My first swim in the Black Sea was quite special. I had been waiting for that moment a while ago, and finally, I got it on the Georgian coast, on a nice beach in Kobuleti, a city with 20,000 inhabitants in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara (Georgia). A radiant sun, a pleasant temperature and a large amount of Kachapuris made this experience something unique and unforgettable.
The Hotel Amigo hosted the second Training Course of Strengthening Capacities for Youth-led Peace Initiatives, a nine-month program (from December 2018 to September 2019) organized by APD (Academy for Peace and Development) and UNOY (United Network of Young Peacebuilders) in which 25 youth from different countries received training to develop local projects from the perspective of conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The first Training was in February in Rustavi, a city close to the capital of Georgia, where we discussed the different tools to resolve and analyze conflicts, and we developed a plan to analyze the problems in our local communities. After this first Training, the different participants -organized by countries- carried out research during three months (from February to May), conducting interviews and going to different events.
This time, from May 13th to 21th, we attended Kobuleti in order to learn about project management with a peace perspective. Throughout those intense eight days, accompanied by an easy-going and fun environment, we were reflecting on our local communities, as well as remembering the different tools used previously.
After a visit to Batumi (capital of Adjaria) and its beautiful Botanical Garden, the tough and important part of the Training began: the design of the project. Therefore, through the tools of the Theory of Change and the Logical Framework, we were able to design a draft of the future activities that we would like to develop in our communities.
After this useful and interesting training, the different participants now embark on the difficult and necessary task of putting things into practice. After these months of research and training, in which we have also created nice networks, many questions and hopes are raised at the same time. What future awaits us and our communities on the way of peacebuilding?