„GREEN ALTERNATIVE FOR CAUCASUS„

Action 3.1. Youth Exchange
Cooperation with Neighbouring Partner Countries

Rustavi, Georgia
5-13.October, 2010

Objective, Context and Motivation

„Green Alternative for Caucasus” is innovative youth project about nature protection and creative initiatives. 25 young people form Latvia, Poland, Armenia and Georgia will come together to discuss problems about environment, share and exchange experience in creative activism and create messages – short movies and photo exhibition – to invite society to think and act for environment protection in local, national and even international level.
The youth in Georgia don’t have many opportunities to take an active role in raising public awareness about the state of the environment or to be involved in conservation projects. They value the environment and are saddened by its degradation but don’t know how to affect a positive change in their surroundings.

With this project organizers seeks to address these problems by engaging youth from Europe and Caucasus in community-based conservation activities using creative initiatives and to teach them about environment issues, to identify the most pressing environmental problems in their home communities and in Georgia and find out solutions.

During the project participants will have discussions, workshops and main result – short movies showing and photo exhibition about environmental issues what will be represented to Rustavi society and later – spread through participating organisations and networks.

Activities

1. Participants get to know each other, presentations, team building activities.
2. Discussions and activities – to inform about environmental issues, meaning of environmental protection and problems in our participants countries and daily life, cleaning actions together with locals etc.
3. Creative workshops – art, creative performances, short movies making and editing, computer graphic, photo making.
4. Preparation of the project results and their processing.
5. Project’s conclusion evening – short movies showing and photo exhibition about environmental issues. Local society will be invite to think and act for environment protection in local, national and even international level.

Partnership

Latvian partners „Creative group MYSTYLe art” will give important support in the project’s organisation part and at the exchange of their experience. In 2008 they organised „Green Jam - environment – promoted and protected by multimedia” - innovative youth project about nature protection, creative initiative. Young people came together in Latvia to discuss problems about environment, share and exchange experience in creative activism and create message – performance – to invite society to think and act for environment protection in local, national and even international level.

Project organizers "Georgian Youth For Europe" found Polish partners „The Other Space Foundation” and Armenian partners „International Centre for Intercultural Research, Learning and Dialogue” trough Latvian partners – they have good cooperation with these organisations during last 3 years – common participation in youth exchanges, environment camps, study visits etc.

Also host organisation „GYE” is the regional branch organization of the Scouts of Georgia in Kvemo Kartli Region and they can share with really good experience in out-door activities, how to love nature etc. And other participants can get from them a lot of new information about scouting, environmental protection and its problem solving.

Together trough e-mail communication we found common goals and ideas and forms of our activities and created idea about development of environmental protection using art, performances, methods. Working together in one project will be chance to exchange experience and practice in youth, art, theatre, scouting, nature protection field and get to know cultural differences.