Mary
Mary-Lynell Ioannidou is currently working for a youth NGO called YEU Cyprus. She is considered a youth worker and her main duty is to be responsible with the organization, regarding the volunteers and the employees. Other than that, she volunteers for various animal welfare organizations and otherwise she enjoys her free time in Cyprus and the good weather.
​
“ In YEU, I have been working for 4 years now. Right after school, (because I was really good with science) I started a path that was related to sciences: chemistry actually, although when I was younger I always liked the idea of volunteering and helping others and I did feel that doing something like that and giving back to your community are really important.
So while studying chemistry, I realized after a couple of years that this is not the thing for me, and that I didn’t want to work in anything that is related to chemistry (although there are various things that you could do with such background!).
I started by searching for a variety of topics initially and I ended up studying “Languages and European Studies”. This is how I became really certain that I wanted to work in the NGO sector, as throughout the studies I started working and volunteering in various organizations. Also, when I was studying in Berlin, I tried to get involved in various initiatives happening at a local level. So when I finished my degree, I was “Ok, now I have to find a job in the NGO sector” and I was lucky enough to find a position opened here at YEU Cyprus, so I ended up working here.
From the past, I did have an interest in different topics related to gender issues, gender equality, LGBTQ matters, refugees and migration in general. These were the areas that I was interested in and luckily working in a youth NGO gives you the opportunity to work with a variety of topics and you get to learn a lot about many things.
​
For example, I began working in the organization when they were more interested in mental health issues. After that, they deviated to cultural heritage and tradition, then wellness, then we went more into human rights education, peace education, and now we are going more into sustainability and environmental issues. So, this is very interesting and I consider myself lucky to be able to work on a variety of topics and implicitly to learn a lot.
As for the SDG’s, the ones that are covering gender equality are really important to me and the SDG’s that are covering the environmental issues. Now, of course, the SDG’s that are related to partnerships are really important as well, as I believe to my core that without partnership and collaboration the impact is much less and nothing remains sustainable.
So, I think the best way to raise awareness around them is dependent on the target audience, if you are trying to reach local communities, or if you are trying to reach governmental or non-governmental bodies. If we are talking about local level and citizens in general, I believe that social media and the digital tools create wonders nowadays.
​
Especially, within this actual pandemic context and with all the uncertainty we are going through, we, as actors in the society, will have to pay more attention to using more the digital tools and the online platforms.
On the other side, the present situation can be also an opportunity for tackling the SDG’s. I believe that through crises people come together and their power cannot be measured. I also believe that innovation comes in situations like this. It is our duty to join powers and think about new ideas and about what we could do different. We weren’t close to the goals in the past either, so maybe we needed this radical change to actually come closer to the objectives that we want to reach.”
Which SDG’s are you most interested in, if you could choose one or two?
I am in between logic and passion. Logic says partnership, passion would say gender. I would be happy with any of those two.
​
What would be the ones that would need more action and attention here in Cyprus?
There are a couple, of course! Partnership is being one of them. There have to be more incentives to drive cross sectorial cooperation or cooperation at any level, for more achievements to take place. Once again, I firmly believe that we are behind in many aspects as an island, but if I would have to choose specific goals, although I would probably be influenced by my own belief, I would consider gender equality as a big issue and again climate action.
​
For the people reading the interview, what are you recommendations regarding the SGD’s, either for them to take an action, either to educate themselves? If you could send one message out to the people, what would that message be?
Not to be intimidated while reading about all these goals. Just chose one, contact us and we can let you know what small change you can do. All changes happen with small individual actions or by changing a specific life style or habit that we have. It doesn’t have to be something big.
