Project Partners

The ECOAGE project is implemented by the following organisations:


Youth Empowerment Foundation Cyprus (IEEN), Cyprus

Youth Employment / Training Foundation (abbreviation “IEEN”, from the Greek initials of the full name of the Foundation) is a Cyprus registered non-profit organisation in Nicosia, with a large number of founding members covering a range of professions, with high academic and professional qualifications. The board of directors has at any one time at least 5 members. The foundation is  also often called “Youth Empowerment Foundation” for simplicity purposes.

IEEN main goals are to assist…

  • in the development of soft skills and work related attributes among the young people of Cyprus 
  • the development of intergenerational solidarity through programs which involve and support both old and young, with an emphasis on green sustainable and employability skills
  • in changing work ethics and attitudes perceptions in Cyprus
  • people living in Cyprus, to have access to programs such as:
    • Mentoring 
    • Workshops on soft skills and professional attributes, 
    • Educational work on a part-time/seasonal basis and, 
    • Support from a number of older professionals as mentors to young people
IEEN Youth Empowerment - Second Life Event, Nicosia, Cyprus, 28-Oct-2012
The kick-off event of this project, which has been ongoing since 2012

Even though IEEN was initially founded with young people in mind, it was soon after discovered that the various benefits of intergenerational programs are enormous for both young and old. Starting from 2012, the European year of Active Ageing and intergenerational solidarity, IEEN has co-organised the Second Life Project, an intergenerational environmental program, which was the beginning of a series of intergenerational activities.

ΙΕΕΝ has participated and coordinated a number of Erasmus+ programs, all of which were successfully completed (list below), and has a solid team of steady volunteers and project leaders, many of which are also among the founding members and the board of directors. IEEN has also acquired over the years, a strong network with organisations in the health and social care sector, specialising in healthy ageing and older adults. If approved, IEEN will also employ a project officer for the needs of the particular project. The ECOAGE concept has been among the priorities of IEEN since the pandemic has begun; the Active Citizens Fund is an opportunity to take the concept and realise it into a project to which we have given a lot of thought, and which, just like Second Life, we aim to run on an ongoing basis.

For more information: https://yempf.com/

Association of Elderly Rights and Mental Health (ERMH), Cyprus

The Association of Elderly Rights and Mental Health (ERMH) is a non-governmental organisation which defends the rights of the elderly people and the rights of the people with mental illnesses in the north part of Cyprus. Founded in November 2018, many citizens from various professional groups have become members of the association and contribute to the activities of the association on a voluntary basis. The members of the Association grew from 20 in 2018 to 166 in 2022. Currently it is the only association that exists in the northern part of Cyprus that aims to protect the rights of elderly and mentally ill individuals.

The Vision of the Association 

To be a pioneer non-governmental organization which protects elderly and people with mental disorders and contributes to the development of social values in the field of elderly rights and mental health by cooperating with domestic and international non-governmental organizations.

The Mission of the Association 

To strive for the establishment of legal and institutional infrastructure that will improve the quality of life of the elderly and people with mental disorders and ensure the basic rights and needs of this population. To pioneer rights-based movement in the field of mental health and to develop informative projects and activities that eliminate stigma and prejudices about mental and neurological diseases. To teach, disseminate and defend the rights of the elderly and the rights of people with mental disorders.

The Association conducted a situation analysis of elderly nursing homes to understand the cause of inadequate care of elderly in the northern part of Cyprus. Representatives of the Association visited the relevant bodies and presented the report and expressed concern about the ongoing problems. The Association is also very active in the media, and in the press, TV and radio programs. It raised awareness of different issues about elderly rights and mental health in the press, and held informative seminars about issues of elderly care, rights and mental health. The Association is actively working with the relevant bodies to draft the legal text that will provide minimum standards for elderly nursing homes.

The Association of Elderly Rights and Mental Health has extensive knowledge on the needs and requirements of the older adults but also a strong network to disseminate ECOAGE project efforts as demonstrated through its actions and activities that can be found here: https://yaslihaklariveruhsagligi.org/

University College for Green Development (HGUt), Norway

The University College for Green Development (HGUt) is a publicly approved private university college that offers a Bachelor Degree with flexible university college courses, in a blended learning style, with a focus on natural value creation and local community development. HGUt also offers the country’s only Bachelor education in Innovation and Regenerative development.

HGUt is:

  • An active partner for the development of knowledge, competence and entrepreneurship in Norwegian local communities
  • Offering teaching at the college level within green business development and regenerative development more generally
  • Knowledgeable on regenerative agriculture (permaculture, organic and small-scale) and how to work in common ties to build, foster and sustain empowerment
  • Conducting research and development work that supports the  goals of the ECOAGE project
  • Skilled in face-to-face and online learning methods, as they have students from all over the country through live video-transmitted teaching in all courses. Study from campus, local study center, or own home.

HGUt is very active in international research and development projects including over 15 Norway Fund projects in Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and other countries. HGUt staff are, or have been active members in over 10 European COST Actions on themes ranging from Social Forestry to Payments for Eco-systems Services.

For more information: https://www.hgut.no

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