Sona Mamyan
Grigor Chalikyan
Nare Nersesyan
Haik Voskanyan
Lusine Serobyan
Venue: Rustavi, Georgia
Dates: 26-27.09.2009
Advance Planning Visit is aimed for getting to know the leaders of both national and workshop groups. Because of the earlier contact, coordination of the project will be a lot easier and more interesting. In addition, because of the APV, the leaders will have a chance to see the „Rustavi non-formal education center” in which the project’s participants as well as the leaders will be accommodated. The important thing is also that they will have an opportunity to get used to places in which they will spend a lot of time in the future (workshop rooms, sleeping rooms etc) and to get to know Rustavi city and it’s environment. Also they will talk about daily program and trainers (project’s participants) who could lead and take responsibility about movie, photo, performances and other workshops.
Rustavi Non-formal education centre
Ngo “Georgian Youth For Europe” already second year runs annual non-formal educational centre in Rustavi city. Participants are youngsters and adults from 15 till 30 years old, some of them are also IDPs which are living closed to GYE office. Clubs are running by the professional experts and lectures. In our non-formal education centre till now participate more then 100 young people and we have enough places to host more new participants. We have 2 floor house, with 1 conference room and 9 workshop classes.
„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
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.
One of our great tours organized by the “Bicycle+” team was a Sevan lake rountrip (270 km in 2 days with bad weather and 16 participants ), the other one was Yerevan - Lori- Yerevan (240km, in 2 days , mountainous places). Also we organized tours as a protest against the Teghut forests cutting for the copper mine factory, and against the construction of the gold mining factory near lake Sevan. Other tours were to celebrate the International Women’s Day, Day of Europe , with the European movement and the Independence day.
We have received a lot of guests from different countries who took part in our trips. We have lot of ideas and plans for the future.We are planning to organize different events related to ecology, healthy lifestyle. We want to involve participants from different countries.
Our “Bicycle+ ” eco-sport NGO is registered recently. A little about our members: Lusine Paravyan (journalist) has an experience in participation in international exchange projects (Youth in Action) and volunteering. She has told a lot about her experience. Now she wants to take part in the EVS project or even to organize one. She is PR manager of our group.
Aram Tovmasyan (IT specialist) participated in bike trips organized by local cyclist club www.extremalov.net in Kiev (Ukraina) in 2007.After returning back to Armenia he organized a lot of tours and events in Armenia.
Samvel Hovhannisyan (former sportsman) is the main coordinator and technical supporter of the all events. He is also the winner of the 2009 lake Sevan triathlon in Olympic distance organized by US Embassy (http://www.lakesevantri.com/). His Repair Workshop “HVZ” was the official partner of the triathlon.
The fundamental objective of "The Other Space Foundation" is to open new space for social and artistic expression. The Foundation implements and runs innovation cultural and artistic projects as well as social projects in the attempt to make real change in Poland and various corners of the world: on Caucasus Region, in Ukraine, in Russia.
Up to 2008 the Foundation realized over twenty projects. It is permanently involved in the implementation of such projects as:
The Other Space Foundation ran some major projects such as:
The Foundation conducts a number of actions on behalf of various ethnic minority groups living in Warsaw and realizes some unconventional projects inspired by the history of Warsaw.
Ngo “Georgian Youth For Europe” already second year runs annual non-formal educational centre in Rustavi city. Participants are youngsters and adults from 15 till 30 years old, some of them are also IDPs which are living closed to GYE office.
GYE organises its activities in the framework of two goals: civil society development and international cooperation development. Within the development of civil society GYE organizes training courses and seminars, regarding national and international issues. GYE also organises numerous camps, workshops, weekend activities, non-formal education not only for member of GYE, but also for youngster from all over the region of Kvemo Kartli (southeast Georgia). Within the development of international cooperation, GYE realises or co-realises various international projects, which aims at contact making, exchange of experience and sharing of knowledge.
