Goals

Problem statement:

The idea of the project “KAZBEGI YOUNG WALKERS” is to integrate our youth and change their lifestyle. Currently, our youth only meet during school activities and rarely socialize or plan interesting activities. Our environment provides the landscape for an active lifestyle, but the youth lack the skills, transportation, and public centers for meeting and socializing.

This lack of integration means that many students move to cities after school. The distance further breaks down communication, isolating them in their new environment and from their family and friends. Also, it means that boys and girls do not socialise together and girls have few opportunities for physical activities.

We want to bring together young people and teach them to be more active first in their own communities and then with youth in other regions. We want to help them by using non-formal education methods.

Our local volunteer group has created a program where school pupils will organise camping and hiking trips. Our target group is local students from 6, 7, 8, and 9th grades. They are no more than 80 students in total. 10 person groups will regularly take one or two day camping trips.

Proposed Solution:

These trips will teach our youth social and practical skills, learning about diversity and tolerance while they learn to respect nature. To do this, we will hold introductory meetings in schools for students and parents. We will also distribute informational brochures.

The program includes: creating a group, gathering equipment, setting up camp, mastering navigation, first aid training, hiking principles, ecology, and social games. These games will help the youth get to know each other and learn to communicate well and overcome diversity. We hope that over time, our youth will form strong bonds with each other, a respect for the environment and the confidence to lead their own trips.

Sustainability:

The development of the tradition of young walkers is the major goal of the initiative team. All the inventory we purchase will be available for anyone from the group to use. The initiative is supported by the local Municipality and local Education Resource Center what is a good motivation for us to make the young walkers a tradition and help the walkers become active members of society.

Equal gender opportunity:

The present project envisages gender balance in respect of both, organizational team and beneficiaries. The members of the initiative team are both, males and females equally sharing the obligations by considering their experience, wishes, field of interest and skills. We are especially interested in offering opportunities to girls to do physical activities and socialise with boys, as nothing exists for them in Kazbegi.