Pro Bono support to community activists

Pro Bono company - Bank of Georgia

Beneficiary - "Akhalsofli Youth Center"

26-10-2023/15-11-2023

In October and November, a large-scale pro bono mediation project was implemented, which united six business companies and six civil activists. The mediation process involved the preparation of nominees for the "Best Community Initiative" contest. The competition is part of the annual event, "Community Leaders Forum", which has been managed by the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia since 2015 (see more here)

Civil activists presented their initiatives to the audience. The representatives of the member companies of the Pro Bono Network helped to distinguish interesting accents and present the presentations in an original way.

Six companies were involved pro bono in the mediation process: Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Credo Bank, APM Terminal, Micro Finance Organization Embis and Tegeta Holding.

Brief information and about the project: Back in 2018, members of the Akhalsofli Youth Center's youth group during one of their gatherings identified less communication between local youth as a problem and envisioned the creation of a multi-ethnic camp as a solution. This is where the history of the ethno-camp begins.

Ethnic minorities in Georgia make up 16.2% of the total population. 5 villages of Kvareli municipality are ethnically inhabited by Avaris, Udis and Ossetians. Despite the fact that representatives of different ethnic groups live together in the neighboring village, unfortunately, they do not have much information about each other except their ethnic names.

In the 2022 ethno-camp, 50 young people were selected from all over Georgia, including representatives of 7 different ethnic groups (Georgians, Avarians, Udes, Ossetians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Yezidis). The camp lasted for 4 days, and the preparatory period covers 2 months. 15 young people from Akhalsofli community were involved in the project. The space for the camp was provided by the "Jarji" riding club to the organizers free of charge. Ethno-camp participants discovered and clearly saw ethnic diversity; The history, culture, traditions and values of the groups. The participants developed teamwork, presentation, analytical thinking, mutual respect and listening skills, and most importantly, left each other with unforgettable memories.

The relationship with the participants of the 2022 ethno-camp does not end only with the days spent in the camp space. They became members of the youth center and, if they wish and are interested, they are involved in various projects planned by the youth center of Akhalsofli.