The Parents' Association of Elementary School and Public Kindergarten of Astromeritis, Cyprus is looking for partners for a community building and learning program. They are a group of parents concerned about their community and children's development. Their goals are to increase awareness of multiculturalism and help children and the community better incorporate newcomers from different cultures through intercultural skills and activities. They are flexible and looking for other organizations to collaborate with on developing and applying for this program by February 19th, 2010.

1. Grundtvig Learning Partnership Parents’ Association of Elementary School and Public Kindergarten of Astromeritis, Cyprus Contact Seminar “Community Building, Community Learning” Budapest, Hungary December 3-5, 2009

2. Who We Are: We are not professionals We are not intellectuals We are parents who care about our community, the environment and conditions in which our children grow up

3. Structure of our Organization President, Vice-president, Members. Yearly Elections Number of members Number of families Number of children (130) Elementary Kindergarten

4. Our Activities We organize a number of activities every year, trying to involve the general community of Astromeritis Pictures/list of activities Afternoon tea gatherings with a bingo game Organisation of plays and cinemas. Organisation of educational lectures to improve parents knowledge of children behaviour. Collaboration with school authorities( financial maters, organisation of events e.g. book exhibitions)

5. What we want to do/Main idea Until recently, Astromeritis has been a pretty closed society with most of the people living there all their life. In a short period of time, the really small and closed community has changed demographically in a significant way (newcomers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China and the US.), making the locals a little cautious. Need for intercultural skills to be able to better welcome the newcomers, incorporate them in the community, accept and include the differences they bring with them Pass these skills on to the children (in classrooms, during playtime, and in their lives in general). New ideas, methods, customs, and ways of thinking are all affecting our children and if we as parents do not know how to approach the newcomers, then our children will also not know how to approach them. We are looking for people who share the same ideas, concerns, and challenges.

6. How: Learning Partnership Main Aims/Objectives: Increased awareness of the International and European multicultural, social, and economic scene Better understanding of areas of common interest in the field of children’s emotional development and advancement of intercultural skills

7. Possible Activities A tentative program could involve: Activities to encourage participation from all families/parents in children’s academic and emotional development (e.g. children's art, craft, dance, music exhibitions) Exchange of ideas regarding incorporation of new cultures in small communities like Astromeritis With the help of professionals, exchange of ideas on related issues with the incorporation of new cultures (discipline, language, cultural communication, etc.) Establishing a “guide” or annual event for welcoming difference in small communities

8. We are looking for partners Professional organizations who deal with children’s development Social work organizations who deal with intercultural skills Other Parents’ Associations Grandparents’ Associations Anyone who is interested in such topics

9. We are Flexible We are open to other ideas We are ready to discuss We are ready to make a program that is productive for all our partners

10. Application Deadline February 19 th , 2010 We would like to prepare with our potential partners a winning application

11. Contact Us Maria Anastasiou E-mail: [email_address]