On October 31, 2022, within the framework of the EU – supported “Civil Society STAR Initiative” project, the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) and Kakheti Regional HUB organised the Regional Forum ”Civil Society for Volunteering Development”. The event was held in Telavi, Lopota Spa Resort. The forum was attended by young people (high school pupils, students), volunteers, civil activists, teachers, representatives of local non-governmental and community organizations, self-governments, media, and various groups of society.
The goal of the forum was to promote the culture of volunteering among the youth of the Kakheti region, to facilitate communication between the host volunteering organisations and volunteers, and to support the role and activities of the Youth Councils. Moreover, it aimed to raise awareness of regional community organisations, informing the population of the region about their activities, and the implemented projects, and increasing the trust towards CSOs.
Within the framework of the forum, volunteering initiatives implemented in the Kakheti region were presented to the invited audience in order to gain its support and interest. The authors of the best initiatives were revealed and awarded in line with the competition rules. CSO EXPO – an exhibition of products of local civil organisations was organised, where community and civil society organisations operating in the Kakheti region presented their activities, and young people interested in volunteering were offered the opportunity to get involved in volunteering activities.
Within the framework of the forum, a panel discussion was held on the topic “Local Civil Sector and the Role of Donor Organisations”. The representatives of local civil society and donor organisations got involved in the discussion.
The forum was organised within the framework of the European Union (EU) and Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) funded project “Civil Society STAR Initiative: CSOs as Sustainable,Transparent, Accountable and Resilient Development Actors in Georgia” (2021-2025).
