CYPRUS NS BIENNIAL REPORT Reporting period:

CYPRUS NS BIENNIAL REPORT Reporting period: 2010-2012 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 Country Cyprus 1.2 Name of the National Section (NS) Cyprus Association on Books for Young People 1.2.1. Address, telephone, fax, e-mail, website, Facebook Cyprus Association on Books for Young People 53, Xanthis Xenierou Str. 1015 Nicosia Cyprus Tel: ++ 357 22375919 Fax: ++ 357 24532816 Website : www.cybby.org 1.3 Representatives 1.3.1 President of the National Section (NS) Mr. Costas Katsonis P.O.B. 42122 6531 Larnaka, Cyprus Tel: ++ 357 24530609 ++ 357 99538380 Email: ckatso@cytanet.com.cy 1.3.2 Secretary or main executive officer of the NS Mr. Petros Panaou 1 Thessalonikis Str. Agios Dometios 2363 Nicosia Tel: ++357 99427737 Email: panaou.p@unic.ac.cy 1.3.3 IBBY main Liaison Officer or contact person Mr. Petros Panaou 1 Thessalonikis Str. Agios Dometios 2363 Nicosia Tel: ++357 99427737 Email: panaou.p@unic.ac.cy

1.4 Organization Structure 1.4.1 How is your NS organized? Describe the structure of the NS in general. General Assembly (all members) Management Committee of 9 elected members Sub-committees formed to assist on special events 1.4.2 Is your NS affiliated to, or a branch of another organization or institution? If so, which one? The NS is not affiliated to any organizations. 1.4.3 Do you have an office and paid staff? The Cyprus IBBY NS shares premises with other similar organizations (Union of Cyprus Writers, Cyprus Photographic Society, Pen etc.) which are made available to the NS by the Cultural Services of the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture. The Ministry also provides some secretarial services to all who share the premises. 1.4.4 How often do you have business meetings? The Committee meets once a month and whenever special urgent matters arise. Governance 1.4.5. Describe your national sections governance structure. Management Committee: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and three committee members. 1.4.6 List your officers and their term of office. Term of office: 2011 2013 President: Costas Katsonis Vice-President: Flora Timotheou Secretary: Petros Panaou Assistant Secretary: Maria Pachite Treasurer: Lagia Karpasite Assistant Treasurer: Christos Kalogerou Members: Maria Olympiou Elena Papantoniou

Eleni Fotiadou-Artemiou Frixos Michaelides 1.4.7 How are your officers selected? Are they elected by your members? By ballot? At a General Assembly? The committee members are elected every two years by the NS General Assembly. Membership 1.4.8 Does your NS have organizations as members? How many? What kind of organizations? The Association has no organizations as members, but we have close cooperation with the Union of Publishers, Booksellers, and the Cyprus Teachers Union. Publishers, who are now established in Cyprus, are possible member organizations in the future. 1.4.9 Does your NS have individual members? How many? How do they contribute to the NS activities? Cyprus IBBY Association has about 350 individual members, who participate in current activities, General Assemblies, seminars, contests, sub-committees etc. They also contribute by paying their dues at the beginning of each year. 1.4.10 Describe the make up of your membership? More specifically: who are your members? What percentage are: teachers? authors? illustrators? publishers? students? etc. Our members are mostly teachers (40%), writers (16%), illustrators (3%), students (3%), Journalists (1%), librarians (1%) and other friends of children s books (36%). 1.4.11 What categories of membership, if any, does your NS have? There are no different categories. 1.4.12 How inclusive is your membership of persons connected to the children s book world in your country? All persons who are interested in the field may become members, and indeed most of them are members of the NS.

1.4.13 If not inclusive, describe your plans to make it more inclusive? N/A 1.4.14 Do you make any special effort to attract young people? The NS s yearly awards and other events are often targeted at young people. 1.4.15 How often do you keep in touch with your members? How? All members get letters from the NS at the beginning of the year and 2-3 other times. Throughout the year they also get individual invitations for all activities of the NS. 2. FUNDING 2.1 Annual Budget 2.1.1 What is your average annual budget in US$? Is it increasing or decreasing? The average annual budget is $ 25 000, 00. It is more or less stable. 2.2 Sources of income 2.2.1 Is there a membership fee? How much is it? What percentage of your budget does this account for? 10 per year. Fees cover about 15% of our budget. 2.2.2 Do you receive financial support from individual sponsors and/or donors? If so, how much? What percentage of your budget does this account for? None from individuals. 2.2.3 Do you receive grants from your government? If so, how much? What percentage of your budget does this account for? Grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture who is the Association's main sponsor. We apply to the Ministry, listing our projected yearly expenses at the beginning of each year, along with our year plan of activities. The Ministry s contribution amounts to approximately 70% of the budget. 2.2.4 Do you receive grants from national institutions or other organizations? If so, how much? What percentage of your budget does this account for? There are not any grants from other organizations until now, except from the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Centre, which sponsors the Association's annual Children s Literature Awards, for more than 32 years now.

2.2.5 Have other NS contributed any financial support? If so, how much? There is not any financial support from other NS. 2.2.6 Do you generate income through publications? If so, how much? What percentage of your budget does this account for? There is an income of about $ 3 800 (about 15% of annual budget) from the annual publication (magazine) Anemi (which includes news and articles about children s literature). 2.2.7 Do you have other sources of income not mentioned above? What are they? What percentage of your budget does this account for? About 10% from participation in European or local funded projects, and about 5% from fundraising at our annual social gatherings including a participation fee for drinks and raffle tickets. 2.2.8 Are the sources of income listed in points 2.2.1 to 2.2.7 regular contributions? Yes, with the exception of 2.2.7, which depends on the projects the NS gets to participate in and participation in the events organised. 2.2.9 Do you receive support specifically for your IBBY dues? If so, from whom? We do not receive support specifically for our IBBY dues. 2.2.10 Describe successful fundraising strategies your NS has developed. Fundraising at our annual social gatherings including a participation fee for drinks and raffle tickets. 3. THE NATIONAL SECTION S ACTIVITIES 3.1 Main activities 3.1.1 Has your NS organized national, regional or international meetings and conferences? Which ones? CYBBY organizes between 7-12 events per year. About 2 of them are national conferences (e.g. a conference on storytelling in the fall of 2011 and another conference on reading promotion in spring, 2012). 3.1.2 Have members of your NS represented IBBY at other national, regional or international meetings and/or conferences? Three board members participated in IBBY Congress 2010 and will also attend the 2012 Congress. The president of the board has attended Bologna. 3.1.3 Does your NS organize courses or seminars at a local level? Who are these aimed at? Yes; these are mainly aimed at educators, authors and illustrators (e.g. illustration workshop in 2012 and playing with books symposium in 2011).

3.1.4 Does your NS organize or host exhibitions and/or fairs? There are plans for a Christmas book exhibition in 2012. We also participate in fairs organised by larger organisations (e.g. a fair on the International Day for Children). 3.1.5 Does your NS administer awards or prizes? Does it organize contests? Yes, five annual contests for diverse genres and groups of authors are organized every year. Prizes are awarded on a special ceremony, usually on the International Children s Book Day. 3.1.6 Does your NS run a library or bookstore? 3.1.7 Has your NS organized other activities? Which ones have been especially successful in your country? Please specify. At the beginning of each year, in January we organize a meeting of our members and friends to celebrate the new year s coming, usually presenting at the same time some new editions by Cypriot writers (children s literature) and having fun with music and drinks. We also organize literary evenings for book presentations (e.g. for the presentation of children s literature books honoured by the Cyprus Ministry of Education with the National Award for Children Literature). 3.2 Communication 3.2.1 Does your NS have a website? What is its URL? Yes: www.cybby.org 3.2.2 Does your NS publish a regular newsletter? Who receives this? Is it available online? CYBBY publishes the yearly journal Anemi, which is received by all members, public schools, education and culture officials, scholars and libraries. 3.2.3 Does your NS have a Facebook page? What is its name? 3.2.4 Does your NS develop lists of book selections? Which ones?

3.2.5 What, if any, are your other regular publications? Please give names (original and translation into English) and a description of their content and purpose. 3.2.6 Does your NS work with national media to promote your own activities or the work of IBBY? Yes; all CYBBY announcements and invitations are sent to the media. CYBBY news feature regularly in newspapers, on the radio and sometimes the TV. 3.3 Cooperation at a national level 3.3.1 Is your NS consulted about children s books in your country? By whom? Two CYBBY members are currently members of the State Children s Literature Award Committee. The Ministry of Education and Culture at times calls CYBBY to meetings on matters that pertain to literature, culture, education, etc. 3.3.2 Are there NGOs or established institutions in your country for which the development of a children s reading and publishing culture is an objective? Which ones? Are you informed of their projects and needs? 3.3.3 Does your NS collaborate with these agencies? 4. COOPERATION WITH IBBY 4.1 International activities in cooperation with IBBY Congresses and General Assemblies 4.1.1 How many of your members participated in the last two IBBY Congresses and General Assemblies? Between 3-5. 4.1.2 Does your NS participate in IBBY regional conferences? If so, which ones? If not, what are the barriers to your participation? Only at the British IBBY conference, but not regularly; there are financial barriers. International Children s Book Day (ICBD) 4.1.3 What activities, if any, does your NS organize to celebrate the ICBD? The CYBBY awards ceremony takes place on the ICBD, or near that date (usually in Nicosia). The IBBY message is read on that day, awards are presented and a keynote speaker delivers a presentation on children s literature. Other events may also be organised (e.g. in 2012 there was another event in Larnaca, where presentations and short theatre plays featured).

4.1.4 Did you design your own poster? If not, did you use the message and poster of the sponsoring NS? The message and poster of the sponsoring NS are used. 4.1.5 How do you disseminate information about the ICBD? Material and invitations are sent to the media, all CYBBY members, to schools, libraries, etc. IBBY Awards and projects 4.1.6 Did your NS present any nominations for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards? If so, who were the nominees? If not, why not? Yes: Kika Poulcheriou and Maria Pyliotou. 4.1.7 Did your NS present any nominations for the IBBY Honour List? If so, who were the nominees? If not, why not? Yes, for 2012: Frixos Michaelides (author), Sandra Eleftheriou (illustrator) 4.1.8 Did your NS nominate a project for the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award? If so, which one? 4.1.9 Did your section submit an application for funds from the IBBY-Yamada programme? If not, why not? If yes, what was it and was the application successful? No, but we might this year. 4.1.10 Did you submit any titles for the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities selection? 4.1.11 Did you donate or recommend any books for the IBBY Documentation Centre of Books for Disabled Young People? If so, how many? 4.1.12 Did you host any IBBY travelling exhibitions (Honour List, HCA, Books for Disabled, etc.)? If so, where and when were they exhibited? Bookbird and other projects 4.1.13 How many members of your NS have individual subscriptions to Bookbird? Some of our members have individual subscription to Bookbird.

4.1.14 Does your NS have a Bookbird associate editor? Have you contributed any articles to, or cooperated with Bookbird? We have a Bookbird associated editor and in the past we had contributed some articles for the magazine. 4.1.15 Have you participated in any other IBBY international activities not listed above? If so, which ones? 4.2 Cooperation with other National Sections 4.2.1 Are you involved in regional cooperation with other NS? What is the nature of this cooperation? We have traditionally a very good collaboration with the Greek National Section of IBBY. During these two years we organized seminars and other activities with the participation of Greek authors and illustrators. 4.2.2 Do you cooperate bilaterally with other NS? What is the nature of this cooperation? We exchange ideas and experiences, but not on an organized basis. 4.2.3 Do you exchange newsletters or information with other NS? If so, how often? We exchange letters and information through the net on many occasions. 4.2.4 What, in your opinion, have been the major obstacles to greater cooperation between NS? Limited financial means is the main problem in our attempt for greater cooperation with other National Sections of IBBY. 5. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS The Cyprus Section of IBBY looks forward to having more activities and more collaboration with other National Sections, and is planning to organize in the future a Mediterranean Literary Congress for Children s Literature. It is also in our plans to build some bridges of cooperation with the Turkish Cypriot writers of Children s literature, within the framework of the efforts that are now made to solve the Cyprus problem, reuniting our island and bringing again together the two communities who had lived together in peace for centuries.