World Bank encourages people to smile

On May 16 the Youth Voices Georgia project, established by the World Bank, held a festival called Give a Smile to Each Other at the Ethnographic Museum in Tbilisi.

“This festival aims to encourage socially unprotected young people's integration into society. Representatives of the organisations working in this sector presented information about their activities and offered the young people their support. Young people also shared their knowledge and experience with each other,” World Bank Consultant, Tiniko Abuladze said.

The concrete objectives of Youth Voices Georgia are to fill the information gap experienced by young people in remote regions, youth representatives of ethnic and religious minorities and young people living in conflict areas, provide them with non-formal education, promote their civic integration, support youth initiatives and combat youth idleness through realising anti-idleness campaigns and projects.

In May 2004 the World Bank selected a group of young people aged from 15 to 25 who had expressed an interest in discussing and analysing issues of concern to young people in Georgia for the Youth Voices Georgia group. The goal of forming the group was to bring the World Bank fresh ideas and recommendations for youth programmes and policies informed by the group members' experiences, perspectives and priorities.

The festival at the open air museum was held for the benefit of three target groups: young IDps from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, young people with limited abilities and young people and children without carers. Around 300 children participated in the festival.