Tamar Davituliani, a 24 year-old native of Tsageri, from an early age juggles between education, work and taking care of the family in addition to bringing positive changes in her hometown. Aspiration for change was the reason why Tamar applied for the Civic Leadership Program. She says Tsageri youth rarely have an opportunity to learn something new without leaving their homes: “In a small and remote place like ours, access to information is a problem. We do not know what is going on around us, especially in the capital, which is the cultural centre of the country. Any novelty reaches us very slowly if reaches us at all”, says Tamar who believes this circumstance to be the key driver of youth migration from Tsageri, where there are limited employment and self-actualization opportunities.
The Civic Leadership Program helped Tamar acquire knowledge which she used while implementing her activities: “in order to be able to do good one needs to know how to do it. Your program provided not only theoretical framework but allowed the participants to apply theory to practice and receive feedback. This is a useful course for people in nongovernmental sector”, says Tamar.
After the completion of the program Tamar has been actively involved in developing a tourist audio guide for Lechkhumi. She believes that this initiative will help to highlight the region’s touristic potential and bring benefits to the community. In addition, she has also founded a non-profit organisation and is currently reaching out to potential allies to create an environment conducive to self-actualisation of local youth: “Education is my top priority. At the same time, it does not need to be formal. Informal and targeted education courses will open new windows of opportunity to young people.” says Tamar.