Tolerance Building – Youth in Charge!
We have built a mini ‘Caucasus home’ in the Bolnisi Youth Bank,” says 16 year old ethnic Armenian Robert Sargysyan about the seven member Youth Bank (YB) grant making committee established in Kvemo Kartli by Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF). “I joined the Youth Bank because I felt it would help me to gain experience. Me and my friends are excited and enthusiastic about the changes we see in ourselves and the community, and recognize that we can make a difference,” says Rusudan Avaliani (17), a Georgian member of the committee.
EPF, which receives funding from USAID through Eurasia Foundation, launched the Youth Bank in Georgia in October 2007. The Program offers small groups of young people modest funding to engage as active citizens in the development of their communities. In response to the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia, which deepened inter-community tensions in areas with high ethnic diversity, EPF formed an additional four YB committees, focusing on youth living along the borders with other South Caucasus countries.
In February 2009, ethnic Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Georgian youth were selected to form the Bolnisi YB. After participating in the capacity building workshop on project management, YB committee members returned to Bolnisi and conducted a community needs assessment, ultimately awarding three projects submitted by local youth-led initiative groups.
The public awards ceremony was a demonstration of the ethnic and religious integration that is an intrinsic part of EPF’s work. Awards to encourage environmental awareness and preservation and improve the local library were issued and celebrated by youth from Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian communities. The ceremony was also attended by other local community leaders ready to support and contribute to the projects’ success.
EPF, as part of the Eurasia Foundation Network (EFN), shares its experience and expertise in creating and increasing opportunities for community involvement, volunteerism, and community cohesion with other foundations in the Network. As part of the launch of the Kyiv-based East Europe Foundation’s program, EPF will host a group of new YB members from Ukraine and Moldova to share its successful experience of tolerance building and ethnic minority integration.
Invitation to the Conference: The EU and Civil Society in the South Caucasus: a Common Effort to Build Sustainable Peace
Grant Competition for Social Enterprises
Call for Participants: Getting Involved!
Public Discussions: European Integration and Eastern Partnership: Challenges and Opportunities
