Becoming #StrongerTogether Through Dialogue: The EU-Georgia Dialogue Initiative organised by EU-based YEAs

The EU-based YEAs are organizing a series of events called “Dialogue Initiative” (DI), with the aim of better understanding the six EaP countries, their History, culture, its relations with the EU, as well as different policy areas related to Human Rights, Gender Equality, the Environment and Youth Opportunities. In the context of the new structure and activities managed by EU YEAs, we believe that this exchange of knowledge and experiences is extremely important for both sides.

The EU-Georgia Dialogue Initiative is taking place over six virtual sessions and is organised by the EU-Based YEAs in cooperation with Georgian YEAs. On the 27th of February, I had the chance to organise the second session of the DI, that took place via Zoom Meetings, and counted with around 20 participants from several EU countries and Georgia, who discussed Georgian History and Politics.

Besides the icebreakers and breakout rooms in which YEAs had the chance to interact and network, the session counted with five presentations prepared by the Georgian YEAs Giorgi Giorgadze, Tatia Paradashvili, Salome Tsereteli and Dea Magalashvili. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, such as Ancient Georgian History, Georgian Revolutionaries, the Democratic Republic of Georgia between 1918 and 1921, Georgia after the Dissolution of the USSR, as well as the European Court verdict about the Georgia-Russia conflict of 2008.

The main goal of the session was to understand the political context of the Georgian society and how it is linked to the particular History of the country. Thus, EU-based YEAs had the opportunity to acquire this knowledge about the country in an informal and interactive way, strengthening the relations between YEAs and fostering cooperation for future projects.

For us, EU-based YEAs, this has been a rewarding experience, which will allow us to promote the EaP and our eastern neighbours among EU youth in a more informed way, since we are becoming more aware of its historical trajectory, its culture, as well as its political and societal challenges.

There is no doubt that, to promote the EU values in which we so strongly believe, it is fundamental to hear all perspectives and to create a fruitful dialogue between our countries, especially involving youth. Once again, these last months of the EU-Georgia Dialogue Initiative are showing us that, in fact, we are #StrongerTogether.