Project
While working as an elementary school teacher in Cyprus, he quickly realized that young students there often have negative perceptions of, or animosity toward, the people from the other side, and in most cases, they are simply uninformed about the other. This is true for both the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community. To combat this, Marios seeks to develop Children’s Books Tell Stories of Peace, a series that promotes tolerance, nonviolence, and the power of working together. Though similar children’s books exist, this will be the first specific to the conflict in Cyprus. The project has already been awarded the 2017 Stelios Bi-Communal Award, and Marios expects to print, sell and donate 3,000 copies to schools this year.
