Source – www.Activities.ge, 2016-01-13
With the purpose of increasing youth engagement and promoting civic integration of ethnic minorities in the Pankisi Gorge, the Open Society Georgia Foundation supported the Center for Civic Activities’ project aimed at creating community radio in the Pankisi Gorge.
Name of the radio station was selected by young residents of Pankisi Gorge. The word “WAY” means “ours” in the Chechen language.
The project aims to start radio broadcasting (live streaming online), encourage community activists, promote open dialogue, and the democratic processes.
Within the framework of the project, news programs will be produced in both Georgian and Chechen languages. Radio will mainly cover and will be focused on the issues affecting the population of the Pankisi Gorge, which is a priority for the community. The Radio will provide a balanced coverage of the facts and events and will demonstrate religious and cultural diversity within a civic integration context.
The radio will play all kinds of music: local, foreign, modern and classical. It will provide listeners with folk music performed by local singers and musicians, which will be recorded by the radio WAY.
On December 7, 2015, the Civic Activities Center applied to the Georgian National Communication Commission with a request to obtain a radio broadcasting license. On January 15 we will know whether or not a community radio has obtained a license. In the case radio WAY obtains the license, it will start broadcasting at the frequency of 101.1 FM in 12 villages in the Pankisi Gorge, from villages Koreti to Khadori.
The Pankisi Gorge is mainly populated by ethnic Kists. According to the 2014 database, total number of population of Pankisi Gorge is more than 10 thousand people. Since September 2015 the Center for Civic Activities is implementing the project – „Promoting Youth Engagement and Civic Integration in the Pankisi Gorge” supported by the East-West Management Institute. The idea of establishing a community radio has emerged after the meetings with young people held within the framework of the above mentioned project and as a result of the analysis of the problems faced by them.
