„My attention had been drawn by the program and I submitted the application. I attended training courses on new advocacy strategies, seeking funding, small donations, which present the biggest challenges currently faced by non-governmental organizations. I had had quite big expectations and fortunately they were met… As a psychologist I was particularly interested in the training course run by a Slovak expert, who is a social psychologist by profession. At this stage I am waiting for the announcement of the small grants competition, in which we will take part by all means “- this is how Tamar Motsradze, a representative of the Association of Young Psychologists, commented on the cycle of training courses held for NGOs working on youth problems. The support for the training courses held in October was provided by the Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF).
This is not the first time the OSGF has organized training courses aimed at NGO capacity building, however, the Civil Society Support Program focused on youth organizations for the first time. The project was launched in July 2013. Around 40 representatives of NGOs took part in the training course held in October. The training courses covered the following topics: project planning, management, implementation, democratic development, good governance and human rights, seeking funding, new advocacy strategies, social media and diversity issues. Except for the theory the working process was based on group and individual exercises, role play and case studies.
The training courses were run by leading local organizations’ representatives having different experience and specialty (Irina Khantadze, Buba Tsirekidze, Zviad Devdariani, Giorgi Gogia, Tea Gvelesiani, and Kakha Maghradze. Eastern European Expert Dusan Ondrusek was also involved in the program).
Ten participants selected on the basis of a competitions will leave for Macedonia on November 5 to visit ‘Youth Educational Forum’. Macedonian colleagues will introduce to Georgian participant efficient ways of using online media, youth participation in advocacy processes, intercultural environment and diversity management, voluntary activities, methods of communication and drawing support, outcomes of studies on youth issues and other questions.
After the project is over, the Civil Society Support Program will announce a grant competition for organizations taking part in the training course. This will help them turn the obtained knowledge into practice.
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