By Keti Menagharishvili, young volunteer from Giorgia

Each person is interested in your story, the way of telling the story and the narration using digital technologies. The mentioned project represents a good opportunity for closeness between cultures, sharing and understanding, appreciation of different cultures. Projects that foster cultural exchange and understanding play a crucial role in promoting harmony, appreciation, and empathy among different cultures. Digital globalization has created a way to share our culture, lifestyle, characteristics, values, and values ​​on a large scale, regardless of socio-economic and cultural differences.

Step One: What do we need to do before we share?

Before you decide to prepare a video and then share it on social networks, you should think about what you want to say to your audience. Who is your audience, what topics are you going to share and in what form.  It is very important to have a preliminary plan, an outline, bearing in mind all of the above, and you should also understand that it should be easily understood by everyone, what you want to show only about your daily routine, or about the socio-economic or cultural features that you have and that you and your country have. When I joined the project I knew it was a responsibility that required me to understand, prepare, accept, respect, participate and share.

Step Two: What do I want to share with you?

The night before, I usually took a notebook and a pen, wrote down all the plans that I had to do the next day. Ever since I was a child, I liked making vlogs and blogs, taking videos and photos, but I never dared to share it with a wide audience. I took it for myself, but I didn’t share it, often stereotypes and attitudes do not allow us to share courage, emotions. I accepted the challenge, knowledge of English was not a barrier, I was more afraid of how good the video would turn out. The next day I boarded the bus as my morning routine, went to school, on the way I took some interesting shots as usual. Tbilisi, as an ancient, historical city, where people of different ethnic groups live, keeps different details, cultural, ethnic, religious, socio-economic features. I didn’t want to eliminate any category of people from the video, I wanted to reflect all the narrowness that I encounter in the streets of Tbilisi in the video, naturally. Accordingly, the shots were natural, organic and realistic. In the school, we have a very active agenda, apart from the class time, we have free clubs and student self-government, where young people try to create changes.

Sharing as a connection, results and future perspectives

When we create something, we try to show in it our character, moods and emotional connection with the environment as a creator, co-participant of this process. Through this activity, I saw, perceived and shared more the small elements that are part of my day. In addition, we can formulate the results in the following way:

• Cultural Closeness and Exchange: Bridging Differences: Projects facilitating cultural exchange create bridges between diverse communities, fostering understanding and empathy.
• Shared Experiences: Engaging in shared activities or dialogues allows for a deeper app
• Mutual Appreciation: Exposure to different cultures encourages appreciation for the uniqueness and diversity of each heritage.
• Learning from Diversity: Interacting with varied cultures provides opportunities to learn new traditions, values, and ways of life.
• Cultural Empathy: Encounters through such projects nurture empathy and respect, breaking down stereotypes and fostering tolerance.
• Strengthening Bonds: Shared experiences build lasting relationships, fostering a sense of global unity amidst cultural diversity.
• Conflict Resolution: Cultural understanding forms a foundation for peaceful coexistence, aiding in conflict resolution and prevention.
• Collaboration: Collaborative projects encourage cooperation and solidarity among diverse cultural groups, promoting mutual progress
• Cultural Diversity: Embracing diversity and inclusivity, celebrating the mosaic of cultures within Georgia while promoting unity.
• Respectful Discourse: Encouraging respectful dialogues that bridge generational gaps, honoring differing perspectives grounded in historical context
• Ethical Tech Integration: Embracing technological advancements aligned with ethical and cultural values, avoiding the erosion of traditions.

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By Giorgi Managdadze, young volunteer from Georgia

,,Remember the past – Change the future!” is an innovation which will help young people to connect future to their history because the future depends on learning from our past. The inspiration of the project is the culture of remembering the past, preserving and strengthening it, because even today we believe that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  We are inspired by the words of Albert Einstein, in which he says, „To look to the future, we must first look to the past. It was there that the seeds of the future were planted’’.

What is the main problem?

Survey data show that the majority of both age groups are partially interested or interested in the country’s politics. However, more millennials were interested, with 41% expressing interest compared to 30% of Ann Z. In comparison, Gen Z was more likely to indicate partial interest, with 39% saying they were somewhat interested and not somewhat, and 27% of Millennials. the same.

Discussion in Bolnisi: Georgia’s history, past, culture and modernity

On October 16, St. St. of the Georgian Patriarchate of Bolnisi at the school named after Ioane Bolnel, from 12:00 to 14:00, a meeting was held with the researcher and master of history of modern Georgia, Katie Sartania.  It should be noted that it is symbolic to choose Bolnisi as the meeting place, because deep rooted Georgian history in Bolnisi is a mixture of ancient traditions and modern aspirations. Preserving this legacy by embracing progress reflects the city’s journey to a strong future. At the meeting, it was discussed how important it is to know the history, past and culture of our country in order to correctly understand the current events and plan the future of the country. In order to look to the future, we must first look to the past, because the past is the solid foundation of the future. This meeting showed me how important it is to understand, analyze and evaluate history. We saw from the discussion that efforts to preserve historical places, processes and traditions are likely to coexist with contemporary developments, maintaining a balance between heritage and progress. Challenges and Progress: Past Experiences, Future Visions, Developments and Global integration.

Often the teaching of history is not sufficient in educational spaces, often we do not have accurate facts, arguments. This meeting was informative and meaningful, emphasizing the crucial role of understanding history, culture and past experience in shaping the future of Georgia. At the meeting, we discussed the following directions:

• Past experiences, past lessons, mistakes and successes: Understanding the depth of history, recognizing the struggles and triumphs of our forefathers and acknowledging the cultural legacy they left behind is paramount. It serves as a compass that guides our present actions and future aspirations.
• Understanding the past and visions of the future: By delving into our past, analyzing it, understanding it, and evaluating it, we get critical insights that are stronger, more unified. On the way to a successful and sustainable future. Visual perspectives arise from a deeply rooted understanding of where we come from, allowing us to envision a better, progressive tomorrow.
• Balancing the developed historical processes and events: The discourse held in Bolnisi highlighted the delicate balance between historical memory, the past and modern progress. It is a harmonious dance where history and modernity complement each other, enriching our identity.
• The history of the future: Several times at the meeting, by analyzing different facts, historical sources and arguments, it was emphasized that the past really lays the foundation for the future. Building a strong future requires a deep understanding, analysis and evaluation of history.

Bolnisi’s meeting was a powerful reminder to young people that we still don’t understand the past, the history, the interconnectedness of our past, present and future. The speaker emphasized the importance of history as a guiding light that guides us to the future, based on the memory of the past to move forward.

Discussion Implications for History and Modernity: What will be the vision of the future?

The vision of the future that emerges from the Bolnisi discussions is likely to embody a harmonious blend of tradition and progress, rooted in a deep understanding of Georgia’s history and cultural heritage. The discussion showed us that without a timely understanding of the past, we cannot plan for the future, where both mistakes and successes are understood. Appreciation of history is based on knowledge and understanding of it, we must first know, understand, then evaluate, apply and analyze. It is impossible to talk about the involvement of young people in peace or democratic processes if they do not hear the voice of historical memory. Absolutely, the discussion in Bolnisi underlined the pivotal role of historical understanding in  forward-thinking future. It is important to learn from history Objective evaluation of mistakes and successes, because by understanding past mistakes and successes, we gain insight that is important for informed decision making and planning. Encouraging young people to engage in peace-building and democratic processes necessitates grounding in historical awareness. Empowering the youth with the narratives of historical memory enables them to understand the context and significance of their actions.

Finally, the discussion in the historic city highlighted the indispensable role of historical understanding in shaping the future, where informed, independent decisions, inclusive societies and empowered youth pave the way for progress, peace and democratic processes

By Sadagat, young volunteer from Azerbaijan

As a young individual I participated in long-term multi stage project: “Remember to Act: Understand, Learn, Act” which is funded under the grant program “MEET UP! Youth for Partnership” by the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) Foundation and the Federal Foreign Office in Tbilisi, Georgia. The meeting brought together project beneficiaries, like-minded young leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Germany and partner organizations. This outstanding event was a wonderful possibility to explore more about peacebuilding, culture of remembrance and to improve networking skills. During training I had the opportunity to develop leadership, communication and problem-solving abilities that would help in the effective implementation of projects. Moreover, the project assisted to understand deeply brutality of military conflicts, to raise awareness importance of peace and democracy. Actually, I have to admit that activity of facilitators did not limit to being auxiliary for each participants, but also creativity was a major line of their plan. They organized various practical discussions and interactive activities instead of theoretical presentations. From my point of view this method played an important role in figuring out how to write productive peacebuilding initiatives that would lead to promote youth participation in peacemaking or democratic process. In addition, I gained a chance to explore Georgian culture, national cuisine, particularly khinkali, khachapuri and Georgian wine with pleasure. Frankly speaking, I was not keen on leaving Tbilisi which had become one of the most historical cities I have ever seen in my life. To sum up, I would like to appreciate my Tbilisi trip as unforgettable days of my youth.

My trip to Georgia, hosted by ProActive Group Georgia and funded by EVZ foundation, was my first international trip throughout my engagement in youth field. I was quite excited to go to Georgia, as I had visited it when I was a child. I arrived at night and went straight to the hotel located near the centre of the city. On the next day, I met the organisers and fellows from Georgia and Germany, including my teammates.

 As the trainings started, a good deal of useful information was shared with us on elaboration of steps of the project, how we can effectively complete our tasks, what tools we can use to realise the project. We had several group tasks during the two days in Georgia, in order to finalise our blueprint and clearly delineate the process. I have made good contacts with both German and Georgian colleagues, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. Both Giorgi Agirbaia (ProActive Group Georgia) and Perdita Wingerter (Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa e.V) proved to be not only welcoming hosts but also valuable sources of guidance throughout the project. It was fascinating to learn about their experience and get advice from them. We did a lot of fruitful work during those two days. 

Georgia undoubtedly was a very hospitable and welcoming country. Beyond the professional work, organisers took us out to restaurants, people on the streets were very friendly. It was great to meet people like Irina Mikava, Giorgi Agirbaia, Giorgi Meskhia, Sophi Kortiashvili, Elene Zhgenti, Perdita Wingerter, Brigitte Neumann, Sascha Klughardt, Franka Becker, Johanna and others. We had the chance to get to know each other and stay in contact after the event. Special thanks to Ramin Habibzada, Ramila El-oghlu – Azerbaijani organisers from NAYORA for presenting this opportunity and making all necessary arrangements for the trip. 

In conclusion, this journey to Georgia transcended professional development; it was a cultural exchange that fostered lasting connections and left me with a deep appreciation for the power of collaboration in the youth field. I look forward to building on these experiences and staying connected with the wonderful individuals I had the privilege of meeting.