Yiannis Laouris

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SDD Mentor
SDD Mentor
Yiannis Laouris
The job is done when the job is done
Role(s) Mentors in the Science of Dialogic Design
Education Medical Degree
PhD (Neurophysiology)
MSc (Systems & Ind Eng)
Achievements Several Honors and Awards
Global black minicon.jpg Global Initiative

Yiannis Laouris has enivioned the Reinventing Democracy in the Digital Era project and serves as its Project Director. He is Chair of the Board of Future Worlds Center [1] and Executive Board Member of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras [2]. Yiannis has been the founder of many organizations including CYBER KIDS [3], Ekkotek High-tech business incubator [4], Technology for Peace [5], Cyprus Society for Systemic Studies [6]. He currently serves as Acting Dean for the N.E.T.S. Mediterranean Graduate School of Applied Social Cognition [7].

Yiannis is the Head of the Futures Design Unit of Future Worlds Center [8] under which the Reinventing Democracy in the Digital Era project is being implemented.

Yiannis is a social and business entrepreneur, a neuroscientist and systems engineer, active in multiple dimensions. Because an image is worth a thousand words, the videos below are provided as quick reference.

Presentation of the ONLIFE Manifesto at the European Parliament on Dec 2, 2014
A Cyprus Community Media Centre production on Reinventing Democracy in the Digital Era (2012) in Nicosia Sep, 2012
Keynote Acting Beyond Borders on peace building between Israelis and Palestinians at ISSS 2014 in Washington DC
Keynote on Reinventing Education in Nairobi on Jul 19, 2014
Interview on the role of Structured Democratic Dialogue in Conflict Resolution
Proposal for a new, national, electronic currency that depreciates
TEDx Talk Zooming out time, given in Pireaus, Athens May 30, 2014
One of many interviews about Cyberethics, the safer internet center of Cyprus

Yiannis is a strong promoter of using technology as a means to achieve positive social change. In 1992, he launched CYBER KIDS [9], a nation-wide experiment, with the vision that introducing advanced computer technology in the lives of a critical number of young children using an educationally relevant and socially responsible, peace-enhancing curriculum would allow them to “transcend” the country’s educational and political life and move the new generation a decade ahead. By 1999, the number of ]]children who benefited from their curriculum exceeded 15,000, which is approximately equal to 20% of the country’s youth population (ages 6-15). In 1997, together with other peace builders, he founded the Technology for Peace project [10], which supported Cypriot peace builders in their communication and planning at a time when no telephone signals or people could cross the cease-fire zone.

Yiannis served as invited Expert of the Core Foresight 2050 [11], think tank groups created by the Digital Futures Task Force of the European Commission to anticipate global changes on the planet and to advice the EC on how ICT could facilitate shape those futures by 2050. As member of the The Onlife Initiative [12], together with 11 other philosophers and natural scientists he co-authored the Onlife Manifesto [13], [14], which discusses how the deployment of ICTs and their uptake by society radically affects the human condition by modifying our relationships to ourselves, to others and to the world around us. He is also member of the Wisdom Research Network of the University of Chicago[15].

Relevant projects

Yiannis and his team have envisioned and managed to raise funds to implement an impressive number of social change projects [16], [17], the most recent and relevant listed below:

  • Reinventing Democracy (YiA 1.3) [18]
  • Youth Envisage and Design their ideal Future (YiA 5.1) [19]
  • Reinventing Democracy in the Digital Era (2012) [20]
  • Engaging Citizens to Reinvent Democracy [21]

Memberships

Laouris has served in the past or continues to serve in many European networks such as:

  • As National Representative and/or Expert in many European Research Networks
    • COST 276: Knowledge Management (Invited Expert 2005-2006)
    • COST 219ter Accessibility for all to services and terminals for next generation mobile networks (National Representative 2005-2007)
    • COST 298: Participation in the Broadband society (Invited Expert 2007-2008)
    • COST 2102: Cross-Modal Analysis of Verbal and Non-verbal Communication (National Representative 2008-2011)
    • Insafe (Member of the Steering Committee 2006-present and Member of the Advisory Board 2010-2012)
    • EU Kids Online (National Representative 2008-Present).

Relevant Publications and Presentations

Yiannis authored Masks of Demons [22], a book that exposes stereotypes between so-called life-long enemies. He also published a short book Citizens Commandments [23] in which he discusses the demands of ordinary citizens towards their leaders from the point of view of people from all walks of life. He is invited to many conferences as key note speaker and has given interviews in many televisions and other media. He has has over 70 peered reviewed papers in collective wisdom and structured dialogue, experimental neuroscience, neuro-education, and over 200 conference presentations [24].

Awards

Yiannis received numerous honors and awards[25], the most notable being:

  • Summa cum laude for his PhD (1985)
  • Provost's Teaching Award and Medical Innovation Award for innovation in university teaching (1991/1992)
  • Creativity Award to Cyber Kids Curriculum for Innovation and creativity by the Employers and Industrialists Federation (1998)
  • The Hellenic Society for Systemic Studies Award for contributions in systems science (2008)
  • Honorable Mention of the Anna Lindh Award to Future Worlds Center for promoting intercultural dialogue freedom and citizenship (2011)
  • Award by the Digital Champion of Cyprus for his role and support in establishing an award process for innovations in digital economy (2015)

Citations

  1. http://www.futureworldscenter.org Future Worlds Center
  2. http://www.globalagoras.org Institute for 21st Century Agoras
  3. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/CYBER_KIDS CYBER KIDS
  4. http://ekkotek.com Ekkotek High-tech business incubator
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_for_peace Technology for Peace
  6. http://www.cyprussystemssociety.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Cyprus Society for Systemic Studies
  7. http://www.nets-uni.net N.E.T.S. Mediterranean Graduate School of Applied Social Cognition
  8. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Futures_Design_Unit Futures Design Unit of Future Worlds Center
  9. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/CYBER_KIDS CYBER KIDS
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_for_peace Technology for Peace
  11. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Core_Foresight_2050 Core Foresight 2050
  12. http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/onlife-original-outcome The Onlife Initiative
  13. http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/onlife-original-outcome Onlife Manifesto
  14. http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319040929 The Onlife manifesto, Open Access my Springer
  15. Wisdom Research Network of the University of Chicago
  16. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/List_of_Future_Worlds_Center_Contracts List of funded projects
  17. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/List_of_Grants_and_History_of_Fund_Raising History of funding
  18. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Reinventing_democracy_(YiA_1.3) Reinventing Democracy (YiA 1.3)
  19. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Youth_envisage_and_design_their_ideal_future_(YiA_5.1) Youth Envisage and Design their ideal Future (YiA 5.1)
  20. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Reinventing_Democracy_in_the_Digital_Era_(2012) Reinventing Democracy in the Digital Era (2012)
  21. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Engaging_citizens_to_reinvent_democracy Engaging Citizens to Reinvent Democracy
  22. http://masksofdemons.com Masks of Demons
  23. http://www.citizenscommandments.com Citizens Commandments
  24. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Vitae:_Yiannis_Laouris Detailed Laouris CV
  25. http://www.futureworlds.eu/wiki/Vitae/Yiannis_Laouris/Honors_and_Awards#Honors_and_Awards Laouris Honors and_Awards

External Links