“Up To YOU(th)” 2023 Festival promises diverse programme

The “Up To YOU(th)” Festival, organised by the Cyprus Youth Board returns for the seventh time, taking place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 5pm at Nicosia’s Acropolis Park.

With the same strong pulse and the motto “Up to You(th)”, the event’s seventh edition invites the public to celebrate youth, with young people themselves as the protagonists, sending a strong message that today and tomorrow are in the hands of the younger generation, which dares to dream and hope for a better tomorrow.

The well-established NGO Fair, co-organised by the NGO Support Centre and Cyprus Youth Council, with the dynamic participation of 70+ Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other organisations and institutions, once more poses an opportunity to young people who wish to take action in areas that concern them, such as the environment, human rights, culture, volunteering, and more.

At the Festival, young people can also attend the Tech Fair, an exhibition of technology by educational institutions and other organisations, enabling them to take part in interactive technology applications, enjoy robots on special routes, competitions, virtual reality and programming, while the “Sci-Co Cyprus” organisation will run very interesting science experiments in which all can participate.

For anyone wishing to get to learn more about pop culture, the Geek Mania exhibition will be at this year’s festival, enriching the event with exhibits of retro games and comics from collectors in the field, thus displaying this unique culture.

Those who have a special interest in the arts, or more specifically in illustration, will have the opportunity to meet Cypriot artist Anna Miltiadou aka BRAINFKR, who will create an illustration, live, inspired by contemporary Cypriot culture.

In addition, the young audience can take part in social events, via the unique Human Library, meeting and interacting with ‘people-books’, who will tell their story and enter into a creative dialogue with their ‘readers’.

Additionally, this year’s Festival has created a dynamic and rich programme for the audience, who will enjoy live music and screenings of short films by Cypriot filmmakers in collaboration with “GeekOtopos” and the Cyprus International Short Film Festival, together with impressive constructions by the Scout Corps and activities by the Girl Guides Association of Cyprus. The programme will be enhanced by the Cyprus Astronomy Organisation, with the public being given the chance to view stars and planets via telescopes that will be set up in the area.

In addition, Geekotopos will turn the park’s caves into a recording studio, where, with the participation of the audience, they will live record three different podcasts: “Geekout”, dedicated to reviews and analysis of movies, series and video games; “SheSpeaks”, which promotes the participation of women in STEAM; “HistoriKon/HistoriCon”, the Cypriot podcast with the most downloads on Spotify.

Those attending will also get to participate in open discussions on youth issues, workshops and various social activities, such as watching the Basketball Match with the participation of the Hope Team, consisting of political refugees, promoting the message that sports can contribute to social inclusion and integration.

The festival stage will provide rhythms and melodies for every taste, with performances by the bands Davini Music (Hip Hop, Soul, RnB), On Tour (Art, Rock) and Tease (Rock, Pop).

Simba Animal Aid and the Cyprus School of Dog Training will also be with us, with dogs for adoption, but also with useful tips for better communication with our pets.

For the younger visitors, there will be a children’s corner with interesting activities for the environment, original board games, face-painting and shadow theatre performances.

The seventh “Up To YOU(th)” Festival is part of the Youth Board’s aim to inspire young people to participate and become actively involved in the community. The Youth Board, with its multifaceted actions, continues its course and work for the well-being of young people in all aspects of their lives, demonstrating its support for the right of young people to achieve their dreams and ambitions.