World Vision peace projects bring hope for Abkhaz youth
There is hope, however.
World Vision set up Peace Clubs in Abkhazia in January 2008, operating out of youth clubs that were set up by Accion Contra el Hambre (ACH) in each of the eight regions of Abkhazia four years ago.
Every summer, ten-day peace camps are held for the youth from all over Abkhazia, representing all the ethnic backgrounds within, to learn about various subjects, such as the environment, peace building, conflict resolution, and this year, the United Nations.
This September, many of the children also participated in a Peace Concert in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, to perform dances, songs, and skits that represented the countries they studied for their Model UN Summer Camp. It was at this concert that many of the children considered how the clubs and camps have changed their attitudes about themselves and their surroundings.
...this person is from here and this person is from there,’ but in the end we built up one team spirit, one body Radmila is an intelligent and articulate 17-year-old girl from Gulripsh, a city just east of Sukhumi. She has been an active member of her local youth club for the last four years, the peace club since its inception, and has attended the last three peace camps.
“I can feel how it [the club and camps] has changed my personality. It has made a huge impact in my discussions and debates,” she said. “Before, I had a problem speaking in front of people and with strangers; but now I learned how to express myself and talk to strangers.”
Not only have her activities helped her confidence, but they have also helped her understand how important such activities can continue to be for others. This is her last year in high school and she has already decided to dedicate time to helping the Peace Club when she enters university next year.
Yulia, an equally energetic 16-year-old girl from Gali, an ethnically Georgian town on the Abkhazia-Georgia border, also saw the importance of these events for herself and others, especially after having participated in the 2007 camp as well. And even at such a young age, she recognises the benefits of children from all over Abkhazia coming together, helping rein in the ethnic tension that barely keeps the area from careening into collapse.
“The most important part was meeting all these different people my age,” she said. “We all live in Abkhazia and all our areas have their own concerns. It is good to share these experiences. At the beginning [of the summer camp], it sounded like ‘this person is from here and this person is from there,’ but in the end we built up one team spirit, one body.”
These shared experiences and moments are what brought Radmila and Yulia together as friends. Had it not been for the camps they may never have met. They use their friendship as an example of what has happened to many of these children.
“We could make friends with people who had the same interests,” Yulia said. “For instance, Radmila and I both love cats and we could talk all day about it.”
Two other friends listening in on the conversation nod at Yulia’s remark and tease her and Radmila that they really do talk about cats all day, making the two girls laugh uncontrollably.
For many of the children, attending the camp was the first time they were in the northern mountains to the west, and the first time they were around people their age from different parts of Abkhazia and from different ethnic backgrounds. Many of these children’s parents were reticent about them taking part in such an unheard of event.
Yulia pointed out that she, and many of her newfound friends from the camps, shared their experiences first with their parents and family.
...they (projects in peace clubs & camps)make us more mature, change our perceptions, and make us think like adults “At first our parents were nervous,” she said, “but once they saw our photos, they knew it was good. Some of our parents even said they wished they could have gone and wished they had something like that when they were kids.”
The recognition of these positive experiences by their parents can be seen by how children like Radmila and Yulia express themselves and how they process what has happened to them and what will happen to them in the future.
“Maybe they [projects in Peace Clubs and camps] don’t affect your life in a way that is noticeable,” Radmila said, “but they make us more mature, change our perceptions, and make us think like adults.”
Yulia echoes Radmila’s thoughts that these experiences have made them more mature and more understanding of the difficult context they live in. And for Yulia, her experience at the camps and her constant involvement in her Peace Club has changed what she wants to become.
“I am in the 11th grade and this is my last year in school,” she said. “Before, I wanted to be an interior designer, but after this experience, I began thinking about being a politician.”
When asked what kind of politician she would like to be, she didn’t have to think twice.
“I would like to be a diplomat in the department of international affairs.”
World Vision set up Peace Clubs in Abkhazia in January 2008, operating out of youth clubs that were set up by Accion Contra el Hambre (ACH) in each of the eight regions of Abkhazia four years ago.
Every summer, ten-day peace camps are held for the youth from all over Abkhazia, representing all the ethnic backgrounds within, to learn about various subjects, such as the environment, peace building, conflict resolution, and this year, the United Nations.
This September, many of the children also participated in a Peace Concert in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, to perform dances, songs, and skits that represented the countries they studied for their Model UN Summer Camp. It was at this concert that many of the children considered how the clubs and camps have changed their attitudes about themselves and their surroundings.
...this person is from here and this person is from there,’ but in the end we built up one team spirit, one body Radmila is an intelligent and articulate 17-year-old girl from Gulripsh, a city just east of Sukhumi. She has been an active member of her local youth club for the last four years, the peace club since its inception, and has attended the last three peace camps.
“I can feel how it [the club and camps] has changed my personality. It has made a huge impact in my discussions and debates,” she said. “Before, I had a problem speaking in front of people and with strangers; but now I learned how to express myself and talk to strangers.”
Not only have her activities helped her confidence, but they have also helped her understand how important such activities can continue to be for others. This is her last year in high school and she has already decided to dedicate time to helping the Peace Club when she enters university next year.
Yulia, an equally energetic 16-year-old girl from Gali, an ethnically Georgian town on the Abkhazia-Georgia border, also saw the importance of these events for herself and others, especially after having participated in the 2007 camp as well. And even at such a young age, she recognises the benefits of children from all over Abkhazia coming together, helping rein in the ethnic tension that barely keeps the area from careening into collapse.
“The most important part was meeting all these different people my age,” she said. “We all live in Abkhazia and all our areas have their own concerns. It is good to share these experiences. At the beginning [of the summer camp], it sounded like ‘this person is from here and this person is from there,’ but in the end we built up one team spirit, one body.”
These shared experiences and moments are what brought Radmila and Yulia together as friends. Had it not been for the camps they may never have met. They use their friendship as an example of what has happened to many of these children.
“We could make friends with people who had the same interests,” Yulia said. “For instance, Radmila and I both love cats and we could talk all day about it.”
Two other friends listening in on the conversation nod at Yulia’s remark and tease her and Radmila that they really do talk about cats all day, making the two girls laugh uncontrollably.
For many of the children, attending the camp was the first time they were in the northern mountains to the west, and the first time they were around people their age from different parts of Abkhazia and from different ethnic backgrounds. Many of these children’s parents were reticent about them taking part in such an unheard of event.
Yulia pointed out that she, and many of her newfound friends from the camps, shared their experiences first with their parents and family.
...they (projects in peace clubs & camps)make us more mature, change our perceptions, and make us think like adults “At first our parents were nervous,” she said, “but once they saw our photos, they knew it was good. Some of our parents even said they wished they could have gone and wished they had something like that when they were kids.”
The recognition of these positive experiences by their parents can be seen by how children like Radmila and Yulia express themselves and how they process what has happened to them and what will happen to them in the future.
“Maybe they [projects in Peace Clubs and camps] don’t affect your life in a way that is noticeable,” Radmila said, “but they make us more mature, change our perceptions, and make us think like adults.”
Yulia echoes Radmila’s thoughts that these experiences have made them more mature and more understanding of the difficult context they live in. And for Yulia, her experience at the camps and her constant involvement in her Peace Club has changed what she wants to become.
“I am in the 11th grade and this is my last year in school,” she said. “Before, I wanted to be an interior designer, but after this experience, I began thinking about being a politician.”
When asked what kind of politician she would like to be, she didn’t have to think twice.
“I would like to be a diplomat in the department of international affairs.”
Share