New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
yioulapapakyriacou@gmail.com

Basic information
Initiative title
Rural Entrepreneurship with Lavender

Full initiative Title
Sustainable development through entrepreneurship with the gifts of nature

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
Lavender as a source of education, inspiration, skill development and capacity building for sustainable development of a rural area, based on smart specialization.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Local

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Cyprus

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Platres Community Council

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly rural

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual
Please provide the contact details for the intiative promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the intiative).
- First name: Yioula
  Last name: Michaelidou Papakyriacou
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Cyprus
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Ioanni Komninou 1, Olygia Cour, Olygia Court
  Town: Limassol
  Postal code: 3022
  Country: Cyprus
  Direct Tel: +357 99 427980
  E-mail: yioulapapakyriacou@gmail.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Lavender Thematic Center FB
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
ICHEC Brussels Management School

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
Nature provide us with everything that we need, and each herb, flower and stem can be a source of inspiration, creation and entrepreneurship. Our rural areas are suffering from urbanization and high unemployment especially between youth and women. We see every village as a treasure of untapped potential and we have created a methodology to enable communities to develop in sustainable and environmental way, through education, so that we give value to everything, and create vibrant and sustainable rural economies, happy and creative people.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Innovative

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Inclusive

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Environmental

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Creative

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Sustainable

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
We have used a bottom up approach, to create our action plan, so that all the stakeholders and mostly the citizens feel that is there own, as they have been co-creators, and we have included all their skills, stories, and worries. We are creating an environment of positive thinking, as a matter of fact the whole initiative was designed in 2013, when Cyprus was passing one of the most challenging economic phases, so this initiative came to give light, hope, knowledge, festivals and workshops, income and tourism flow, and engage the people again with nature and all the beautiful gifts that is offering. It has very strong foundations, ethical values and respect, and evolves and develops as more and more people are educated, aware and creative.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
People are welcomed in our place, by lavender hydrolyte, explaining the antiseptic use of lavender but also the meaning of the ritual in old times when a celebration was taking place. The whole journey in our Thematic center, whether is educational or just a visit is full of aromas and emotions, we do small meditations for all ages with lavender essential oil, and create a beautiful environment of relaxation with sounds of nature. a relaxed mind, can absorb more information and we know that what remains is the feeling, so we try to make everyone feel very unique. We have created an educational package of hoe to create an unforgettable experience using all the senses with which we train our team, and not only.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Inclusion is achieved through 3 levels
1. The whole village participating in the educational and capacity building workshops
2. All the exhibitors from the village have a free stand at the Festival
3. There is free access to our Lavender Thematic centre with complimentary tea, and is accessible for the blind and people on wheel chairs
Although the cost of the complimentary tea is minimal, explaining its healing properties and offered in high quality cups is highly appreciated by our visitors/students.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
Citizens are benefited by the knowledge that they are acquiring, for their personal and professional development. New businesses have been evolved and all the cultural heritage has been preserved. Lavender distillation had a history of more than 100 years in the village, however as the knowledge about its healing properties and uses was not known, the product had no commercial value, it was used simply as a nice smell. Today it is sold at 3euros/30ml and the local women know all the uses from mosquito bites, to good night sleep. The Lavender Festival attracts more than 3,000 people who create 100,000 euros income in a day for the exhibitors and hospitality industry apart of the hotels who are full and the great publicity.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
Platres Community council has planted 3000 lavender to enhance the identity and history of the place.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism is sponsoring the Lavender Festival and workshops so everything can be offered free to the locals and visitors.
The Troodos Tourism Board is promoting the initiative especially the Lavender Festival
The local women are producing everything in Lavender color from baby cloths to local delicacies and participate at all events and the Festival
Troodos Network undertake the cost and offers lavender tea and lavender sweets to the visitors. The Rotary Club in cooperation with the Community Council is creating a sensory park and butterfly sanctuary full of lavender, so there are new additions every year.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
Economists, herbalists, researchers, artists and hospitality experts were involved in the designing of the educational part and the whole initiative, which was later embraced by local and governmental authorities. The interaction was extremely positive and creative, enabling the creation of a holistic approach which is feasible and sustainable, a range of workshops where experts act as facilitators and trainers, and the team continuous to work together and expanding with new members to offer more knowledge and skills as the initiative is expanding and evolving and adapting based on IT and other socioeconomic changes and demands. The added value was the huge tank of knowledge and expertise that was put into the development and sustainability.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
Sustainable development is linked to the continuous education of the people who live there, the upgrading of their welfare and well being, empowering them with skills to create innovative and unique products, with simple tools and possibly from their home.
The building up of this unique identity which comes with the knowledge of what they have, in most cases unknown and what can develop leads to an innovative way of cooperation between all the citizens as every story, every detail, every product, is interlinked and interreacting under the umbrella of Lavender. Also the establishment of the Lavender Thematic center for education, skill development and business hub with small shops is an innovation and enables the transformation of existing buildings who are not used.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
Each village/region is a treasure, full of hidden and unexplored jewels, which can be used for the sustainable development of each place and the creation of a unique identity which is very strong as it is based on the authenticity and cultural heritage and the most important asset, the people who live there.
The model has been successfully applied in many villages in Cyprus, the most successful application was the creation of Honey Routes, nine villages working together under the theme of Honey, Bees and the gifts of the Bees.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
Phase 1: Research, mapping and recording- Unique herbs, cultural heritage, rituals, healing properties and uses, products, points of interest
Phase 2 : Creation of teaching material which includes all the above Level 1: for the citizens and the public Level 2 : For potential entrepreneurs
Phase 3 : Capacity Building and Skill development
Phase 4 : Creation of open workshops for the tourists, Lavender Festival and Lavender Thematic Center ( platform of knowledge and entrepreneurship, hub for the local women to sell their thematic products-everything with lavender)

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
The initiative addresses the global challenges of the deterioration of rural areas, the lack of opportunities of youth, it increases the welfare and wellbeing of people living in the rural areas, and provides possibilities for travelers to experience authentic and sustainable tours. In addition, it aids to the preservation of the character and the local identity of each village and making it a pole of attraction, protected by globalization and the loss of the cultural heritage.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The scope of the progress is to make the local initiative, bigger and more interesting every year, with the involvement of more voluntary groups as well as more people from the village and the surrounding villages, increase the number of young farmers so that we can cover our needs in lavender, educate more and more people through our two educational packages which are addressed to the public and potential entrepreneurs, respectively, and apply the model to other European and non European countries which have shown already interest.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Web link
Web link
- https://youtu.be/Rln8HPgRNb8
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
Our initiative provides a common ground to learners of all levels, advancing a consensual definition of sustainability based on knowledge and competencies.

It responds to the need for people living in rural areas to improve and develop their knowledge, and skills and to live, work and create in a sustainable manner. It is designed to support education and training for lifelong learning. It addresses learners, of all ages ( 4 to 94) and their education level and covers both formal
education through seminars and trainings ,and informal through skill development and experiential workshops ( live distillations, candle & cosmetics making, gastronomy and music)

Sustainability competences can help learners become systemic and critical thinkers, as well as develop agency, and form a knowledge basis for everyone who cares about our planet’s present and future state.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes