My Impressions: Bolnisi

In the morning we arrived in Bolnisi Youth Club which is situated in a nice house with a small garden in the Bolnisi Intercultural Centre. First we met the Youth Club coordinator/leader Irma Zurabashvilli. We also had an opportunity to meet the teachers who participated in the ToT (Training of Trainers): we met two teachers of Georgian Language in the Azerbaijani school Ia Robakidze and Lali Dalakishvilli and a teacher of history in the Armenian school Karine Alikhanjan.

The teachers informed us about the ToT, which was organised within the frame of the project and lasted 4 days. Around 25 teachers participated in the training from Bolnisi and Dmanisi. They learned about the new and interactive teaching methods and how to make the teaching process more interesting. They said that some games were difficult even for the teachers especially the ones about the tolerance. They also mentioned that they will use the skills and the games during their lessons.

The youth club coordinator informed us that there are about 23 children in the club from which 9 have Armenian, another 9 have Georgian and 5 Azerbaijani ethnic backgrounds. The children are 15-17 years old and representing different schools of the region (Bolnisi, Quemo Bolnisi, Sopeli Bolnisi). Each training session lasts for 4 hours including a coffee break. 

The club members take part in different events and meet every weekend. They also organise excursions and waste collections near the cultural sites. They have already had trainings in communication, leadership, presentation making, tolerance, culture and team building. As one of the participants Alina Mkrtchyan mentioned: “We all are like a big family, we do a lot of things together, visit sites and learn a lot. We truly hope to have a contact with the Armenian Youth Clubs”.

The SOS Culture team also hopes to create the possibilities for the participants from both countries to meet and work together.