Young Leaders for Peace and Development

Location: Europe & Eurasia
Funder: USAID

 
2002 - The Center for International Training was recently awarded a 2-year cooperative agreement funded by USAID to continue our youth development activities in the Caucasus Region.











From 1998 until 2001, through USAID's Global Training for Development Project, AED implemented the Young Leaders for Peace and Development Program in the Southern Caucasus. AED collaborated with both U.S. several Georgian, Abkhazian and Armenian NGOs to provide in-country, third country, and U.S. based activities for young leaders from Abkhazia and Georgia. The program received attention and strong support from officials in Georgia, Abkhazia, Armenia, the United Nations, the OSCE and the US government, thus contributing to greater public awareness of various national reconciliation and peace building efforts in the Caucasus Region. With activities such as summer camps, the YLPD program assisted over 500 participants in building a bridge of friendship, understanding, communication and dialogue among teenage victims of the Georgian and Abkhazian conflict. The youth have engaged in educational activities, community development and the establishment of small businesses.











The completion of AED's Global Training for Development activity in Georgia in 2001 provided AED an opportunity to submit an unsolicited proposal to continue this important work. In May 2002, the award was made. The activity will involve 510 youth between 14 and 18 years of age from both sides of the Abkhaz-Georgian conflict who have been identified as having leadership potential. Over the two years, AED helped the youth establish a youth association with two branches, one in Abkhazia and one in Georgia, for promising Abkhaz and Georgian young leaders engaged in community service, career oriented education programs and employment and income generation activities. Youth summer camps were held in 2002 and 2003. Through these activities, the program strengthened community organizations and institutions, thereby building a constituency for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and a foundation for long-term economic development.











An important part of AED's activity over the course of the project was securing funds from private citizens and philanthropist organizations to supplement the core activity, fund a summer camp in 2003, and expand the program to include youth from other parts of Georgia and the Caucasus.











Summary/Lessons Learned 2004 - From 1998 - 2002 under the Global Training for Development (GTD) Project, AED implemented youth activities for 510 Georgian and Abkhaz youth to develop leadership, engage in community development, and build skills for conflict prevention, small business development, NGO development and in more fundamental areas such as English language and use of computers. In 2002, USAID awarded AED a separate agreement, Young Leaders for Peace and Development, to continue the activity for two years until 2004.











The primary goal of the young leaders program was to develop a cadre of young future leaders from both sides of the Georgia-Abkhaz conflict who would demonstrate the potential to be future leaders in their respective communities and who would establish a foundation of trust, confidence and understanding between them. The program focused on building a sustainable cross-conflict collaborative network of youth clubs and NGOs for promising Abkhaz and Georgian young leaders engaged in community service, career oriented education programs and employment and income generation activities in order to build a constituency for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and a foundation for long-term economic development.











YLPD continued and expanded activities begun under GTD, including the training program and community outreach activities. YLPD training program components included English, computers, conflict transformation, NGO development and small business development. Using their NGO and small business skills gained under GTD and enhanced under YLPD, the clubs conducted numerous community outreach and income earning projects, including charitable performances for younger disadvantaged children, training on human rights and the Convention of the Children's Rights, art and photo exhibitions of the work of disadvantaged children, art performances, sport competition events, environmental projects, Debate Clubs, and seminars on various topics such as human rights and AIDS awareness.











In addition, the program trained nearly 75 assistant trainers and assisted hundreds of others who were reached by various club activities. At least 1,000 young people were reached through a Weekend School Program provided by the young leaders and over 8,000 youth have benefited from the variety of programs offered by the youth clubs. Ultimately, the program strengthened youth leadership, activism, and community organizations and institutions.











A major achievement of the program was the establishment of a Georgian youth association (Academy for Peace and Development) and an Abkhaz youth association (Young Leaders Association), both of which registered as Georgian NGOs in 2002. Under YLPD, all of the clubs also registered as NGOs.











Project description: From 1998 - 2002 under the Global Training for Development (GTD) Project, AED implemented youth activities for 510 Georgian and Abkhaz youth to develop leadership, engage in community development, and build skills for conflict prevention, small business development, NGO development and in more fundamental areas such as English language and use of computers. In 2002, USAID awarded AED a separate agreement, Young Leaders for Peace and Development, to continue the activity for two years until 2004.











The primary goal of the young leaders program was to develop a cadre of young future leaders from both sides of the Georgia-Abkhaz conflict who would demonstrate the potential to be future leaders in their respective communities and who would establish a foundation of trust, confidence and understanding between them. The program focused on building a sustainable cross-conflict collaborative network of youth clubs and NGOs for promising Abkhaz and Georgian young leaders engaged in community service, career oriented education programs and employment and income generation activities in order to build a constituency for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and a foundation for long-term economic development.











YLPD continued and expanded activities begun under GTD, including the training program and community outreach activities. YLPD training program components included English, computers, conflict transformation, NGO development and small business development. Using their NGO and small business skills gained under GTD and enhanced under YLPD, the clubs conducted numerous community outreach and income earning projects, including charitable performances for younger disadvantaged children, training on human rights and the Convention of the Children's Rights, art and photo exhibitions of the work of disadvantaged children, art performances, sport competition events, environmental projects, Debate Clubs, and seminars on various topics such as human rights and AIDS awareness.











In addition, the program trained nearly 75 assistant trainers and assisted hundreds of others who were reached by various club activities. At least 1,000 young people were reached through a Weekend School Program provided by the young leaders and over 8,000 youth have benefited from the variety of programs offered by the youth clubs. Ultimately, the program strengthened youth leadership, activism, and community organizations and institutions.











A major achievement of the program was the establishment of a Georgian youth association (Academy for Peace and Development) and an Abkhaz youth association (Young Leaders Association), both of which registered as Georgian NGOs in 2002. Under YLPD, all of the clubs also registered as NGOs.











From YLPD Final Report











SUMMARY/RECOMMENDATIONS












The following is a brief summary of the lessons learned and recommendations for improving the Young Leaders for Peace and Development in the Southern Caucasus Program. Based on the participants' feedback, the program met its objectives. The exit questionnaire statistics reports from schedule, classes and peace camp show that the training was directly relevant to participants' activities. They will be able to apply what they learned during the training. Participants were very satisfied with the trainers, program content and methodology. However, they indicated that the duration of the program should be prolonged. The entire YLPD community revealed interest for continued financial support for capacity building and development of the NGOs. These will be factored into the planning, development and organization of any future programs.
 
 

Related Tools & Publications

 

Related Stories

Search
  Execute Search