young minority voices in political decision and social change making
(Germany | Georgia | Ukraine)
#diversityEUnited
The organizations Polis180 (Germany), Bridge of Friendship Kartlosi (Georgia) and Ideas for Change (Ukraine) are organizing a trinational online youth exchange, focusing on the rights of minorities and young peoples’ ways to exercise these rights. We want to foster dialogue between different minority/marginalized groups in Europe, empower young people (ca. 17-30) to develop their own ideas and support them in implementing innovative projects evolving around these topics. Through a series of online workshops, 45 young people from Germany, Georgia and Ukraine who identify as part of a minority or marginalized group, will learn about their rights, discuss about common opportunities and challenges, dive deeper in their local context, get to know techniques of project development and finally implement their own projects in small groups.
Project activities
- participants will meet each other and learn all about the project agenda in a kick-off meeting on October 27th (online)
- through a series of interactive online workshops, our participants will learn about the rights of minorities and marginalized groups in Europe, discuss the potential of youth participation to foster social change, and enhance their project development skills. Workshops will take place on the following dates:
- 30th October: Minority Rights
- 31st October: Youth Participation
- 6th & 7th November: How to put ideas into action (project management)
- in small groups, participants will develop their own project ideas, with the support of mentors
- in a final online event, the groups will present their project ideas to the other participants
- in public final events, held simultanously in Berlin, Kyiv and Gori, participants will present their projects to a wider public and the best project idea will be declared
- finally, the winner team will receive a small grant to actually implement their project.
Our project partners
„Ideas for Change“ (IfC) was founded in Kyiv in November 2015 and started its project work in January 2017. IfC sees itself as a “Think & Act & Change Tank” and devotes its work to the development of new ideas and the transformation of Ukrainian society. The activities of IfC include conflict management and regulation, foreign policy, support for the reform process and equality.
Together with IfC, we also implemented the project „Women, Peace and Security“ in 2018 and 2019.
Bridge of Friendship Kartlosi was founded in 2006 and is based in Gori, Shida Kartli region of Georgia. They implement community projects with vulnerable groups in the region on issues such as internal displacement, occupation, gender equality, human rights, and education on these topics in schools. They receive funding from a variety of donors including the EU and the German Federal Foreign Office, and have been cooperation with international partners for many years.
Our project staff
Nora Pohl (Co-Project Lead, Polis180): Nora is active in the program Perspective East, working mainly on the Western Balkans and the countries of the Eastern Partnership in the framework of EU Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy. She graduated in European Studies from the Universities of Leipzig and Vienna. Academically, Nora is interested in the democratic potential of protest movements in authoritarian systems. Culinary, she is interested in badrijani nigvzit and pancakes, mostly.
Ana Jebiashvili (Co-Project Lead, Bridge of Friendship „Kartlosi“) has been working in the organization Bridge of Friendship „Kartlosi“ since April 2017. She directs Kartlosi projects aimed at strengthening the role of the EU and international institutions in Georgia. She leads Erasmus + exchange programs within the organization, coordinating ESC program volunteers. She is also actively involved in fundraising for the organization.
Ana is an English-Americanist with a major in English Language and Literature. Her hobbies are reading, swimming and traveling.
Project term
01 August- 31 December 2021
Our supporters
The project is funded under the grant program “MEET UP! Youth for Partnership” by the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) Foundation and the Federal Foreign Office as well as by Freundinnen und Freunde der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
#MEETUPforPartnership #YOUTHforPartnership
