On September 21 (the International Peace Day), Learntoteach participated in a bicommunal event celebrating the 20th anniversary of AHDR, the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research.
For the last 20 years, the ‘dead’ zone in Nicosia, which has been an area surrounded by barbed wire and fences, has become an incubator of children's laughter and lively discussions between people from all around the island. Celebrating the International Peace Day and AHDR’s 20-year anniversary of tirelessly working towards peace, we chose to join them and participate in the Nicosia walk, which involved a walk through both sides of the capital. At the same time, activities for children were planned and a buffet was arranged to facilitate the discussions.
But who is AHDR?
The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) is a unique multi-communal, non-for-profit, non-governmental organization established in Nicosia in 2003. Since its foundation, the AHDR has enlisted members from various ethnic, linguistic, and professional backgrounds working at various educational levels in Cyprus, making the first steps towards a greater effort to maintain a continuous, open dialogue about enhanced pedagogic practices that could encourage the values of the discipline of history.
The AHDR envisions a society where dialogue on issues of history, historiography, history teaching, and history learning is welcomed as an integral part of democracy and is considered as a means for the advancement of historical understanding and critical thinking. It also contributes to the advancement of historical understanding amongst the public and more specifically amongst children, youth, and educators by providing access to learning opportunities for individuals of every ability and every ethnic, religious, cultural, and social background, based on the respect for diversity and the dialogue of ideas.
One of the most valuable contributions is the pedagogical material that they create, publish and offer for free to the interested parties. Some of their work, can be found here.
Title: ‘Cyprus: A Classroom without Walls’