Designing and implementing educational programmes is a new activity for the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation in its effort to freely disseminate knowledge. The raw material derives from research projects developed in collaboration with the academic community and is based on documents from the Foundation’s Collection.
Two examples of educational activities implemented in the first half of 2018, in conjunction with an interactive application for Kitchener's map of Cyprus.
- Primary Education – The Pallouriotissa 3rd Primary School, Nicosia (ages 11-12).
As part of its Visual Art Education class, the school set up the ‘Exploring Nature Around Our School’ project, with the aim of raising pupils’ awareness regarding the recognition, study and conservation of edible plants in the area. The Kitchener map application, available on the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation website, was used thanks to its many levels, allowing the collection of data on the hydrographic network and the Points of Interest of Cyprus (especially Nicosia) that are linked to groundwater aquifers and water reservoirs. - Higher Education - Fine Arts Programme, Department of Design and Multimedia, University of Nicosia (group of 13 students).
The educational activity was integrated into the 2nd year of the Process and Project Based Practice & Collaborative Art Practice course. Through the use of images and visual recording, a collective virtual narrative was developed exploring the concept of mapping, land use and nature in the city, as well as the role of the artist as a part of this process. The bodies of water, the gardens, the plants, the trees and the countryside of Nicosia, as well as the stories of the communities created through their cultivation, both in the past and in the present, prompt us to reflect on the natural world as it takes shape and form within the urban environment. The Kitchener map interactive application, available on the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation website, was used as one of several work backgrounds.
Sylvia Ioannou Foundation has funded free educational tools (ebooks and digital application) that can be applied to formal primary, secondary and tertiary education, as well as informal education.