In the Democratic Republic of Georgia, before many developed countries, universal elections were held, in which both men and women participated. In the 1919 Constituent Assembly elections, 17 women ran on behalf of various parties, five of whom were elected members. More (GEO)

On February 11, 1921, the Soviet Red Army attacked the Democratic Republic of Georgia. On February 17, at 5 o'clock in the morning, General Giorgi Kvinitadze ordered the students of the Georgian cadet school to be detained, along with other military units. More (GEO)

After a tiring 48-hour shift, Covid volunteers to personally interview and assist patients in the apartments. Junior doctor - resuscitator Nana Skhiladze, tells us how important now, during the Covid Pandemic, the voluntary initiatives of doctors. More (GEO)

A lot of things in the life of Luka changed for the better since he discovered that woodworking is his favorite activity. Do you know who helped him discover and study his favorite activity? Education and Development Center “Toliskuri” is a non-governmental organization that works aiming at the informal education and civic activism of Khobi residents, especially young people, as well as to facilitate the improvement of their economic situation. Community organization “Toliskuri” has a very big and important role in the life of Luka since with its help he has found the favorite activity, which will accompany him throughout his life and give him pleasure. With the support of the organization,  Luka has learned: woodworking, assembling various tools, and a lot of other activities. Luka considers that when you love what you do, then you are more motivated and diligent. And one more - he shares acquired knowledge with his peers, he knows well how important sharing of knowledge and experience is for the development of people.

Over the centuries, the Georgian nation passed through the most severe pressure, which it still cannot get rid of. In spite of this, certain parts of society consider that Russia is our friend and neighbor of the same faith. In 1783, there was signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, according to which Russia assumed the responsibility of protecting the territory of Kartl-Kakheti, the largest kingdom of Georgia. The Russians promised the Georgians not only protection but also the return of lost territories. The issue of inviolability of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church was specifically agreed upon in the treaty, however, further developments unfolded quite differently: despite promises, church services were not conducted in the native language, they were conducted in Russian, while thereafter the Russian governance influenced some Abkhazians and urged them to convert to Islam. The neighboring state did not stop at this and in the 19th century, in one of the main hearths of literacy, Exarch Eugenia painted the magnificent temple of Alaverdi with white lime, that is when the unique frescoes of the temple got erased. As of today, 20% of the territory of Georgia is occupied by Russia. While in recent history, after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Georgia lost 103 villages and by 2011 - another 32 villages. The process of relocation of borders continues intensively to this day. Some people had to leave their homes and graves of their family members beyond the border, while others could not even escape from the areas. Let us pay tribute to the heroes who got sacrificed for the independence of Georgia and before we say who the benevolent friend of our homeland is, let’s review facts. We’d rather not share an opinion of others.

Stereotypes play a very big role in the formation and development of society. There are a number of stereotypes also in our society, which we often have to talk about, discuss, and think about, what impact they have on us. Toresa Mossy, a guest of the series of podcasts, is going to talk about stereotypes of wealth and poverty. More (GEO)

“Why should residents of elderly/care homes feel abandoned? Elderly people need warm, friendly relations and I decided to visit them because volunteer projects are more valuable than all material rewards”, - listen to 21-year-old Vika Alapishvili, who talks about the “Mestumre” (visit me) project. Read more (GEO)

New Year celebrations and New Year holidays are some of the oldest and most widespread traditions. In Christian countries, the celebration of the New Year is closely associated with the celebration of Christmas, although this has not always been the case. More (GEO)

By Lali Shalvashvili What is volunteerism? As a general practice, in short, this is a selfless and voluntary activity for the society's benefit. Two years ago CSO "Mariani" has invited volunteers for recording audio books for the visually impaired. Many individuals have showed up to provide free assistance. More often now we find announcements about this or that organization inviting volunteers for the children's homes or shelters of the elderly, summer camps or offices, for taking care of animals or the environment, etc. Volunteer clubs and programs are being set up, they are joining international volunteer networks, etc. Yet, this does not at all mean that volunteerism is well-developed in Georgia and that problems do not prevail in this respect. According to one of visualizations of CSO "Jumpstart" (17.02.14), among 135 countries, where over the last month the population had carried out volunteer activities for some other organization, Georgia is on the 68th place. The same visualization illustrates that 36 percent of population on average in the US, United Kingdom and Norway pursue volunteerism on a monthly basis. Their activities constitute approximately 4 percent of the countries' Gross Domestic Product. In case of 36-percent volunteerism in Georgia, according to visualization by "Jumpstart", volunteers would annually perform work worth of 581 344 000 GEL. Under the organization's data, 81% of the Georgian population have not served as volunteers (2013 data). Culture of volunteerism is very actively developed in numerous western states. "Pupils, college and university students are obliged to volunteer and they get credits for it", the Director of the Civil Society Institute, Vazha Salamadze says. Moreover, without experience of volunteerism they may not be admitted in the university, have not sufficient credits, and fail to receive a diploma. Why developing the culture of volunteerism matters? Such a development pursues several goals. "In the first place, it develops individual's skill to assist others, i.e. it makes them more humane. Secondly, although volunteerism is non-reimbursable work, youngsters learn the culture of labor. In addition, all of this is important for the economy, because this is selfless, free of charge labor", Vazha Salamadze states. Further, in some European states including Poland, volunteers have become one of driving forces of CSOs – three-fourth of Polish organizations do not have paid staff, and a pretty similar picture is in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Usually, volunteers are mainly youngsters and pensioners. While youngsters gain knowledge, experience, helping skills and new contacts from all of this, pensioners share their experience, knowledge and skills with others. "Such mutual benefit is important for the youth as well as pensioners. It is important for the adults to maintain a social status, they not only watch TV at home, but are socially active, teach, assist...", Vazha Salamadze says. In the US, many elderly individuals become members of various organizations, and some participate in volunteer works for building houses for the homeless. Best example of this is the "Peace Corps", which operates more than five decades in 139 countries worldwide, including in Georgia since 2001. US volunteers – youngsters or the elderly teach at schools, provide business consultations to representatives of small or medium business, etc. What prevents the development of volunteerism institute in Georgia? Several studies have identified hindering factors, including improper informing (study by organization "Helping Hand"), lack of volunteerism tradition and social problems (study by the Young Republican Institute), and most importantly, absence of relevant legislation (study by the Civil Society Institute). There is no legal definition of a "volunteer" and "volunteerism". Therefore, no rights and duties of a volunteer as well as benefiting organization exist. This is identified as one of the key problems in all three above-mentioned studies. Furthermore, in some cases it is very difficult to differentiate between a volunteer and an intern, because the legislation of Georgia is silent on them. Such wording is found only in international acts and conventions. For instance, the Recommendation by the United Nations General Assembly, which recommends member states to regulate the issue of volunteerism by domestic legislation. However, as noted above, it has a recommendatory nature. "Adoption of relevant legislation will not introduce culture of volunteerism automatically, if there is no will, volunteerism will not be introduced and developed in Georgia. Yet, the law is a tool for removing obstacles that organizations working on the principles of volunteerism encounter, or that hamper the development of these institutes", the lawyer of the Civil Society Institute Archil Tsertsvadze says. The Civil Society Institute has developed a draft bill regulating the volunteerism, which is already initiated in the legislative body. It defines not only volunteerism but the rights and duties, which a volunteer and benefiting organization should have. i.e. legal relations, and in addition proposes tax amendments, etc. Specific provisions of a draft bill developed by the organization protect the rights of a volunteer. For example, a volunteer requires protection mechanisms for avoiding injuries during work or for further protection in case such injury occurs. "If a volunteer's health is damaged while performing work, an organization must reimburse treatment costs. But because s/he is not an organization's staff, under current tax norms such reimbursement is taxed pursuant to other regime than in case of an official staff. Same applies to costs borne for raising qualification and business trips", Archil Tsertsvadze says. When an organization has one or two volunteers, even business trip expenses may not be such a huge burden, but there are organizations in Georgia with 50, 60 or more volunteers. Business trips of 50 volunteers require substantial finances, the lawyer of the Civil Society Institute says. Yet, in case of such expenses, the draft bill developed by the Civil Society Institute provides for a "softer" approach. If a volunteer is ready to spend time, energy and does not request reimbursement of business trip expenses, an organization will not be obligated to reimburse, but if a volunteer makes this request, an organization will be obligated to reimburse them. If an organization lacks such desire or finances, legal relations will not occur. Another key initiative will affect foreign volunteers present in Georgia. We all know that legal grounds for being in a foreign country are limited – this requires the right of legal presence, i.e. a visa. Authors of the draft law propose the initiative to issue a "volunteerism" visa, which by its classic meaning is not a working visa. Experience of the European states shows that development of the volunteerism institute is directly linked with its legal regulation, as well as provision and facilitation of programs. Various methods are applied in western states to foster volunteerism. For instance, according to the "Helping Hand", in the United States of America volunteers are awarded with the President's special prize.

Civil Society Institute (CSI) presents the documentary film on the civil society and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Georgia. The documentary aims to remind once again the broad public of the role and function of the sector in the life of the society, what was its history, what is its current status, and what are the prospects and challenges that the third sector faces. Civil Society Institute will be honored to hear your views on discussed issues.