Also to learn to write some Norwegian is of value for a child who has at least one Norwegian parent. Writing is best taught at school, and the work of the teachers is therefore very important, as is also the voluntary involvement of parents who offer their time and organizational skills. In this newsletter, which has a special focus on education, you can read more about the Norwegian School Association in Cyprus, that I visited in February.
Education being the focus of this month’s newsletter, I also wish to point to the importance of fighting bullying in schools. Much too often children are victims of what is often thoughtless behavior by their peers. Important work is done to counter such misbehavior, and the embassy was pleased to support late last year a conference in Athens: “Bullying and violence at school among students. The meaning of prevention”. The fact that there is increasing attention to this problem among teachers, parents and NGOs in Greece is encouraging.
During my recent trip to Cyprus I also visited an NGO project related to bullying; “Educators and Parents against Domestic Violence”. This is one of some thirty NGO projects financed by Norway through EEA and Norway Grants. Among the seven NGO projects I had a chance to visit was one where three representatives from Norwegian sámi people shared their experience with the Cyprus Maronites, a small Arabic indigenous people in Cyprus who see their traditional language dying. Now they want the revival of their language through active involvement of the younger generation in language training.
I also had the opportunity to meet with some 150 Norwegian pensioners in the Scandinavian Church in Agia Napa. Most of them escape from cold Norwegian winters to spend a few winter months under the pleasant Eastern Mediterranean sun. Their enthusiasm was a pleasure to experience.