Harry and Stelios
Harry and Stelios are a youth worker at an NGO and an artist. They are also part of Allospos, a group of artists, social workers, and activists with the purpose to use participation through arts as means of social change. Specifically, they plan, implement, and monitor community art projects that aim at enabling underprivileged and vulnerable young people and communities to explore, analyze and challenge issues of their own reality.
You can learn more about it in the following pages:
Website: https://www.allospos.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alloposprojects
My name is Harry Economou and I graduated from the University of Stirling School of Management, having acquired and MSc degree in Strategic Sustainable Business.
I currently work as a community and youth worker at SCOREscotland, an NGO in the Southwest of Edinburgh which represents black and minority ethnic group. Its purpose is to Strengthen communities for race equality. I have been working with SCORE for just over a year and I’ve been involved in their sustainability oriented activities.
I am also part of the Allospos team and I have played a vital role in the delivery of Allospos’ activities by planning, coordinating and evaluating several projects.
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My first exposure with the SDGs happened in 2018 when I started my Master's degree. I was impressed by them but at the same time I was a bit disappointed that I only found out about them a few years after they’ve been set out. During my Master’s I had the opportunity to get an in depth understanding of all SDGs and its particular targets as I undertook several projects focusing on those Goals.
My name is Stelios, and I am an artist, project facilitator and a social development practitioner. In 2020, I completed my second Master's degree in ‘Power, Participation & Social Change’ at the University of Sussex, with a focus on youth empowerment and agency through image making and street art activities.
The past year I have been engaged in the creation of murals with the artistic group ‘Amaya_3400’. Since 2016, I have worked as a project coordinator in the team of ‘Allospos’.
I knew about SDGs since 2015 when they were set. However, I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding on them in 2018, during some seminars on my master’s degree but also during my involvement with Extinction Rebellion global environmental movement in the UK.
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Reduced Inequalities, 10 SDG, is one of the biggest targets we have as a team as we live in a closed society. Specifically, we try to empower and promote social inclusion regarding age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic and other status. We aim to create safe space were young people with fewer opportunities, unemployed, middle-aged women, the elderly, LGBT + people, refugees, and other minorities will participate in art processes (street art, photography, film making, theater e.g.) in order to socialize, to gain self-confidence both individually and as groups, to develop technical knowledge, explore their creativity and cultivate their critical thinking but also to take measures to possibly address their concerns. Allospos’ work also contributes to the Goals 5 and 16. As an organization that aims to give equal opportunities to everyone, it would be wrong not to mention our efforts to empower the women in our community. On top of this, promoting peace and justice for all are two of the principles that underpins our activities. This can be proved by several art works in the Kofinou Refugee camp. So, we feel that we also contribute to the Goal 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institution.
Arts can play a vital role in the promotion of SDGs, and can be used as a non-formal way to learn about them. Through different campaigns and small videos as well as murals we can make Cypriots reconsider their role in society and potentially influence them in taking some small but sustainable actions. We don’t feel that Art is enough to tackle the current social and environmental issues, so new initiatives that aim to reduce food waste and make people more environmentally aware are essential (community food pantry, upcycling and clothes swapshops as well as climate literacy workshops in schools).
Mural at Kofinou Asylum Camp Community
Which of the SDG's would need more action and attention from the people in Cyprus (both individuals and organizations)?
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Harry: I feel that the majority of the Cypriot population is not aware about these goals, and that’s something that makes me sad. Gladly, the YAS team is there and trying to raise awareness. That’s awesome!! Although, I feel that Climate Action, Affordable & Green Energy as well as Industry, Innovation & Infrustructure are the Key Goals that require more attention by the Cypriot folks. I believe that, as an EU country, is unacceptable not meeting a single target set out by the EU when it comes to sustainable development. There are too many cars in the street, something that makes it extremely dangerous for people who want to adapt an active travel behaviour (e.g. cycling). Thus, rebuilding our infrastructures by making them more walking and cycling friendly will attract and motivate more people to adapt their travel behaviour. Even though recycling is the minimum an individual can do, it seems that Cypriots are not fully aware of what it can be recycled. So, climate action, innovation & infrastructure along with the quality education could make Cyprus a more eco friendly country.
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Stelios: Cypriots have a lack of knowledge and awareness regarding the climate emergency that humanity faces. We live our lives environmentally irresponsibly, without being aware of how our everyday actions are impacting the environment. For example, according to a recent research of LIFE FoodPrint, the average household in Cyprus throws away 23% of its weekly purchases of food, vegetables and fruits. Also, we lead negatively in the European Union both in the production of waste per capita and in their insufficient recycling. That is a problem that occurs through our education as we do not learn from a young age how to consume and produce responsibly, respect nature and protect biodiversity.
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From a personal point of view, what SDGs do you feel the most strongly connected to and why?
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Harry: Based on the nature of my job, I feel that I am more connected to the SDG-Climate Action. One of my roles is to deliver climate literacy workshops. I plan presentations for these events and facilitate activities and discussions surrounding the impact of our actions on the environment. I am also involved in the facilitation of bike maintenance sessions, which its ultimate purpose is to motivate the people in the community to adapt an active travel behavior. These maintenance sessions are part of my organization’s drive to support sustainable change in the transport habits of its community.
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Stelios: Personally, I believe that all the goals are similarly important. However, I feel more connected with the SDG 12 and 13 goals and the importance of taking urgent action to combat climate change and to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The past decade we have experienced the warmest temperatures in history but also the extinction of the species (plant or animal) worldwide. If we do not focus on these targets, we will have more irreversible impacts on our planet the next few years. It is time to act and reconsider our lifestyle both individually and collectively. It is time to reconsider our transportation system and to reduce the amount of waste we produce. Reuse items as much as we can before replacing them but also recycle items wherever possible!
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Do you have any suggestions/recommendations for the people that are reading this interview?
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Harry: My message to the people of Cyprus about the SDGs is that, climate change is real, and social and gender inequalities still exist therefore, the UN SDGs are there to help us achieve a more sustainable future for everyone. Ghandi said ‘’ be the change you want to see in the world’’ therefore, starting with ourselves and making some changes in travel, energy and food could have a huge positive impact on the planet.
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Stelios: Collaboration between individuals and organisations is the key factor if we want to achieve environmental and social justice!
