Following the initiative set forth by GS Rome Hub, the Nicosia Hub has joined the Europe-wide network #EUnite. The network itself is dedicated to organising digital events and awareness campaigns to promote the ideals of “Unity in Diversity” in the period leading to the annual Europe Day on May 9th, including the whole of EU/Europe Week celebrations. This is an annual event that numerous European Hubs are part of.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rome Hub approached various European Hubs to connect young Shapers from all around Europe, engaging in creative initiatives and upholding European values, solidarity, and unity during these troubled times. 

The Nicosia Hub, during the first edition, took an active part in the brainstorming, planning, and co-organising different sessions, having simultaneously both a regional as well as a local impact, within both Nicosia, but also elsewhere in Europe. The Hub executed online campaigns throughout the preparatory phase ahead of Europe Day, in order to raise awareness about the importance of commemorating the date. Shapers from the Nicosia Hub got in touch with the local authorities to inform them of their initiative, collaborated with the Head of the European Parliament's Representation in Cyprus, engaged in cross-hub online discussions, and actively informed their community of the commemoration of 9th May. A series of workshops and other events were live streamed from multiple locations. 

2020 EDITION (completed)

#EUnite originally began as an initiative of Andrea De Cicco Nardone and Robert Zielonka from the Rome Hub. They and other Shapers of Rome have coordinated the cross-hub core team of project organisers throughout the first edition. Petros Petrikkos represented the Nicosia Hub and had successfully helped lead the project locally in Nicosia, Cyprus during the initial launch.

The Nicosia Hub helped spread the message by engaging directly with civil society organisations locally, as well as the EU's Representations in Cyprus (Parliament and Commission). We initially held events with the Head of the European Parliament's Representation in Cyprus, Mr Andreas Kettis, while our Hub members took part in discussions with MEPs. Other Hub members engaged in panels on politics, technology, and entrepreneurship, together with other shapers during Europe Day. At the same time, the Nicosia Hub wrote to the local Municipality jurisdiction, asking for their permission to redistribute the #EUnite campaign and to join forces in spreading awareness across Nicosia and Cyprus.

Strategic Objectives and Impact

• The project aims at spreading an awareness campaign within the Nicosia community (and more broadly, Cyprus itself), over the European Union and Europe Day on 9th May. This is mostly an online campaign, targeting digital channels, social media, news outlets, individuals, companies, civil society, but also institutions and the wider public.


• We have access to an #EUnite Press Kit, as well as other organising resources, a Google Drive, and a WhatsApp Group. The Nicosia Hub team also engages into discussion with other Hubs and Shapers, exchanging views and feedback on how to improve further

ROLES

• The Nicosia Hub, with its revised Charter, has split up into specialised roles that allow for projects of such nature to be effectively managed. The Curatorship is in charge of facilitating all aspects of #EUnite. The Impact Officer is in charge of collecting data, metrics, KPI, or any other suitable measure through which the impact itself of the project can be quantified. A dedicated Project Manager is in charge of splitting the rest of the Hub into groups and teams. The Hub Strategist is the contact point for dialogue with the local institutions and organisations. The Communications Lead runs the online campaigns and pushes up promotion. Finally, the rest of the Nicosia Hub Shapers help out with the general running of the project and campaign.

The following are deemed to be priority areas:

o  Strategy (in charge of following the strategy and the timeline)

o  Communications/Social Media

o  Networking & partnerships (reaching out to local networks)

o  Designing content & editing

o  Emails and official letters

o  News posting/sharing

 ·       Objectives

o  To raise awareness over Europe Day and the European Union, in a cross-hub collaboration initiative 

o  To inform of at least 1 million people across Europe of the common values and the European identity exhibited through the EU

·       Target Areas

o  Focus on our own networks, community, civil society, municipalities, and other officials – make some noise! 

o  Coordinate with other EU hubs, share strategy, exchange ideas – we will be uploading relevant content on the shared #EUnite Google Drive. 

o  Emailing and Newsletters

o  Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, maybe even Instagram. Get more established community figures (celebrities, politicians, the industry, society) to share our posts and work

o  Get the word out on TopLink – show we are active & share our initiatives (this includes all recent projects)

·       Who to reach out to

o  European Parliament/Commission Offices in Cyprus 

o  Municipalities

o  Current and former Cypriot Commissioners

o  Industry links, enterprises

o  Universities and research institutions

·       Timeline (official cross-EU hub timeline) - 2020

o  21st April - Launch

o  26th April – Voluntary Update Call via Zoom

o  27th April – Second Week of Campaign

o  3rd May – Preliminary Ranking of Hubs

o  4th May – Europe Week Commences

o  9th May – Europe Day

o  11th May – End of Campaign