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The Youth Culture Card is an innovation for Cypriot standards, President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, adding that the implementation of the measure proves in practice "our pre-election commitment and our will to substantially support the arts sector and encourage even more young people to discover the richness of our country's culture".
The President of the Republic addressed a press conference, which was held together with the Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, for the presentation of the Youth Culture Card, at the Presidential Palace.
During his address, the President of the Republic noted that the Youth Culture Card is a prepaid card, following the models of other EU member states, which "we hope will stimulate our youth to seek quality entertainment by attending cultural events such as events, concerts, theatre productions, film screenings, dance performances, as well as visits to cultural venues and museums".
He added that "through these prepaid cards we are enhancing participation in cultural performances and events, encouraging our local cultural institutions to continue to create, promoting the diversity of our culture".
"We hope that this small step we are taking today will serve as a guide for a bigger leap ahead, as we aim to continue this measure, opening the door of culture to more children and young people in our country." He informed that the available state budget for the issuance of the Youth Culture Card amounts to €2,000,000, noting that more than 10,000 young people are beneficiaries. He then stressed that "the policy of a state should not be isolated from culture" and described as "particularly important the decision of the previous government to establish the Deputy Ministry of Culture, which should have existed years ago".
"Unfortunately, culture has for a long time been the poor relation," Christodoulides added, noting that "culture is not just a rich, as some people think, distant treasure that we look at with respect, but the driving force that leads us towards development and progress."
"On the one hand, culture can have multiplier benefits in the development and strengthening of our education, on the other hand, it can be an important factor in contributing to sectors such as tourism and, more generally, the economic development and progress of our country," he said, among other things.
[MORE IN THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS εδώ].
The Card is ready to contribute to the realization of our goal of cultural education and the promotion of citizenship among young people, said the Deputy Minister of Culture in her own greeting.
Presenting the provisions of the Youth Culture Card, she explained that the Youth Culture Card will be credited with the amount of €220. She clarified that €200 is from the State Budget, while €20 is credited pro bono by the Bank of Cyprus, which contributes this amount as part of its social responsibility.
Referring to the beneficiaries, she informed that they are people who have reached the age of 18 within 2023 (i.e. From 1/1/2023 to 12/31/23, i.e. born in 2005).
The Card, Dr. Kassianidou explained, can be issued at any time during the beneficiary's 18th year and will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue. By using the Card, she added, young people will have the opportunity to attend cultural events and visit cultural venues, such as concerts, theatre productions, dance performances, art and other exhibitions, film screenings, arts festivals, museums and archaeological sites.
The aim of the Deputy Ministry, the Deputy Minister of Culture stressed, is to develop and improve this initiative in order to offer even more to culture and our young people. With this measure, she said, we are also strengthening cultural institutions in parallel, indirectly providing support for their work, and this falls within the broader framework of our strategy to further encourage cultural creativity.
[MORE ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF CULTURE HERE]
"The promotion of our culture is one of the main concerns of our Bank," said Bank of Cyprus CEO Panicos Nikolaou in his brief address. Therefore, he explained, it is an important pillar of our Corporate Social Responsibility. Since 1984, when the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation was established, "we have developed a multitude of activities to this end", he said, adding that the creation of the Youth Culture Card by the Deputy Ministry of Culture is an excellent action in the right direction. He expressed his enthusiasm that the Bank of Cyprus will contribute to this effort by issuing and sending the cards.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Youth Organization of Cyprus, Mr. Kleanthis Koutsoftas, speaking at the Press Conference, said that he believes that "the Youth Culture Card is a pioneering project". On behalf of the Organization, he welcomed the initiative which, he said, supports the young people of our country. "We understand how important it is to offer our young people the opportunity to enjoy privileges at cultural events, museums, theatre performances and other activities that enrich their intellectual life," he added. He concluded by noting that "with the Youth Culture Card, we are creating a tool that promotes interest, creativity and awareness of cultural culture and heritage."
For a film of the awareness campaign here
For a presentation of the Youth Culture Card here.
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