Cycladic Identity in Action: Engaging Communities and Creating Impact
Conference Minutes

The Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art organized, on Monday, November 3, at the Museum’s Auditorium, a one-day conference titled “Cycladic Identity in Action: Engaging Communities and Creating Impact.”

This is the Initiative’s second one-day conference, which, following its first successful conference in 2024, aims to continue the public dialogue and strengthen awareness regarding the role of local communities in the sustainable development of the Cyclades. The Cycladic Identity Initiative is currently in its third phase of funding, supporting ten new programs across eight Cycladic islands — Andros, Donoussa, Koufonisi, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Syros, and Tinos — including two inter-Cycladic programs. To date, the Initiative has supported 16 programs across 11 Cycladic islands, including one inter-Cycladic program.

The conference brought together an audience from the fields of education, civil society, local government, and the academic community, who shared experiences and ideas on activating island communities and fostering positive social and environmental impact.

The President and CEO of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Sandra Marinopoulou, opened the conference and emphasized:

“The essence of Cycladic Identity lies in the people implementing the programs on the islands. Today, we are joined by volunteers, educators, professors, mayors, and local organizations who demonstrate every day that culture, both tangible and intangible, education, nature, and society are not separate worlds, but threads of the same fabric, which together weave the future of the Cyclades.”

In summary, the conference highlighted the Cyclades as a living laboratory of participation and collaboration. Through four thematic sessions, the local communities were presented, along with ways to meaningfully engage them, the role of local government, and the challenges of genuine involvement. The continuity and significance of Cycladic identity were examined from an international perspective, while educators from the Cyclades joined voices to discuss issues of education and the empowerment of the next generation. At the same time, the conference explored how the natural and built landscape of the Cyclades shapes their identity and how we can collectively protect this unique whole.

THEMATIC SESSION Ι – MINUTES
“ENGAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES”

The first session was moderated by Demetres Karavellas, CEO of WWF Greece & Member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee.

He emphasized that the pressures facing the Cyclades — over-tourism, uncontrolled development, the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and difficulties in law enforcement — require not only policy interventions but also awareness-raising and active participation by local communities. As he noted, the Cycladic Identity Initiative was created precisely to support such efforts.

Lazaros Alexopoulos, President of the Volunteer Rescue Team of Milos (OEDIM), spoke about the need for islanders to self-organize in the absence of state mechanisms: “OEDIM was born from the need to protect one another. In this effort, we need more young people. We don’t have enough of them!” he emphasized.

Ioannis Koutoudis, Grants & Programs Advisor of the Cyclades Preservation Fund (CPF) presented the organization’s work, which has supported local environmental protection initiatives since 2018.

Vasilis Marakis, Mayor of Sikinos, noted that Sikinos consciously chooses a gentle, sustainable model of development, safeguarding its identity and authenticity. The municipality has highlighted the island’s trails, biodiversity, and monuments, while taking symbolic yet substantive measures, such as banning swimming pools and cave houses, preserving public beaches, and maintaining traditional architecture.
“Our goal is for Sikinos to remain a small, unspoiled gem, a model of gentle development for the Cyclades,” he emphasized. “We care about tourism, but not just that. We want to remain beekeepers and livestock farmers as well.” He also reflected on past mistakes, such as the asphalting of the island’s historic cobblestone streets, as an example not to be repeated.

The session concluded with the observation that the key to a sustainable future in the Cyclades lies in the collaboration between the state, citizens, institutions, and local organizations.

THEMATIC SESSION ΙΙ – MINUTES
“THE CYCLADES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL EYES”

The session titled “The Cyclades Through International Eyes” was opened by Dr. Michael Boyd, Senior Research Affiliate, Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center, The Cyprus Institute & Member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee. He emphasized the importance of an international perspective for understanding the Cyclades and the three main pillars of the Cycladic Identity Initiative: culture, biodiversity, and intangible cultural heritage.

Professor Rebecca Sweetman, Director of the British School at Athens, highlighted the Cyclades’ unique historical continuity, which has remained inhabited from prehistoric times to the present. She stressed the islands’ enduring resilience in the face of conquests and external pressures — from the Persians and Athenians to the Ottomans — and the preservation of local traditions across centuries. She also noted the importance of inter-island connections that contributed to their survival, the role of women since the Roman period, and the Cyclades’ environmental adaptability under challenging conditions.

Professor Panagiotis Iossif, Academic Director at the Museum of Cycladic Art, emphasized the need to overcome tourist stereotypes and promote an authentic Cycladic experience through approaches such as local storytelling, that is, the involvement of residents in transmitting the memory and stories of their communities. Another approach is educating visitors so that they experience the islands through activities that combine taste, knowledge, and culture.

The discussion concluded with the observation that authenticity, local participation, and international networking are key to maintaining the island’s unique identity in a global context.

THEMATIC SESSION ΙΙI – MINUTES
“EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATIONS”

Dr. Demetrios Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades & Member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee, opened the session “Educating and Empowering the Next Generations,” emphasizing the need to connect education and culture. He noted that if school education does not provide meaningful engagement with culture, it prevents children from loving and protecting it — even in small communities like the Cyclades. As he stated: “When education and culture exist as two incompatible and disconnected worlds, the consequences are enormous: not only do our children leave school with incomplete knowledge, but this very education ultimately hinders them from safeguarding the monuments, from loving them, and from making them their own.”

Anna Mavroudi, Former Director of the Gymnasium with Lyceum Classes of Kea and President of the Federation of Cycladic Women’s Associations, addressed the shortcomings of public schools in the Cyclades, both in teaching culture and in funding. She noted:
“The danger in the Cyclades is that we may stop producing culture. What public school do we really have in the Cyclades? A school that may annually lose hundreds of hours of music and arts classes because specialist teachers are never appointed. A school where there is not a single class, not even one hour, devoted to culture. A school that does not provide free transportation for students to visit cultural organizations outside the island, such as museums, galleries, or the Athens Concert Hall. This is the reality of public education in the Cyclades.” She added:
“The Council of Europe, in its current report, stated that actions between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture must be coordinated with two key features: first, stable funding to avoid one-off initiatives, and second, shared priorities. Each year, the two Ministries should agree on a common theme, for example, this year, water, next year dry-stone walls. I believe the most important thing of all is political will. That is, do we want culture to be part of schools? If we do, we can, with 150 euros, go online now and purchase the domain for the ‘Melina’ program, an incredibly inspiring initiative showing how we integrate culture with education across all its facets, from contemporary culture to cultural heritage. The 150 euros for the domain mean that all the material already exists, and all we need to do is update it.”

Giannis Miliadis, President, Primary Education Teachers’ Association of Thira and Islands & Elected Member, Regional Council for Primary Education (P.Y.S.P.E.) of the Cyclades, highlighted the challenges of island life, such as the frequent rotation of teachers, and emphasized the need for institutional collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Culture to integrate cultural education from kindergarten.
As he stated: “The teacher and the kindergarten educator are the first bearers of culture, they do not simply teach the child but guide them and show the path to the culture of their place. Therefore, we need to create a connection between educators and the islands. This is where the State comes in. A collaboration must be established between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, and together with the ephorates of antiquities, museums, the Museum of Cycladic Art for example, the educational community, primary and secondary education, and all relevant organizations, we must unite. We should not rely solely on the dedication of individual teachers to convey the value of culture — not just Cycladic culture — to the students.”

Yianna Deliyianni, Director, Founder & President of Cinemathesis, highlighted the power of film education as a tool for cultural learning. Through audiovisual expression, children can explore different cultures, stories, and social issues, while developing creativity and critical thinking. As she noted:
“Art has never truly existed in schools. We fought a long battle to introduce drama education into schools, a struggle lasting about 11 years. Drama was finally introduced, the first drama teachers arrived, drama schools opened, and then suddenly drama education disappeared again from schools after the fifth grade. Only drama games remained, which are of course very useful, but only for the early years of primary school. During the most critical years, pre-adolescence and adolescence, art simply vanishes from the school environment. And then, inspired educators, teachers willing to share out-of-the-box activities with children, step in to fill the gap.”
She added:
“On the islands we visit, we observe that children love their homeland. At a young age, when we conduct interviews and produce small documentaries on the islands, no child says they want to leave. Their dream is simply to take a boat and go fishing on the nearby bigger island. Unfortunately, the desire to leave appears in middle and high school, when life becomes more challenging and they see no other way out.”

Finally, it was emphasized that love for local heritage starts on a small scale, before we reach the large iconic monuments such as the Parthenon. Education must rethink how it approaches culture to address this existing gap.

THEMATIC SESSION ΙV – MINUTES
“CYCLADIC IDENTITY: CONNECTING LANDSCAPE, NATURE AND HUMAN PRESENCE”

Dr. Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Archaeologist, Story Strategist & Member of the Cycladic Identity Scientific Committee, opened the fourth session by noting: “The Cyclades are not simply a beautiful landscape, an ‘Instagrammable’ landscape, as we might say; they are not just a place we go to for summer holidays. They are a place with history, with its own resources, with people who live there and work hard, striving to balance the past and the present while shaping better conditions for the future. Even what we see and enjoy as city dwellers is not merely something beautiful that exists by itself.”

Maria Damanaki, Former European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, emphasized that the Cycladic landscape encompasses both nature and people — there is no separation between them. She summarized Cycladic Identity in three concepts: insularity, locality, and femininity. Insularity reflects the limited space that nonetheless remains open to the world. Locality represents the root and the sense of “here,” the lived experience of community and continuity. Femininity embodies care, curvature, and spatial economy, qualities that characterize both the Cycladic landscape and life itself. She noted that balance and proportion still exist but are threatened by greed and grandiose developments that alter the character of the islands. Each island, she stressed, requires its own individualized policy for protection and development. “The greatest harm today is human greed,” she emphasized.

Andreas Kourkoulas, Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), described the Cyclades as the result of both natural forces and human intervention. He explained that dry-stone walls, cultivated fields, and water management reflect humanity’s long-standing effort to cooperate with the environment rather than dominate it. Dry-stone walls constitute both a cultural and ecological heritage — a foundation of the relationship between people and landscape. They can even assume a contemporary role as water collectors and living examples of sustainability. “The cultural protection of dry-stone walls is more important than arguing over whether houses should have large or small openings,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of continuity and respectful management of space.

This session concluded with the observation that Cycladic Identity is not a static concept; it is a thread of continuity connecting the past with the future, grounded in insularity, locality, femininity, and ingenuity. Its preservation requires respect for the landscape, limits on greed, and an active collective awareness. The Cyclades can serve as an example of balance between nature, culture, and human presence — provided we recognize that their identity is not a tourism product, but a way of life.

Cycladic Identity

The Cycladic Identity Initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art was launched three years ago with the aim of protecting the Cyclades’ cultural and natural heritage, as well as preserve, restore and reveal their unique identity. With focus areas in Culture, Biodiversity, and Intangible Cultural Heritage the Initiative acts as a donations and sponsorships’ platform, raising and allocating funds to organizations and projects implemented in the Cyclades.

The evaluation of proposals for funding is carried out by the Scientific Committee of Cycladic Identity, which is composed of Dr. Demetrios Athanasoulis, Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, Dr. Michael Boyd, Senior Research Affiliate at the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Demetres Karavellas, CEO of WWF Greece, Dr. Angeliki Kosmopoulou, Archaeologist and Story Strategist.

The initiative is currently in its third phase of funding with ten new programs in eight Cycladic Islands – Andros, Donoussa, Koufonisi, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Syros, and Tinos – including two programs that cover more than one island.