“By implementing our project – “Borjomi Youth for European Integration” – we will contribute to the process of making young people more aware of the benefits of the European Union”. 

Nato  Gubeladze, project director, head of “Samtskhe-Javakheti Community Development Center” 

One of the main directions of our organization, “Samtskhe-Javakheti Community Development Center”, is the promotion of democratic processes in the region, which is the main link with the spread of EU values among local youth. To take the first steps towards the realization of this goal we decided to participate in the competition announced by EDEC. 

The idea of the project mainly serves to solve the problem related to the lack of awareness of the public about the European Union. In particular: the local population has less access to the information about what opportunities the European Union offers to the Georgian people. Consequently, most people fall victim to misinformation spread by social networks, media, and various groups. Due to this fact, people have a wrong attitude of the European Union, which hinders the development of society and raises awareness. The level of awareness among young people living in rural areas is particularly low. In addition, there are widespread “fears” among the population, which are expected after the integration into the European Union, however, these “fears” are wrong and it is important to dispel them with solid arguments. These factors hinder Georgia’s relationship and friendship with the European Union. 

As a result of the project, we will have 20 well-trained and well-informed young people in Borjomi municipality, who will have the opportunity to provide information about the European Union to different audiences even after the end of the project. About 200-250 young people from 10 schools of Borjomi municipality will be properly informed about the relationship between the European Union and Georgia, the opportunities available in the European Union in terms of education and visa-free travel. They will also have information on how to distinguish correct information from misinformation. We will provide information about the European Union to about 50 teachers through direct communication. The public will be aware of EU-funded projects in Borjomi Municipality and the regional media will be informed about thematic issues.