Youth Engagement and Development Center of Akhmeta was a newly established organization when a youth initiative group decided to install bike parking racks at schools. “We considered that Akhmeta had great potential for development of a cycling culture due to its landscape. Besides, we had a desire to develop a well-established cycling culture in Europe here as well and thus facilitate a healthy lifestyle of youth”, - Vakhtang Kadagidze, Youth Project Manager states. Initially, the idea was supported by “Orbeliani Georgia”. With the financial support of this organization, there were installed bike parking racks at five schools of Akhmeta, Kistauri, and Birkiani. At the second stage, with the financial support of the Tusheti Development Fund, 5 more bike parking racks were arranged at Kvemo and Zemo Alvani schools and sports fields. At this point, they can be found at ten locations in total. As Vakho points out, only bike parking racks and relevant materials were purchased with the grant funding, whereas their installation became possible with the voluntary involvement of members of the organization, school administrations, and students. “As a result of the implementation of the idea, the interest of young people in cycling culture has increased, more students go to school by bike, new bike parking racks served as a kind of motivators and encouragements for them. Besides, it should be noted that the number of bicycles at the Zemo Alvani school # 1 increased so much that the school administration added new bike parking racks on its own initiative”, - notes Vakhtang. The center obtained funding from both organizations through participation in an open competition, successfully implemented projects, and earned donor appreciation too. Youth Engagement and Development Center of Akhmeta aims at the development and empowerment of young people living in the municipality. At this stage, the organization is in the process of rearrangement and works on its future plans.

“Knowledge Café” is a social enterprise established in Kakheti and, at the same time, the only multifunctional educational institution in the region. The enterprise combines a modern library, a space for non-formal education, a café, and a bookstore, while the proceeds from the sale are used to create a “knowledge fund”. It has been three years already that the campaign to build “Knowledge Café” takes place, however, last year activities were completely suspended due to the pandemic. This year, raising funds for the construction of “Knowledge Café” has been resumed with new ideas and refreshed forces.  More (GEO)

Would you like to change the life of your neighborhood, community, village, town, or country for the better? Watch the video and learn more about an organization “Orbeliani – Georgia” and its online platform, which provides activists with an opportunity to implement various ideas... More (GEO)

Civic Integration Foundation has been working in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli in the fields of ethnic minority rights, youth issues, non-formal education, and harmonious coexistence of people since 2005. They consider at the non-governmental organization, working on ethnic minority issues, that their beneficiaries are all citizens of Georgia – working and educating together is the best means for integration. More (GEO)

The Economic Policy Research Center, an analytical civil society organization, has been established 18 years ago. It operates in different directions: economics; security and foreign policy; education. Its audience is quite wide: representatives of the international community and non-governmental organizations, as well as those of small and medium businesses; politicians; youth.  More (Geo)

Association “Atinati” is the first civil society organization established in the 90s in Zugdidi. Since then, members of the organization have been spending their efforts to address issues that society is concerned abou Watch the video and learn more …

Upper Svaneti Local Action Group (LAG) Upper Svaneti unites 17 territorial units of Mestia Municipality. Its establishment was preceded by a long and complicated, but fruitful process of setting priorities of the population. As a result of meetings, there were identified problems of the community, while through joint efforts, a Local Development Strategy (LDS) of Mestia Municipality was developed.  It was also an earlier experience that helped Elene in communicating with the community. She headed a Youth Affairs Service in Mestia - “I had business communication with most of them for years. LAG unites people who are extremely in love with Svaneti”. The goal of the organization is to develop a rural economy, provide sustainable management of natural resources, increase participation of vulnerable groups, women, and youth in rural life... At this stage, LAG has announced a grant competition that is going to fund projects designed in accordance with priority issues outlined in the strategy.  At the initiative of a Youth Wing of LAG, several charity events were also held for elderly, disabled, and socially vulnerable people during the pandemic. In the first case, there were distributed food baskets to 320 families. The second campaign - “Present a New Year, deliver gifts” was carried out for the New Year and about 35 beneficiaries had their wishes come true.  Elene helps young people in the region to acquire knowledge, necessary skills, tries to mobilize them so as to let them become initiators of beneficial changes themselves in the future – “Because the municipal budget is scarce, I helped local youth to established an organization “Youth for the Mountain” to mobilize more financial resources and create new opportunities for others. I especially remember a rehabilitation project related to the operation of a youth club “Betkili”. 5 years have passed since then and “Betkili” is still a gathering place for young people (seasonally). Those visiting the club can spend their free time in an interesting way”.  Within the framework of the EXCESS project, Elene teaches also the English language to 13-17-year-olds adolescents: “It is very interesting to have relationships with people of transition age, you watch them grow and develop, and when you are happy that “they” are your students and it fills your heart with pride. Prior to meeting them, I train and prepare myself separately, continuous study and development is must for all”. Elene is also a young startupper - she purchased a plot of land in Kashkhiani independently to develop her business, mortgaged the land, and arranged an eco-friendly space there called ”Mestia Wooden Huts”.  Recently, Elene confronted a rather difficult challenge: a sudden high-voltage power burned one of the two cottages completely. The next day after the fire, her friends, students, and young people in Mestia launched a “Youth in Support of Elene” campaign immediately so as to encourage her. These people gave Elene an incentive to start renovating the hotel with new energy. “We all struggle. We may often fall, but we must not stop, a solution can always be found. We have to pass our way ourselves. We can all participate in the development of the country, we are even obliged to do so”.

“Complete Cuisine” - this is how a book of Barbare Jorjadze, a famous Georgian cook, is called, which was first published by the author in 1874. Georgian and European recipes, written in simple language, were so popular then and are they now that the book has been reprinted quite a number of times. In the book,  Kneina Barbare collected all recipes, which she used herself to prepared dishes or sweets. In the latest edition, there are gathered up to 800 recipes, as well as a lot of advice. She has practically changed the culinary experience, taste, and menu of many families. And not only that... Barbare Jorjadze, a famous cook, was also a well-known publicist, poet, playwright, and women rights defender - she wrote regarding the necessity of education, equality, and self-expression of women, as well as about their presence in public space. History has granted her the name of one of the first Georgian feminist women, while her letter “Few words for the attention of young men” is considered a manifesto of Georgian feminism.

100 years ago, the world’s first Muslim woman Deputy was elected in Georgia. Georgian press of 1918 proudly wrote that among voters of the Eroba of Tbilisi Mazra there would be Fari-Khanum Sofieva, a Muslim woman, representing the Karajala district. After the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, elections of Erobas were conducted in the main Mazras of the country. Among them was Tbilisi Mazra, where Sofieva won in Karajala district and became the fifth voter from this Mazra. According to various sources,  Fari-Khanum Sofieva, in addition to her political activities, was also involved in charitable activities and even had a lot of economic initiatives.

Georgia was one of the first countries in Europe to grant women with both passive and active suffrage in the beginning of the 20th century under the Constitutional record (1918–1921). At the elections of the 1919 Constituent Assembly, there were registered about twenty women as candidates in electoral lists submitted by political parties, while 5 women deputies became members of the Constituent Assembly, a legislative body of the first Democratic Republic. They were as follows: Elisabed Nakashidze-Bolkvadze, Ana Sologashvili, Eleonora Terparsegova, Kristine Sharashidze, Minadora Orjonikidze-Toroshelidze. Photo: on.ge

Public Movement “Multinational Georgia” is one of the first non-governmental organizations that unites representatives of 19 ethnic minority communities and 56 non-governmental organizations. The organization actively works in the education, elections, and advocacy fields. Watch the video and learn more about the activities of the organization... More (GEO)

Fatima Margoshvili came up with an idea to establish a library and a literary club during an inter-community training organized by the Europe Foundation. The training touched upon activism, the role, and the participation of young people in the development of society and community. After gaining knowledge and experience, she analyzed severe problems existing within the community and decided to set up a reading room. “There did not exist a public library, equipped with modern literature, in the Pankisi Gorge, neither was there a bookstore, while young people were interested in fiction or scientific literature very much”. Fatima volunteered, assumed the responsibility, wrote the project, consulted with representatives of the Europe Foundation, enquired young people about the type of literature they would be interested in, and purchased about 200 books with the support of the Foundation. Implementation of the project coincided with the pandemic period, however, this did not become a reason for hindrance. “The reading room operates in the village of Duisi in the Pankisi Gorge. This is the only place in the valley where young people can find literature they are interested in and, therefore, they visit us very often. Due to the pandemic, meeting in the library is limited, although, adhering to the rules, we still manage to gather and land books for some time”. There are also held discussions on both literacy and literature together with invited speakers at the club. Participants exchange their thoughts and share emotions about what they have read. Local youth initiated a “Put Your Book” campaign to enrich the library with books. As a result, the reading room was filled with gift books too. The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia also participated in the campaign and donated about 150 books to the Pankisi reading room. Fatima considers that volunteering and youth activism is very important for community development – “The more young people participate in volunteering activities, the sooner our environment is going to change for the better. Big things start small”...