1

Editorial

A year has passed since our last issue and we are very pleased that our journal has been expanding, more associate editors were added in our team and we constantly get more articles and emails from people who would like to be involved. This was the target from day one, to set up a medium where young people can express their views on the world and important issues of their communities.

Our second edition main theme is Youth Development Projects. Our concept of development is not strictly related to wealth accumulation. As Amartya Sen wrote in his book “Development as Freedom” and in many of his works, human welfare is central to the economy, so is a strong ethical framework. Development is an expansion of capabilities, enrichment of human lives, the freedom to choose between different ways of thinking and how to live. Our articles reflect these beliefs and opinions. We describe projects and experiences that contribute to such understanding of the world. In this edition our articles structure is different than in our previous edition,as we have included long articles that we believe are relevant for our journal and readers.

Finally, we would like to thank our supporters for believing in our idea and also our editors, collaborators, website consultants and editing advisors for their great commitment and hard work. We believe that this journal justifies the efforts put onto it. We hope that you will enjoy it and be a member of our growing community by

2

reading, expanding our network, writing or taking part with any other way that you feel like.

Have a nice experience,

Armando de Castro and Babis Makrinikolas

Founders and Chief Editors

www.leadersjournal.org

3

A Leadership Case study Muhamad Yunus

Leadership, and the charismas and characteristics

that leaders posses, have been a topic researched from

many different scientific areas, through the human

history. Leaders can be observed in everyday life:

Politicians, trying to serve the country they represent,

travel around the world and get involved in negotiations.

Team leaders, in business, in sports, in national armies,

putting effort to coordinate different personalities, in order

to achieve short and long term targets.

Someone could say, however, that the term

‘’leader’’ has been popularised, and its use doesn’t imply

a distinctive person, which makes great contributions in

the society, and through his achievements, he ‘’creates

history’’. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is one of the leaders with

the classic meaning of the word. His achievement,

however, wasn’t a result of luck, or hard work. Instead, he

had to go against norms, and adopt revolutionary

approaches, in conservative environments.

Dr Yunus was born on the 28th of June of 1940, in

4

Chittagong district, part of Bangladesh (British India at

those days). He belonged to an upper class Muslim

family, consisting of 14 children (of which five died in their

early years). His father was a jeweler. The society in

which he grew up was conservative. Women were

supposed to serve their children and their husbands.

They didn’t even have a word in the economics of the

house. Dr Yunus used to be an excellent student. One of

his many interests, was boy scouting, which helped him

develop his independence, and gain his first leadership

skills. As he stated later on his life, scouting made him

realize the distance between theory and practice.

Upon the completion of his school studies, he

received a scholarship to study in Chittagong University

and then in Dhaka University. Throughout his academic

years, he developed his multitalented personality: he

engaged in cultural activities, such as music and theatre.

Simultaneously, with his university fellows, they formed a

student party, in order to represent their beliefs. His

friends tended to be of leftist beliefs, and he has stated

that his beliefs should position him in the centre-left area.

5

Because of his good economic situation, Dr Yunus

was able to travel. The fact that he was a boy scout made

it easier for him. He travelled in many different areas of

British India, and Canada. Those travels enhanced his

worldview and made him understand that different

civilizations and cultures exist and interact around the

world.

Another important thing to mention was Dr Yunus’

relationship with his mother. Dr Yunus loved his mother,

and always admired her. When he was young, however,

she started suffering from severe mental illnesses. In

addition, because of misuse of the medicines that doctors

had prescribed, she became opium-addicted. Despite her

dramatic situation, his father and the whole family, never

stopped helping and supporting her.

Upon his graduation from the university, Dr Yunus

worked as a research assistant, and university lecturer.

During these years, he also started his own company,

with the help of his father. His entrepreneurial attempt

was successful. Drawing parallels to Alfred Maslow’s

pyramid of needs, made him wanting to satisfy his ‘self-

6

actualisation’ needs. In other words, in his mid-twenties,

he had a successful academic career, enhanced by his

business success. When he was 25, he received a

Fulbright scholarship to study in Vanderbilt University in

the US. He graduated in 1971, having met his first wife,

an immigrant from Soviet Union, Vera Forostenko.

The year that he received his doctorate degree,

was very important for his country. It was the year that

Bangladesh became an independent state. During those

days, Dr Yunus was active in the US, by publishing a

newspaper, and establishing an information centre, in

order to collect money and support his country's race for

independence. He was appointed secretary and

spokesman of Bangladesh Citizens’ Committee. The

years that he spent in the US, and his involvement in

politics, had a crucial impact in his life.

Subsequently, he decided to return to his country,

and help in the transition to independence. Through the

comfort of his family money, he was able to satisfy other

needs, rather than only surviving. In 1974, however, a

huge famine hit the country. As Dr. Yunus observed,

7

‘’because of malnutrition, old persons seemed young,

and young persons seemed old’’. In this dramatic

situation, he decided that his field of study, economics,

has been missing an important chapter: poverty. Poor

persons were not able to develop their creativity, just

because of the lack of small amounts of money.

He started providing loans to poor individuals, and

in 1983 established Grameen Bank, with a revolutionary

purpose: contrary to the norm, he wanted to lend to poor

individuals, especially women, who didn’t have access

to credit. Even though it was characterized as very risky,

he created a framework which would ensure, to the best

possible extent, that the bad loans ratio would be low.

Other requirements included the weekly repayment of the

loans, over a long period, with a 20% interest rate, which

would result in insignificant interest payments because of

the initial small amounts borrowed. Indeed, his bad loans

ratio was just 1%, while in the same time, the same

percentage commercial banks was equal to 5%. When

he required funds in order to establish his business

model, he received them from the US (Ford Foundation).

The networks he developed while studying, aided him in

8

his targets. The huge success of his model made him

expand in other areas, such as telecommunications and

energy.

As stated earlier, his political and religious beliefs

had a big impact in the development of his personality.

His political beliefs, as stated earlier, were left. Many of

his critiques, in his early years, classified him as Marxist.

Even though he now states that he is not a leftist, such

beliefs were the basis for the formation of a truly socially

responsible enterprise, where the notion of profit

includes, in a substantial extent, the economic and social

development of the individuals, who constitute the

society. In addition, his Muslim beliefs prohibit the

payment of interest in loans (Islamic finance/Law of

Shariah), and require that, wealthy members shall help

the rest of the family as well as the society. In other

words, the importance of profit, is not the same, as it is in

the genuine capitalist system, which is supposed to have

a ‘’protestant’’ character.

The success of Grameen Bank resulted in the

establishment of microfinance, a new form of banking.

9

Socially responsible enterprises have developed around

the world, from ‘’the Arctic to Andes, from Chicago to

China’’. Because of his great contribution to humanity, Dr

Muhamad Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize, for ‘’his

efforts to create economic and social development’’. His

contribution to the development of poor individuals is

great. He is one genuine leader, who alternated the

meaning of the provision of capital, as well as the

meaning of the lives of many poor people, around the

globe.

Konstantinos Tsanis

References

http://www.grameen-info.org/

http://nobelprize.org/

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2007/05/20085251

43142288159.html

Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and

the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus (2009).

Public Affairs

10

Banker to the Poor: The Story of the Grameen Bank by Mohammad Yunus and Alan Jolis (2003). Aurum Press The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber (2001). Routledge Classics

11

Policy and Youth Development Projects

Youth policies gained visibility in the political agenda during the 1980s. By that time, international organizations, cooperation agencies and youth organizations started pointing at the crucial role played by young people, both through their active role in demanding the implementation of their social rights and as relevant actors in social and economic development within their communities. Since then, there has been a boost in youth development projects carried out by youth-led non-governmental organizations. That is the case of several initiatives in Latin-America and Africa, where some of these projects are implemented based on two pillars: the belief in a south-south cooperation strategy and the adoption of non-formal education as mechanisms for promoting development. Indeed, there are nowadays a number of examples of best practices within this framework.

In the international field, the milestone for youth policies and development took place in 1985, when the International Year of Youth was declared by the United Nations. Ten years later, in 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the World Program of Action for Youth (WPAY). The WPAY sets a policy framework and guidance for the adoption of youth policies in national level as well as a set of tools for international cooperation in order to improve young

12

people’s life. In 1998 the Braga’s Action Plan for Youth was launched in the context of a Youth World Forum organized by the UN. In the same occasion, the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policy and Programs was released. Finally, under the theme “dialogue and mutual understanding”, 2010 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Year of Youth. This decision ratifies the relevance of youth in the policy arena.

The policy framework set by these resolutions

highlights the importance of participation, gender equality, education on sexual and reproductive health and intergenerational understanding as practices to foster respect, development and democracy. Young people are not mere beneficiaries of development. They are its active promoters. Therefore, it is crucial to emphasize that a rights-based approach is the foundation of any kind of initiative that aims at promoting development through youth projects. Moreover, the fact that youth have been kept high on the political agenda implies a process that feeds back into the increasing number of grass-root and youth-led organizations. Social movements and NGOs are struggling for the implementation of social rights. At the same time, they are contributing to their communities’ development. In this process, young people certainly have been playing a major role.

13

Within this perspective, a group of young people, volunteers in Mirim-Brasil, a non-governmental organization based in Recife (Brazil) working with non-formal and peer education, started in 2008 a south-south cooperation project in partnership with several other youth-led organizations. The project is called “Youth network in Africa: Nongovernmental Organizations against HIV/AIDS, for Democracy” and aims at strengthening young peoples’ role in the response to HIV. It adopts a clear-cut standing on gender equality and youth participation. The work is done by young people in partnership with organizations working with and for youth in 15 African countries: Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Mali, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia. One of the project´s objectives is to allow young people to acquire and strengthen abilities through non-formal and peer education in order to promote awareness on sexual and reproductive health issues. It means that they use a method grounded in critical thinking, diversity and the ability to understand the viewpoints of others. Indeed, young people tend to have a clearer understanding of their own realities, being therefore capable to easily communicate with their peers. Besides, the project’s method adopts a non-hierarchical approach, which allows all participants to equally contribute in the educational process.

14

It is hoped that this educational process will

generate skills in order for young people to act as multipliers in their organizations, communities, regions and countries, promoting the changes needed for an effective response to HIV. Moreover, it is also expected that young people involved in the project will acquire skills needed to promote advocacy and to push for political accountability regarding gender and health policies in their countries. In this sense, it is important to bear in mind that youth organizations’ relationship with government should be driven by autonomy and a rights-based approach as the only effective way to bring innovation and critical thinking into the policy process. For that reason, the monitoring of public policies is crucial within this project, since it connects the educational process to a broader perspective of universalisation of rights and democratisation of the state.

Initiatives like the one put forward by Mirim-Brasil

and the important role played by young people in promoting the development within their communities, confirming the notion that politics must not be considered a vertical relation. It should be an arena of negotiation and debate in which the account delivered by the social movement and the organized civil society helps to improve policy effectiveness. Besides, the positive results

15

of such initiatives demonstrate that the good development is the one that is grounded on democratic and participative decision making processes involving necessarily young people. Anna Maria Forsberg

16

17

Ask First Campaign

“I’d love to change the world but I don’t know what to do…” Ten years after

There are some times in our daily routine that we feel very intensely the need to change the view of the world we all live in. We believe that we do not have the power or the free time or the means in order to accomplish that task. But is this real? Is it so difficult to make the world better?

Those were my first thoughts before starting my

search in the Internet about volunteer programs and NGOs so as to participate in such programs. There were thousands of results and the only difficult part of this procedure was to choose the ones that I was more interested in. The next stage was to contact the NGOs because I wanted to have a better view of the programs offered. Finally, I found an innovative youth awareness campaign “Ask First” which is co-organized by NGO Praksis and the General Secretariat for the Young Generation. Firstly, PRAKSIS is an independent, Non Governmental Organization, aiming principally at the creation, application and implementation of humanitarian and medical action programs. PRAKSIS' programs actually are the descendants of the ones run within the country (until October 2004) by the Greek Chapter of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors Without Borders). Based on two Polyclinics in Athens and Thessaloniki, these programs have offered to any socially excluded group such as the poor, the homeless, the uninsured street children, refugees/ asylum seekers, economic

18

immigrants, single-parent families, ROMA, victims of trafficking, ex-prisoners

• immediate and free medical and pharmaceutical care

• psychological support

• social support (complementary supportive services)

• legal aid shelter

• career advice

As for the “Ask First ”, which was first introduced in 1997, it is ,actually, a campaign that deals with issues that especially young people are more vulnerable such as sexually transmitted diseases, drugs, alcohol and smoking. The philosophy of the program is to motivate young volunteers to inform young people with a friendly approach and using innovative ways.

“Ask first” is present all year long by organizing and participating in various informational festivals, theme afternoons, and events but its core is during summer when over approximately forty days, more than thirty volunteers visit more than forty of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece such as the Cyclades, the Ionian Islands, Chalkidiki and specific destinations in the mainland Greece) promoting the goal. Our moto is “The information becomes our game” and our “ammo” are information brochures and a smart toy that intrigues the individual to play with and learn at the

19

same time. During the summer of 2009, I participated in the program and with the help of my teammates we tried to approach and inform young people in a unique and pioneer way in bars, cafeterias, beaches, festivals and so on. The destinations of our team were Mykonos, Tinos and Syros which are very beautiful islands and we are really satisfied because we have found out that the individual person wants to be informed on those matters but it needs a different and informal way. This is the “ask first” way, because information is actually a game! Nikos Milonakis

20

21

Facelift for Øresund’s Education: the role of New Social Media

For some, Facebook is a dorm for dossing. However analysis of recent developments in the various elements of the New Social Media (NSM) world suggests that it is becoming a serious interface for businesses, organizations and even universities. It could be particularly powerful in the education sector given the dominance of NSM in the lives of young people. Rightly or wrongly, this new development potentially could change the way education is communicated and structured, even impact on the substance of the material being taught. One organization which uses intensively not only its website, but its wordpress blog, its facebook page and its twitter account for educational and promotional purposes is Øresund Entrepreneurship.

Øresund Entrepreneurship is an initiative of Øresund University, part of the new cross-border region between Sweden and Denmark. The Øresund region contains around 3.5 million residents and includes key cities such as the Danish capital Copenhagen and the Swedish city Malmo. Øresund Entrepreneurship is an academy which coordinates entrepreneurship education in the 9 universities in the Øresund Region and develops a network of relationships with businesses, students and organizations.

The website of Øresund Entrepreneurship is the base for its virtual operations, containing the necessary details about its courses, events and its resources. It is particularly aimed at potential students, educators and

22

business partners by enabling them to access information about Øresund Entrepreneurship and to gain a glimpse at what the organization does and how it can benefit them. The front page offers links into its NSM infrastructure.

The Facebook page often has similar information as the webpage but it has two advantages over the traditional webpage. Firstly it allows people to post their own information on the page’s wall, in this case success stories of entrepreneurship or educational methods and the fact that interaction is both ways, helps build and sustain a community of businesspeople, students and educators. Secondly, given Facebook's popularity among young people, the page is a key communication tool and allows Øresund Entrepreneurship to reach out to groups that normally would have a hard time reaching. The success of this page can be gauged by the fact that the page has more than 500 fans and is the third biggest source of traffic to the main webpage. Complementing this activity on facebook, twitter account,a micro-messaging website, allows for postings of simple and attractive messages. There have been messages about employment opportunities, visits by guest lectures and other information. This format is important as in today's world with the constant bombardment of marketing messages, particularly at the young, makes short and quick messages a strong tool for grabbing people’s attention. The twitter account has a following of 119 users in addition to being accessible to the general internet user. It also has links to 60 other twitters in the area of entrepreneurship and education.

23

Link to the Twitter account is Øresund Entrepreneurship‘s blog and this medium is particularly strong for expressing ideas and generating rigorous commentary and discussion. Øresund Entrepreneurship‘s blog includes articles by professors and also their attendances at conferences and seminars. The latter action enhances linkages between universities and society, a critical pillar of university's activities given its dependence on public funding. In addition, examination of Øresund Entrepreneurship‘s blog shows photographs of groups of visitors, students at work, Christmas parties etc and this creates a sense of community which not only connects the current participants but also makes their entrepreneurship education attractive for potential students. Using a blog instead of a newsletter means that the content can be made more personal and direct and at the same time is always available for a much larger audience. In addition, the target group to connect with, young people, are these days much more likely to engage with blogs rather than newsletters or articles in newspapers.

This case study hints at the implications arising from the emerging relationship between education and new social media. A possible consequence of this transformation of the education communication infrastructure is a new form of pedagogy, more interactive between educators and students and also involves the wider community. This will strengthen the bonds between all the participants in the educational process and open new avenues of dialogue with important groups in society. Another consequence of NSM usage is that institutions and programs will be more accessible and attractive to their key target group, young people. On the

24

downside the constant updating and monitoring of these various sites can be very time consuming and places a high demand on the institution. This great deal of engagement is justified by the rewards and on this basis; it is time for universities to undergo a facelift. Aibhistin O'Dubhslaine

25

Fair Trade Hellas (FTH) is an NGO (non

governmental organization) that runs a Non Profit Shop. The aim of FTH is to promote the fair trade movement and ethical consumption in Greece. This is done through:

-The shop: we sell products from producers of developing countries and inform the customers about fair trade, through our staff and volunteers.

-Activities: we run educational programs like theatrical plays, interactive games, etc. adapted for children and adults, in schools, universities and outdoor festivals.

-Programs: EVS (European voluntary service), funded by the European Commission (Youth in Action program) where young people are taking part in the shop activities as volunteers. Through EVS the organization achieves networking with other NGO’s for further cooperation (exchange of volunteers, etc). We also run raising awareness programs about fair trade and ethical consumption.

-Campaigns: each campaign has different goals. For example: the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) aims to

26

inform people about the bad working conditions in the textile industry. Also the educational campaign aims to inform young people about voluntarism and being an active part of a movement.

What is Fair Trade?

It is a different form of trade where ethical consumption is the main goal. Fair Trade is an alternative approach to commercial activities, a new form of commercial cooperation based on dialog, transparency and respect.

In today's economy, where profit rules and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, craft producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle and gives them a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people to people connections, justice, and sustainability.

According to the FINE (collaboration of FLO, IFAT, NEWS and EFTA) definition, 2001: "Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better

27

trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade".

Fair Trade is an idea and a movement.

The idea stems from the belief that global trade does not have to ignore people by focusing solely on laws of supply and demand, but rather that trade can be informed by higher virtues of justice and morality.

In this kind of trade the customers are assured that the producers of the products are getting enough money to live with dignity (not just to survive) in their own countries. Our products come from developing countries, where in traditional trade the producers get less than 0,2% of the final price of the product. Thanks to fair trade the same producers get 40% of the final price of the product. This is possible because in the fair trade process instead of having a chain (the ones who put the products in boxes, the ones who make the publicity, the transporters, etc), there is just one organization (also non profit) who makes all these things, cutting off the expenses and not taking advantage of the workers. Also, a non profit organization (like Fair Trade Hellas in this case), is not making any profit, but just uses the revenues to maintain the shop and pay the employees.

28

Fair Trade guarantees:

-A fair price: respecting the labor laws in the country of origin of the product;

-Security of work, because the producers get paid half of the money in advance, so that they can afford the cost of production;

-Negotiation, a way of trade where the producers also have opinion in the trading process;

-Long term relationship between the producers and the fair trade organizations: producers have the security that they will sell their products.

-Respect for the environment: not using damaging products, all fair trade products are biological.

-No child labor: allowing children to play and to go to school.

-Gender equality in labor, women and men get paid equally.

How to get involved in this process as an individual person:

29

There are many different ways to get involved in a fair trade process without opening a shop or having a direct relationship with the producers. One of these ways is volunteering in the shop. If you want to participate as a volunteer in the shop, or even in our outdoor activities, informing consumers and promoting our campaigns, you can apply to: volunteers@fairtrade.gr

Another way is just being part of the process, so just being a customer and buying products coming from fair trade. You can also apply for EVS, European voluntary service, in which Fair Trade Hellas also takes part. It is a program allowing you to do voluntary service abroad. Thanks to EVS many young people from all around Europe are getting involved in organizations like Fair Trade Hellas to collaborate with them as volunteers for some period.

My experience as EVS in Fair Trade Hellas is for a period of 4 months now, becoming better day after day. I came from Spain to Thesaloniki in February and to Athens since April. I am working together with people from Italy, Finland, Turkey and Spain, in a great totally international environment. Fair Trade Hellas is a shop and an organization where a lot of different things are happening everyday. This is how Fair Trade Hellas is working and promoting fair trade all around Athens. We are expecting you to come and pay us a visit!

Elena Maria Sanchez

30

Impact Assessment of Youth Entrepreneurship

Interventions: a Comparative Analysis of the OECD, the

World Bank and the ILO

What is Impact Assessment? Impact assessment is a process of the systematic and

objective determination of the relevance, effectiveness

and efficiency of an activity.1 Impact assessment is used

for appraisal of the changes that would not have occurred

without an intervention. Therefore, the major challenge of

impact assessment is to link certain changes to specific

program activities – the problem of attribution. To conduct

an efficient impact assessment it has to be a systematic

activity, a process inbuilt into the program itself.

OECD Framework for the Evaluation of SME and

Entrepreneurship Policies and Programs

1 OECD Framework for the Evaluation of SME and Entrepreneurship

Policies and Programs, OECD, Paris, 2007.

31

The OECD Framework2 suggests that in order to

conduct an effective evaluation of SME and

Entrepreneurship programs the plurality of quantitative

and qualitative assessment techniques should be used,

given that both approaches have specific advantages

and disadvantages. However, the OECD Framework

underlines the necessity to encourage the use of

quantitative design in Entrepreneurship programs

evaluation, as this approach is not sufficiently used in

such programs impact assessment despite it provides

more accurate evaluation.

The principal advantage of the quantitative design,

according to the OECD Framework, is that it provides

clear answers. It is important, however, that such an

assessment is well done in order for it to be close to the

real impact. Another advantage of the quantitative

approach is that it can be independently verified. The

disadvantages of the quantitative approach include the

high cost of data collection and technical demands, lack

of information on the context in which the program was

implemented, narrow focus on effectiveness and 2 OECD 2007

32

efficiency, the difficulty to find an uncontaminated control

group for comparison etc.

In respect to the qualitative approach the role of

survey, case study and peer review is especially

important. The Framework suggests that the main

advantage of these techniques is the additional

information obtained that goes beyond precise

quantitative evaluation. In addition to this, qualitative

design engages participants in policy learning, is easier

to interpret, provides better understanding of policy

options and alternatives, can be less costly and

complicated (as the scale of the evaluation can vary) etc.

However, besides the classical disadvantages of such

evaluation (like the absence of clear answer) the OECD

Framework highlights the fact that qualitative evaluations

tend to describe rather than evaluate the program. Also,

qualitative approach makes it hard to establish the cause

and effect, as it is usually hard for participants to evaluate

whether the change in their business or employability

occurred specifically due to the participation in the

program. An example of such kind of misleading question

is “What impact do you think this program had on your

33

business?” Obviously, it is almost impossible for the

majority of program participants to evaluate which of the

changes are related to the program and which of them

are not.

The OECD Framework suggests the use of the “Six

Steps to Heaven” approach in developing evaluations.

The Steps in this methodology describe the use of the

gradation of techniques – from the least sophisticated to

more complex ones.

• Step 1. Take up of schemes.

• Step 2. Recipients’ opinions.

• Step 3. Recipients’ views of the difference made up

by assistance.

These first three steps are connected to qualitative

approaches and are considered to be less sophisticated.

The next steps are related to quantitative evaluations.

• Step 4. Comparison of the performance of

program participants with random persons or

businesses that did not take the program.

• Step 5. Comparison with match persons or

businesses.

34

• Step 6. Taking into account selection bias.

The OECD suggests that at least 4 Steps are used

in a SME or Entrepreneurship program evaluation. This

means that in addition to qualitative techniques, the

comparison of program participants with a “control group”

should be undertaken. This would allow making a crude

estimate of program impacts.

The OECD Framework outlines three level of SME

and Entrepreneurship programs evaluation:

• The evaluation of national programs.

• The evaluation of local and regional programs.

• Peer review.

The evaluation of national programs deal with the

interventions on a country level, the vast majority of

which would be in the public domain. In this respect the

programs aimed at the promotion of enterprise culture

are of interest for us. Many of these programs are aimed

at young graduates or disadvantaged youth and are

designed to promote entrepreneurship culture among

35

them. An example of such interventions could be a

program on assisting young disadvantaged people to

start up businesses that was implemented in the United

Kingdom in 2000-2001 (the Prince’s Youth Business

Trust Initiative 3). The objective of the program was to

stimulate self-employment among young people aged 18-

30 with the focus on disadvantaged youth. The

assessment was designed on the “Step 6” level: with the

use of selection bias analysis and control groups. In

addition to the estimation of the rate of business survival,

the evaluation assessed the impact of program

participation on the further labor market performance of

participants. The program evaluation used matching with

a control group to assess the impact, and such a

comparison found that there was no statistical evidence

that the assisted entry into self-employment had a

positive effect on the subsequent participants’

employability. Also, there was no difference in earnings

found between the control group and the program

participants.

3 Meager N., Bates P., Cowling M., An evaluation of business start-up

support for young people, National Institute Economic Review, Vol. 186, No. 1, 59-72 (2003)

36

In the evaluation of another intervention (Shell

Technology Enterprise Programme, STEP 4) “Step 5”

approach was used. The objectives of the program

included: to provide undergraduates with experience in

working in an SME over 8 weeks in the summer; to raise

awareness about the possibility of working in an SME or

starting one; to provide SMEs with experience of

recruiting graduates. During the evaluation the students

who participated in the program were matched with

others who did not participate. The program evaluation

had a significant time-span: the assessment was

conducted over a 36-month period between 1994 and

1997. The evaluation showed that the program did not

have a significant impact on students’ employability.

However, STEP participants expressed a much more

positive attitude than non-STEP students towards self-

employment or starting their own business.

Although these programs did not reach all the

4 Westhead P.; Storey D. J.; Martin F., Outcomes reported by

students who participated in the 1994 Shell Technology Enterprise Programme, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Volume 13, Number 2, 1 April 2001 , pp. 163-185(23)

37

predefined objectives, the use of control groups and

taking into account selection bias allowed for a realistic

impact assessment.

The evaluation of regional and local programs is

different from the evaluation of national programs

because it usually disposes of less evaluation budgets

and concerns smaller scale programs. Therefore,

according to the principle of proportionality (when the

scale and budget of the evaluation is proportionate to the

scale and budget of the intervention itself) sub-national

evaluations tend to be less sophisticated on the “Six

Steps” scale and are conducted with an emphasis on

qualitative techniques and rarely reach Steps 5 or 6

(however, there are some successful examples of such

complex sub-national evaluations).

The peer review method allows to obtain a “big

picture” of entrepreneurship or SME development

programs in a country or region. Such reviews can be

organized with the like-minded organizations or

counterparts. The essential characteristic of this

approach is that the evaluations are organized among

38

several reviewers from different organizations and/or

places but who seek to address similar objectives in

comparable contexts. For such an evaluation to be

effective the following requisites are necessary:

• Value sharing

• Mutual trust

• A sufficient level of commitment of reviewers

• Independence, transparency, accuracy, high

level of analysis

• The credibility of the peer review process

The OECD, as an inter-governmental forum, has the

capacity to conduct peer reviews for the assessment of

SME programmes. Such reviews are organised on three

levels:

• OECD national SME reviews.

• OECD regional and local entrepreneurship

reviews.

• OECD guidance for governments and other

development institutions.

The national peer reviews are undertaken to evaluate

39

SME issues and policies adopted on a country level.

These reviews are developed using the information

provided by the country’s authorities, as well as

academics, industry representatives, NGOs etc. The

report is developed by the OECD Secretariat and

discussed in the presence of the representatives from

lead examining countries and the country under review.

For instance, such reviews were organised for Turkey in

2004 and for Mexico in 2006.

OECD regional and local entrepreneurship reviews are

undertaken with the participation of city and regional

representatives from governments, development

institutions and other partners. The forum for such

reviews is the OECD LEED Program (Local Economic

and Employment Development). Such reviews include

local diagnostic work, visits by international review

panels, seminars, workshops and debates, as well as the

preparation of an assessment report.

The OECD LEED also provides guidance to national,

regional or local governments to develop their evaluation

frameworks adapted to national and local objectives.

40

The World Bank: Evaluating Youth Interventions

The World Bank conducts a range of activities aimed at

the promotion of youth entrepreneurship, such as: Small

grants programs, Loans and grants for youth training and

enterprise services, Microfinance programs (CGAP),

General employment programs affecting youth, Post-

conflict reconstruction and reintegration, Youth

Employment Network (in cooperation with the ILO), IFC /

Grassroots Business Initiative.5

The World Bank note on evaluating youth

interventions argues that an ideal way to undertake an

effective impact assessment would be to compare an

individual’s employability with and without taking the

course at the same point of time. Given that such a

comparison can not be undertaken with the same

individual, one needs an alternative to compare, or

counterfactual. Such a counterfactual is created by using

a control group. The World Bank suggests an effective

way to minimize the ethical constraints when using a

5 Lundberg M., Matteo M., Semlali A., Youth Enterpreneurship and the World Bank, HDNCY, World Bank, 2007.

41

control group and denying treatment to a group of

people. One has to use this method prospectively, in the

planning stage of the project, and preferably assign the

control group randomly. The moral hazards could be

minimized as in the majority of cases the budgetary and

organizational constraints on the initial stage of the

project make it impossible to provide treatment to all the

eligible young people. Therefore one could pick certain

localities or schools randomly as a control group (using a

lottery), but make sure that the course will be provided to

this people later.

In the case when randomization is not possible

(when the project is aimed at people with certain

characteristics such as poverty, for instance) we can use

quasi experimental design, e.g. assign a control group

that has the same characteristics as the treatment group.

According to the World Bank study, a widely used

impact assessment design that brings misleading results

is to compare the same individual before and after

the intervention (a counterfeit counterfactual). In this

case the increase in employability may occur due to the

42

improvement of the macro-economic situation in the

country or region and cannot thus be attributed to the

participation in the program. In the same way, if the labor

productivity or business activity have fallen it can be a

result of other external factors. Therefore, due to the

problem of attribution the comparison of the same

individual (or a group of individuals) before and after the

course may provide wrong results about the general

success of the project.

Another important consideration made by the study

is that the quality of the program implementation has to

be taken into account when evaluating the outcomes.

Sometimes the change does not occur not because of

external factors or defects in the program design, but just

because the program was poorly implemented.

It is also important to acknowledge that youth

interventions often have a much broader scope of

outcomes than it was originally planned. The projects on

youth entrepreneurship usually have socially significant

unexpected outcomes, some of which might even be

more important than the projected ones. One of the most

43

important of them is that youth interventions with a focus

on education contribute to the reduction of risky behavior

among young people. That is why a much wider range

of indicators has to be used to capture these outcomes.

The data collection strategy is also very important,

as primary data collection makes up a significant part of

the evaluation budget. Therefore, the samples have to

represent the target groups. Also, special survey

techniques have to be used to effectively collect

information about youth. Young people are extremely

mobile, and the impact assessment survey must be able

to track them. In order to capture different types of

outcomes, the participants’ privacy also has to be

protected. In this respect self-administered computer

based questionnaires would be more effective than

interviews.

Finally, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention

also has to be evaluated. Even if a program has been

extremely successful its unreasonably high cost can stop

its further implementation. Until one can conduct the

assessment of cost-effectiveness some time has to pass,

44

as certain benefits and costs cannot be seen

immediately.

One of the examples of successful impact

assessments is the evaluation of Youth & Employment

Program in Dominican Republic 6 conducted by the

World Bank Project Implementation Unit. The program

was targeted at young people of 16-29 years old who:

• have not completed secondary school

• have abandoned the school

• want to work

• are willing to be trained

• are unemployed, underemployed or inactive

• belong to the poorest 40% of the society.

Around 58 % of program participants were women.

The program was carried out through the

development of self-targeted training courses determined

by the demand of the private sector, which were selected,

supervised and supported by the Dominican Republic’s

6 Polanco J., Programme Impact Evaluation of Youth and

Employment Program in the Dominican Republic, World Bank Project Implementation Unit,2007

45

National Training Agency. The contracting for the training

courses was realized through competitive bidding. The

vast majority of the courses were in the commerce and

services sector (74.2 %), a significant part of the courses

were in industry (20.7 %) and in farming (3.9 %). The

study period was followed by an internship in the

respective sector of the economy.

The strategy of the impact assessment of the

program was unique for Latin America and the

Caribbean: the evaluation was based on the

experimental design. The first phase of the program

had 4 calls with different numbers of participants in

various parts of the country. Two data survey have been

conducted within the second call of the program. A

baseline survey was carried out in 2005 with the use of

a control group, which was followed by two follow-u p

surveys in 2006. To ensure the effectiveness of the

evaluation, the control group was statistically the same

as the treatment one, and the impact of the program was

measured through the comparison of the indicators for

the two groups. The indicators of the survey included:

• Employment rate

46

• Medical insurance

• Wages.

At the time of the survey a statistical analysis was

carried out, which was followed by a dynamic analysis on

employment history of persons.

The questionnaires for the beneficiaries of the

program contained questions on the quality of the

courses (regarding, for instance, the quality of materials

and the possibility to participate in group discussions), as

well as questions about the usefulness of the courses in

participants’ opinion.

The impact assessment of the program showed that

the occupation rate of the beneficiaries did not differ from

the one of the control group in the first several months

after the end of the program. However, at the time of the

second survey the employment rate of program

participants was 3 % higher than the one of the control

group. Similarly, the survey did not show significant

differences in income level of the beneficiaries and the

control group. However, the difference in the rate of on

the job medical insurance was significantly higher for

47

program participants than for the members of the control

group (around 5 % difference).

In spite of the fact that the level of achievement of

the projected outcomes was modest, the program

brought some unexpected positive outcomes . The

survey showed that the participation in the program

contributed to the decrease of violence against women

and the level of contraction of sexually transmitted

diseases by female participants. Young women who

benefited from the program were less likely to become

crime victims; the level of alcohol consumption was also

lower among the participants who completed the

internship phase. Finally, the participation in the

program had a dramatic impact on the students’ self -

esteem: 62 % of the beneficiaries reported they had a

high level of self-esteem versus only 38 % of the control

group members.

Impact Assessment of Youth Entrepreneurship

Programs at the International Labor Organization

The main Youth Entrepreneurship Development

48

program implemented by the ILO is called “Know About

Business” (KAB). KAB is a business course taught at

high schools to students from developing countries. The

KAB, as an entrepreneurship education program, is

aimed primarily at the change in students’ behavior and

attitude towards business. These are soft impacts which

are difficult or impossible to quantify. However, as we can

see from the OECD and World Bank studies and impact

assessment experience, the most significant outcomes of

youth interventions lie exactly in the area which is hard to

measure through quantitative research. The well-

designed impact assessments of youth entrepreneurship

programs showed that the level of achievement of hard

outcomes was significantly lower than the change in

attitude and behavior (soft impacts). Indeed, the World

Bank’s experience proves that the behavioral change

occurs not only in relation to economic activity and

employment but also in respect to other spheres of

participants’ lives. Such unexpected outcomes can be

socially as significant as increase in economic activity

and are directly connected to the change in students’

attitudes to economic activity and society in general.

However, these behavioral changes can only be

49

measured effectively if we have a control group for

comparison, as these changes can occur due to external

factors. The successful impact assessments use

sophisticated techniques (such as experimental or quasi-

experimental design) even for the evaluation of soft

impacts such as behavior and attitudes.

The KAB impact assessment strategy does not

allow to capture a broader range of behavioral changes.

Also, qualitative techniques prevail in KAB evaluation

even though these methods hardly allow for a realistic

impact assessment. In fact, the most frequently used

approach – the before/after qualitative analysis of

participants’ opinions is one of the most misleading

techniques in view of the World Bank. The problem with

this approach is that we evaluate the same individuals

before and after the intervention without any comparison

with the students who have not taken the course. Even if

the change in attitudes is positive, nothing proves that it

has not occurred due to other factors other than the

participation in the course. This problem of attribution

could be resolved if on the planning stage of the

implementation of a KAB program in a country we picked

50

up a control group of students from another school or

region which would receive the treatment after the group

of beneficiaries. This would also let us avoid moral

hazards, as we would not deny but postpone the

education of the control group participants. In this case a

baseline assessment would be necessary, as well as

several follow-up studies over a significant time-span.

Such an evaluation has to be planned on the initial stage

of the project.

Another lesson that could be learned from the

studies is the use of peer review in youth interventions

evaluation. In the vast majority of regions where the ILO

youth entrepreneurship projects are implemented, other

donors are active in the same area. It would be effective

to use their experience and knowledge for impact

assessment, even though this would require a lot of

institutional and financial engagement.

51

A Brief Comparison of the OECD, the World Bank

and the ILO Strategies on Entrepreneurship Programs

Impact Assessment

OECD World Bank ILO (KAB)

-Preference on the quantitative design.

-Emphasis on the necessity of a control group.

-“Six Steps” approach – the combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques for entrepreneurship programs evaluation.

-Sophisticated impact assessment design (a control group) for the evaluation of soft impacts such as attitudes and behavior. The changes in participants’ attitudes and behavior are compared to the ones of the control group to avoid the problem of attribution.

-Peer review method is used. The reviewers include: the representatives of national authorities from different countries, the OECD Secretariat staff, development institutions, NGOs etc.

-Preference on the quantitative design.

-Emphasis on the necessity of a control group.

-Ethical constraints can be minimized by delaying (and not denying) treatment to a part of beneficiaries in a country. As the project expands the treatment will be provided to a control group which was selected by a lottery.

-Comparison of the same individuals on before/after approach is misleading as it creates the problem of attribution.

-A wide range of indicators should be used to capture unexpected outcomes.

-The quality of program implementation and its cost-effectiveness have to be assessed

-Preference on the qualitative design.

-No use of control groups.

-Emphasis on the assessment of soft impacts such as participants’ judgment and experts’ opinion.

-Emphasis on the comparison of the same individuals on before/after approach.

-Sophisticated methods of assessment are not used.

-The indicators do not capture unexpected outcomes.

-Peer review (by other agencies, NGOs etc.) is not conducted.

Yulia Vashchuk

52

53

Narcissism of Minor Difference

Three years ago, at this time I was studying abroad in Cyprus. The wall on Ledra street was taken down in a top-secret overnight mission, Tasos Papadopoulos was President of the Republic of Cyprus and Mehmet Talat was representing the area not under governmental control; and three years later, with the exception of the Greek Cypriot leader, nothing has changed… March 1, 2007 (Thursday) Today we left for Cyprus! As soon as we arrived at Seton Hall Dr. Gokcekus gave us books to present to the students of Near East University. I remember when we landed in Heathrow Airport there was a man standing in line behind us who said he was Cypriot. As I looked at this man I could not figure out if he was Greek or Turkish. His accent was much like my fathers and at the same time much like Dr. Gokcekus’. I looked at the chain he wore around his neck to see if it had a cross at the end—if it did he would obviously be Christian, thus Greek. However, his chain was tucked into his shirt. After about an hour of him speaking to one of my classmates he gave away that he was Turkish Cypriot. I began to think about the similarities between the two ethnicities and how the people choose to magnify their differences, meanwhile one cannot tell the difference between a Turkish or Greek person—until the individual exhibits their nationalism.

54

Thursday flew by rather quickly because we spent all of it flying! March 2, 2007 (Friday) After long flights we finally arrived in Larnaca at around 5pm on Friday. Five students’ bags had been lost when we connected in Heathrow; however thanks to our persuasive Dean, Ambassador Menzies, they were able to receive their luggage the following day. Upon arriving at the Hilton and seeing our beautiful room, I remember the first thing my roommate, Saira, and I did was head onto the balcony where there was a breathtaking view of Nicosia. Apparently, the rest of Seton Hall thought so, because our classmates were on their balconies as well! We then headed down to the Othello Room for our Welcome Dinner. I must say, I felt like my mother had made dinner as a majority of the dishes before me were Greek, with a few Cypriot exceptions. It was this evening that we all headed to the North for the first time. We met Mustafa and Evrem and went to a restaurant called, The Californian. I remember as we were first crossing the boarder into the north Mustafa asked what everyone’s nationality was and I slowly walked away. I would say my name in English each time I did not want someone to know my nationality—at least until I knew how they felt about Greeks.

I did not want anyone to sensor their words because they knew my nationality. Thus, at the end of the night as we walked through one of the gates dividing Nicosia, I said “Katerina” in Greek—Mustafa turned

55

suddenly and asked “Your Greek?” in shock; he then told us about how he once dated a Greek Cypriot girl, before the gates were open and of nights he found his tires slashed and days he received death threats. March 3, 2007 (Saturday) On Saturday we visited Kolossi castle. It was amazing to see influences on Cyprus that were neither Greek nor Turkish. Kolossi castle is located outside of Limassol and depicts the Middle Ages in Cyprus. According to Dr. Tom Davis of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute, the castle was once inhabited by Richard the Lionhearted. We then visited Kourion. Dr. Davis showed us one small area where he discovered the bones of a young girl sitting near the bones of a horse. Nearby, he found the skeleton of a man with his arms wrapped around a woman which was holding a baby. Apparently, they had died instantaneously in the 7th century when a series of earthquakes hit Cyprus. It was enlightening to be in Kourion. One realizes that although time changes buildings and lifestyles, people themselves do not change. This woman was protecting her child, as her husband was protecting the both of them.

The little girl went in to comfort the horse which apparently felt the tremors of the earthquake before the people of Cyprus did.

After Kourion we had a Greek-Cypriot lunch as St. Ermogenis, where I once again felt as though my mother

56

cooked. Next on the agenda was the Koukli Museum where we saw a Homeric Sarcophagus. My favorite visit of the day was when we saw Aphrodite. Aphrodite, the goddess herself, is a misshapen black rock. Some people believe it is a meteor which fell to earth; thus the ancients believed it was the goddess. She now sits in Koukli Museum. I found it ironic that the goddess of beauty and love was a cold-black rock. We also visited Aphrodite’s birthplace where three stones sit in line and decrease in size as they reach deeper waters in the Mediterranean, it is here mythology says where Aphrodite emerged from the foam of the sea. The Turkish quarter in Limassol was the next destination. What I found most intriguing was visiting a Mosque and hearing Greek music playing in the Café next door. March 4, 2007 (Sunday) On Sunday, Dr. Davis escorted us on cultural visits once again. We first visited Salamis where we saw an ancient city which had been unearthed near the Mediterranean. Mosaic floors still appeared while patches of grass grew through cracked marble. Columns, which were about five times my height, soared into the sky. We even discovered a passage which led underground. Dean Courtney Smith, of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall University, was the first to climb down into the cave and start to explore the ancient city underground!

We even visited Famagusta where influences from

57

Christians and the Venetians can be seen. Kyrenia must be one of the most beautiful places in all of Cyprus. I do not think I can even begin to describe it. It is unfortunate that many of the villas now built in this beautiful city have been built by the British on land owned by others, but who can blame all those that want a piece of this beautiful city! On the drive up the mountain to St. Hilarion castle we passed the headquarters of the Turkish army and saw their obstacle course through the mountains. As though the steps in Kolossi Castle were not bad enough for those of us afraid of heights, Mount St. Hilarion proved to be like climbing a mountain, literally. Dr. Davis told us of a ruler who lived in the castle. This ruler was told that his guard was planning his assassination. Thus, the ruler called his guard to the highest point of the castle, St. John’s tower, and threw him off. Apparently, it was all a hoax whereby the other guards planned the leader’s assassination and the first guard was the only loyal one. Therefore, the ruler called each guard up individually and threw each from the tower to his death. At St. Hilarion Castle we were allowed to explore the castle and climb on our own. It was like our own personal adventure in Cyprus. Christin, a fellow Diplomacy student, and I were a bit skeptical of climbing to the top at first, so we began to climb just to see how far we would go until we stopped. As we reached one point we would say “We came this far, let’s keep going”, after repeating that phrase a few times we found ourselves at the top of the castle. I think we both emerged with a new motto for not only climbing mountains, but achieving goals in life. We then had dinner at a Turkish restaurant, where

58

once again—I felt as though my mother had cooked dinner. It is uncanny how similar Greek and Turkish dishes are. We also saw Turkish dancers perform various dances and even joined in! The two ethnicities are so similar and lived side b y side for centuries, yet have illuminated small differences for the past forty years. I believe the similarities give hope for a united future. March 5, 2007 (Monday) On Monday the Human Rights Group had their first breakfast meeting. We met with a human rights expert. It was the same young man we met on Friday night, Mustafa. He reiterated some information we already knew about Cyprus however gave us a few insights I had never heard before. Mustafa told us in August a group of men wearing black shirts entered an English School in the south and beat all Turkish Cypriot Students. The Greek Cypriots in the school backed their Turkish Cypriot friends against those in black shirts. We were also told that by the end of March, for the first time, some of the missing persons will begin to be returned both North and South. For the first time I also heard of the Loizidou Case, whereby precedent has been set for those which have lost property to be paid for “loss of use of the property” aside from the property itself. In the case Mustafa mentioned in particular, Ms. Loizidou was paid eleven million euros for loss of use of her property. We then met with Ambassador Themis Themistocleous, head of the representation of the

59

European Commission to Cyprus. Ambassador Themistocleous was a wonderful politician who showed us how to answer questions diplomatically while always being politically correct. When he was unable to answer in such a manner he simply avoided the question, as a true politician would. The most important thing I learned from Ambassador Themistocleous was that the Treaty of Nice allows for only twenty seven members in the European Union. With Croatia and Bulgaria currently joining, the EU has reached twenty seven members. Even if a new treaty were to be signed Ambassador Themistocleous stated that it would not be until 2015 at the earliest for Turkey to join. He continued by stating “What is European? Turkey is further east and has a different religion”. When asked about the Cyprus problem he simply replied “It is up to the concerned parties”.

On Monday, Mustafa showed us how to be a moral human being, whereas Ambassador Themistocleous taught us how to be a politician.

After the meeting our group went to Xefoto, a Greek restaurant in old Nicosia where we were joined by Mustafa and Evrem. They had a live band playing where we danced the same dances we danced the night before at the Turkish dinner. We also ate the same food as the evening before. Overall, everyone had a great night! March 6, 2007 (Tuesday) Tuesday was a very interesting day. We met with the UN Envoy Representatives at UNIFCYP Headquarters.

60

The Chief of Mission, Mr. Malone, said the Cyprus Problem was an industry whereby events were repeated and reincarnated each day as part of people’s jobs.

The UN mission in Cyprus has lasted for forty four years and is therefore the longest mission in the world. The most interesting thing I learned on Tuesday was that there is currently a ceasefire on the island—no peace treaty was ever signed. We were also told that there is a bicommunal village within the buffer zone. Mr. Malone even referred to the green line as the “Berlin Wall of Cyprus”. Although the island was divided in 1974, UN troops patrolled the entire island from 1964 to 1974 before creating the buffer zone.

The UN peacekeepers also took us to the old Nicosia airport which is surrounded by ghost towns. I saw businesses and homes which were left frozen in time in 1974 when the buffer zone was created. We were given a tour of the Nicosia airport which still has a Cyprus Airways plane, filled with bullet holes, sitting on the runway. As a UN Helicopter circled over us we walked across the runway where thousands of people once traveled upon, however now you can only visit the airport if you are a UN Official or diplomatic guest. I spoke with one of the UN peacekeepers and asked him if he ever stops conflict and finds himself in dangerous situations. He replied “every day”. The peacekeeper said that in one village the buffer zone is very small and to this day Greeks and Turks throw rocks at each other while calling names.

61

Although we met very diplomatic people which look at Cyprus with an optimistic eye, I am glad that we heard a bit of honesty from one of the UN Peacekeepers.

We then met with Mr. Talat, the man elected by the Turkish Cypriots as President. Mr. Talat reiterated many of the points we heard from previous leaders in Cyprus; however, I felt as though he was a superior choice for President in comparison to his Southern counterpart. Mr. Talat stated “non solution is a solution—this was the argument of the Greek Cypriots”. I may not be Turkish, I may not be Cypriot, I am Greek and I am an American—and I felt as though Mr. Talat was morally a good person who was just trying to find a way to help his people. That evening we went to Chillarie’s, another Greek restaurant. This time we all went to dinner with our Professor and Deans, like a large Cypriot family. We had a wonderful dinner and danced the night away—we were now becoming professionals as it was the same steps for the third night in a row! March 7, 2007 (Wednesday) On Wednesday we attended a panel discussion with Greek and Turkish Cypriot students at the J.W. Fulbright Center located in the Buffer Zone under the auspices of the US Embassy. I found some of the things the young Cypriots said to hold true, such as when Andrea stated “Greek Cypriot diaspora in England is more aware of the Cyprus problem because they left—time stopped right there”.

62

I believe the same is true for Greek Cypriot

Americans. Those living in Cyprus can move on because they are forced to for their own future; however, the people that left remember why they left and are frozen in that moment which changed their lives. Demetris stated “I served in the army for two years, at 19 when I didn’t want to—I was at the Green Line while a Turkish soldier clicked his gun and I shouted obscenities”.

Eralp, a Turkish Cypriot student, stated he did not feel like he had the same rights as his Greek counterparts. He told us “…my best friend in the US was Greek Cypriot. When we discuss the political situation we look from a different perspective. They see 1974—the blood war—we have to leave history and look to the future”.

Despina told us that her village is on the border of the UN buffer zone and because of this she stated “…half of the town will have the house they grew up in and the other half will see their house in the UN zone—it’s just dead. I look out my window each night and see the Mediterranean and that beauty is wasted because of the war.”

This statement really hit me, because my own family is from a Greek island and has lived on the same land for more generations than I can count. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a home that has been in ones family for generations. It must be even worse to live a

63

stones-throw away from the house your family lived in for generations, to see it, and not be able to step through the door. Demetris summed it up best when he quoted Machiavelli “If you lose a relative you will forget—but if you lose property you will remember it forever”.

It was very interesting when the students stated that they had already been instilled with nationalism and prejudice and they would therefore have to raise their children differently; that they would need to begin with the next generation because it was too late for their own. When asked how they would raise their children one stated “We must pass down knowledge, not prejudice”.

We then visited the Kobi Center in the North where we were briefed by Brian Stirewalt of the USAID-funded project, EDGE. I was in the banking group where we discussed various ways the north is attempting to promote economy within itself. I questioned the woman representing the Central Bank of Turkey about the Loizidou case and how it set precedence in international law whereby others would receive financial alleviation for “loss of use” of their property and the affect it would have on the economy of northern Cyprus. The representative stated that the Turkish government was financially liable for loss of use and loss of property because Turkey violated the law, not northern Cyprus.

Furthermore, USAID funds provided for northern Cyprus were a result of the rejection of the Anaan Plan, whereby if the economies in the north and south were on

64

par the path to reunification would not hold as many obstacles.

Finally, we arrived at the US Embassy where we were only allowed to bring our passport. It awed me that the US Embassy had more security than the offices of the leaders in the north and south, the EU, and the UN combined. We were addressed by the US Ambassador to Cyprus and various other Embassy employees. One employee, Greg Macris stated “Cyprus is the size of Connecticut with the population of Staten Island—but it’s the cross road of the Middle East, Persia, Africa and the Mediterranean”.

We learned that the United States remains very interested in reunifying the island. After our briefing we attended a reception at the home of the US Ambassador. It was here that I spoke with a Professor from Cyprus College, the US Ambassador himself, Greg Macris, and the Assistant Public Relations Officer of the Embassy. My favorite part of the evening however was when I entered the courtyard of the Ambassador’s home and saw many college students gathered on his outdoor furniture. I joined their conversation and learned one student was Armenian, some were Greek Cypriot, and a few were Turkish Cypriot. They were all sitting side by side engaging in conversation at the home of the US Ambassador and making plans for the evening. March 8, 2007 (Thursday) On Thursday we visited Near East University where we listened to various panel sessions. They

65

included (1) the European Union Coordinator to the Turkish Cypriot Administration, (2) the senior consultant at the USAID funded Kobi Center and a Professor from Eastern Mediterranean University, (3) the President of the Cyprus EU Society, (4) and the Turkish Cypriot and International members of the Committee of Missing Persons. The Committee of Missing persons was the session which interested me most as it is the only institutionalized bicommunal committee in Cyprus. 502 Turkish Cypriots and 1500 Greek Cypriots have been reported missing. Remains will begin to be returned to families by the end of March for the first time since 1964 when the first person was reported missing. The committee is responsible for finding the missing persons but not who is guilty or deciphering what happened. Hopefully this event builds bridges as other bicommunal projects have and individuals will be able to mourn their losses without seeking blame.

We also received a tour of Near East University and were treated to a wonderful Turkish lunch! The University is new and beautiful and I am sure the future is a bright one for it and its’ students. On Thursday evening we were given the option of attending a play for International Women’s Day at Ledra Palace which is the current headquarters of the UN or simply embarking on our own Cypriot adventure. I and many other students chose to explore Nicosia now that we had some free time in our schedule. We shopped in old Nicosia and spoke with local Cypriots which had not been pre-screened for us to meet with. When we were

66

being driven back to the Hilton our taxi driver who knew we were American students heard we visited Salamis, Kourion, and Kyrenia; however, upon hearing Famagusta he exclaimed “the Turks took that from us!” We did not reply but simply began to discuss Nicosia itself and other places we should visit within the city. Apparently, diplomacy does not end in the classroom or meeting room as one must be diplomatic in all situations they find themselves in. March 9, 2007 (Friday) On Friday we met with Ambassador Kozakou-Marcoullis, of the Foreign Ministry of Cyprus. In reference to the start of the Cyprus Problem, Ambassador Marcoullis stated “…in one day, and some instances a few hours, they were driven out and lost their homes, businesses—everything.”

She stated the Cypriot government is against the provision of troops, meaning the permanent Greek or Turkish troops which have not been withdrawn, and the settlers.

We then visited the Deputy Mayor of Nicosia in the South. Mr. Ieronymides did not surprise me by stating what we heard from every other politician from the south and the European Union. Dean Alves however, did surprise me when she asked me to present a gift to Mr. Ieronymides on behalf of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy—and to say something in Greek!

67

After I startled Mr. Ieronymides by suddenly thanking him in Greek we began to leave the Mayor’s office to head to Ledra Street, on the day history was made.

The wall which divided Nicosia since conflict began had finally fallen. Greek soldiers lined the boarder as Turkish ones were aligned on the other side of the buffer zone. Through the cracks of the temporary-plastic barricades I and the others on the Greek side could see people standing on the Turkish side staring back. It was like a mirror reflection, the same group of people which had been through the same predicaments for forty years were finally given a glimpse down all of Ledra Street, a glimpse toward their future.

I could not help but notice the sign next to us which read “Lefkosia—The Last Divide Capital in the World”. On the Turkish side a few days before we saw banners painted red and white with sayings directed to the Greeks. On the Greek side of the buffer zone blue and white paint was everywhere; on the ground was spray-painted in Greek “Our borders do not end here”. Near the spot where the wall once stood paparazzi swarmed the area as the Greek Ambassador, American Ambassador, and Deputy Mayor all made addresses. I remember a Greek Cypriot Journalist who spoke to my classmates and I. He said “The Greeks and Turks lived together harmoniously for hundreds of years—they’ve been fighting for only forty. They will get through this.”

68

That evening, Linda, a fellow-diplomacy student and my best friend, and I went out with Linda’s friend who once lived in New Jersey, Omiros. We went up to the tower in Nicosia and saw the city for the last time as the sun was setting. We then went to Ledra Street where we spoke to one of the soldiers who was Omiros’ friend and was stationed where the wall once stood. The soldier told us he did not know what would happen now that the wall was torn down, he was simply ordered to stand guard. We then said our goodbyes to Omiros’ family—and arrived back to the hotel for the Dean’s dinner at 7:30pm, the exact time the dinner was to start! Yes, we grew accustomed to Cypriot time! Our classmates laughed as Linda and I ran down the Hilton halls to get changed for the Dean’s Farewell dinner, however they later congratulated us because we both arrived within a few minutes. Dinner was comprised of Cypriot dishes—both Greek and Turkish. Gifts were given to Dean Alves, Dean Smith, Ambassador Menzies and Dr. Gokcekus from us to thank them for planning such a wonderful trip. The students were asked to vote for “Most Changed Student”, “Most Eloquent Speaker” and “Most Valuable Diplomat”. I loved the tiffany’s keychain of the world I received after being voted “Most Valuable Diplomat”—it’s something that will always remind me of Cyprus and the lessons I learned on this trip. Cyprus will always be where I learned the difficulty in being indifferent and how to be a true diplomat, which cannot be explained—it must be learned from experience.

69

March 10, 2007 (Saturday) Friday night, well technically Saturday morning, we all headed out to experience the Nicosia nightlife for one last time. We returned to the hotel at approximately 4am, just in time for that 4:30am wake up call! We gathered our belongings and headed down to the lobby of the Hilton for our last breakfast in Nicosia and then departed for Larnaca Airport. The trip to Cyprus was amazing. It was an eye-opener. I walked away with life-long lessons; being Greek, I realized the difficulty in being indifferent and the importance of third party actors such as the European Union and United Nations. Aside from the life-long lessons, I left Cyprus with a few life-long friends of Turkish and Greek decent which I still maintain contact with. Who knew such strong ties could be built with people and lifelong lessons could be learned in ten days. If a little island in the Mediterranean is capable of building ties between people and teaching lifelong lessons through its rich history within a week, it is definitely capable of anything, even teaching its’ own people lifelong lessons and being an example for the world. Katerina Dimitratos __________________________________________ Author’s Note: These journal entries were written in March of 2007 as each day progressed and events unfolded; they are accurate accounts of what went through my mind as a Greek-American diplomacy student in the moment. I did not sensor any of my perceptions or

70

those of the people I encountered; nor did I edit any of these entries since March of 2007. After reading these entries, Turkish friends have commented on my “Pro-Greek” mentality; whereas Greek friends that have read the entries have told me that I am not an advocate of The Republic of Cyprus or the Greeks on the island – maybe this means I am deserving of the “Most Valuable Diplomat” award I received from Seton Hall University in Cyprus as each ethnic group stated I defended the other.