YI 2020
CYPRUS
Cyprus Youth information work in Cyprus is coordinated by the Youth Board of Cyprus, a legal entity of public law, i.e. a semi-governmental organisation, which is the statepertinent body responsible for youth issues. The youth information centres (YIC) are in fact the physical presence of the Youth Board of Cyprus all over Cyprus since there is at least one youth information centre in each of the five provinces. The YICs operate along the standards of youth information centres of Europe and the guidelines of ERYICA. The YICs’ primary aim is to provide information to young people on any subject of their interest in a comfortable, modern and friendly environment. At the same, at the YICs’ premises young people can have one-to-one meetings with career counsellors and psychologists of the Career Guidance Service and of the psychosocial programmes of the Youth Board of Cyprus according to their needs. A further YIC aim is to assist young people towards social inclusion as independent persons and to support them in dealing with potential future challenges. Thus, the Youth Board of Cyprus develops youth policy and coordinates youth work at the national level and bears the responsibility of providing youth information work services. Youth work in Cyprus is not legally established yet and youth workers are not officially recognised as a professional group. Since youth work itself is not recognised yet, youth information workers are also not formally recognised as a profession. It is however considered as part of the wider youth information system.
43
