In the heart of Nicosia, where the city is shaped by both history and hope, Metça Kemancıoğlu has been quietly weaving threads of environmental awareness and peacebuilding into the fabric of his community. As a participant in the UN Youth Champions for Environment and Peace programme, Metça’s journey speaks to the power of young people coming together to imagine and build a more sustainable and unified future for Cyprus.

Speaking about the program, Metça said: “I really liked the purpose of the program. I’ve never done something related to the environment before, so I wanted to give it a try and have experience of it”  

Through the program, Metça expanded his knowledge about environmental action in Cyprus, honed his leadership and organizational skills, and most importantly, connected with a community of passionate, like-minded individuals. “I met many brilliant people, which allowed me to expand my networking and befriend many peace builders”, he highlighted.

Describing the experience as “exciting and engaging, as well as exhausting due to responsibilities,” he reflects on the unique opportunity the program provided to build bridges between communities through meaningful, hands-on work.

Together with his team, Metça co-founded Upcycle 4 Peace, a youth-led initiative that used creative upcycling workshops to connect communities across the island. The group’s events blended environmental education with social interaction, providing spaces where sustainability and unity could grow side by side.

For Metça, who was the only Turkish-speaking Cypriot in his team, the experience of collaborating with youth from different backgrounds was not only seamless but profoundly rewarding. “We were just a bunch of people who wanted to promote peace while promoting our cause,” he says, brushing aside any concerns about labels or divisions.

The impact of these efforts was felt not only in the workshop spaces but also in everyday interactions. Metça remembers a passerby who stopped at their event and asked about their cause. “I remember the interest and curiosity in his eyes. That’s how my participation contributes to peace by allowing people to discover spaces like ours that bring communities together”, he noted. 

Although the future of Upcycle 4 Peace is uncertain, with some members pursuing careers abroad and others focused on their studies, the spirit of the project lives on. Metça and his co-leader Maria Kranou remain open to future opportunities.

What remains clear is the impact of the program on both personal and communal levels. It equipped young people like Metça with tools to not only care for the environment, through education, action, and creative upcycling, but also to care for each other, fostering understanding and friendship in a region that needs it more than ever.

The UN Youth Champions for Environment and Peace program is organized by UNFICYP since 2020, in alignment with UNSC resolution 2250 (2015) and the UN’s Youth, Peace and Security agenda. The program is specifically designed to engage and empower young people in Cyprus, ages 18-30, to take an active role in peacebuilding through environmental initiatives and cooperation and aims to foster dialogue, build trust and promote joint action.  For the last 3 years, the British Council has been a partner in delivering the program.