Teens from Cyprus here for the summer learn peace begins with friendship

Twenty teenagers from Cyprus are spending a few weeks in the
D.C. area this summer, living with host families while they absorb American
culture, go on outings, and make new friends.

But it’s not just fun and games. The teens are here with the
Cyprus Friendship Program, which is aimed at building trust and understanding
among people from the northern, Turkish-speaking part of the Mediterranean
island and the southern, Greek-speaking part. The island has been split since
1983, when the Turkish-speaking area declared independence, and there is
limited contact between the two sides.

During their stay in the United States, two Cypriot
teens—one from each side of the island—stay in the same home for a month,
sharing a room and participating in the host family’s activities. They also come
together for community service activities and conflict resolution workshops.

“The island of Cyprus is really small, so a program like
this can really make a difference,” says Amanda Messinger, a former Annandale
resident who relocated to McLean, and has been hosting Cypriot youths since
2010.

Kyriacos, from the city of Nicosia in southern Cyprus, has
bonded with his roommate, Barkın Cihanlı, also 16, from northern Cyprus. “We
share everything. He is like my brother,” says Kyriacos.

Barkin agreed, noting that this is the first time he has had
a friend from the south. “We are so similar,” he says. He was surprised to
learn that “we a common language, and our food and traditional dances are very
similar.”

They both swam on the Broyhill Crest swim team in Annandale,
and Barkin placed second in the individual medley during Divisionals July 28. 

The Cyprus Friendship Program is modeled after the
successful Children’s Friendship Project for Northern Ireland. The goal is to
promote peaceful interaction, reconciliation and leadership skills in the
teenagers who may well become the nation’s future leaders. 

The teens took part in a peacemaking session led by Colman McCarthy, founder and director of the Center for Teaching Peace. They helped
ship donated bikes to Africa as volunteers with Bikes for the World. They visited
Congress, worked on a sustainability project at Great Falls, and toured the United Nations headquarters on a trip to New York. And
there was also time for fun outings to places like King’s Dominion.

Kyriacos is hopeful that programs like this will help
Cypriots find a solution to the conflict between north and south. “I would like
to see the country unified without borders and without violence,” he says. Barkin
also wants to see his country united, “so people won’t have to cross a border
to meet new friends.”

Barkin is studying for the SATs so he can attend college in
the United States, because “they have the best universities in the world here.”
He wants to pursue a double major in psychology and history. Kyriacos hopes to
be an oceanologist.

“I love it here,” says Orla Nicole Hadjisofocleous, 15, from
Nicosia, who is splitting her time here with the Fish and Blevins families.

“People are really open minded and friendly here,” Orla says
about her impressions of the United States, “and there are so many different
kinds of people.” Her favorite experiences so far are the

ropes course at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park and the peacemaking
session. She would like to come back and attend a U.S. college. Her goal is to
be a human rights lawyer.

She also made friends with her roommate and says, “I’ve never
gotten that close to anyone from the north before.”

If you would like to host a pair of Cypriot teens next summer, contact Mike Messinger.