youth

7 Posts

•

0 Followers

Feature Stories

Poisoned, soaked, but still dancing: Georgia’s Zoomers come of political age

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•6 min read

Sassy posters, raving to sirens, dancing with water jets, and barricades made of scooters; these have become some of the symbols of the demonstrations that defeated Georgia’s foreign agent bills — and symbols of Generation Z’s entrance into politics. ‘This protest was different; there was more humour in it’, says 21-year-old Anastasia Pirtskhalaishvili. Pirtskhalaishvili was among thousands of young people who took to the streets in early March, after the ruling party passed the foreign agen

activism

South Ossetia’s youth are striving for opportunities at home and abroad

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

Enterprising young people in South Ossetia have lots of ideas for improving their homeland but the challenges are many. Few opportunities to develop a career at home, even fewer opportunities to travel abroad, a lack of cultural and recreational facilities, and a dearth of funding for youth initiatives mean the obstacles can seem insurmountable. Nevertheless, many are willing to try. An often heard complaint among students in South Ossetia is that there’s nowhere for young people to go o

duisi

Voice from Pankisi | From the ‘Pankisi Crisis’ and beyond

by OC Media

•5 min read

Luiza Mutoshvili, 27, Pankisi Valley. ‘Five years ago, I started a job as a teacher at the public school in Duisi, Pankisi Valley, which completely changed my life. The goal of my teaching programme was to overcome the language barrier in regions with ethnic minorities. I’m ethnically Kist myself, and since Georgian is not my native language, I was well familiar with the language barrier problem.’ ‘I started teaching Georgian at the Duisi public school, in the Russian sector. I taught Ge

Azerbaijan

Is there a new brain drain in Azerbaijan?

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

Although official figures show low levels of emigration, many young students and specialists from Azerbaijan appear to be moving abroad for work. This has led many in the country to begin to question: is there a new brain drain in Azerbaijan? In the 1990s, many former Soviet republics experienced a massive outflow of intellectuals, scientists, artists, musicians, and other educated professionals. Due to catastrophic economic consequences of the Soviet collapse, many moved to the US, Euro

Agriculture

Georgia to cut four ministries

by OC Media

•2 min read

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has announced plans to merge a number of ministries, cutting down on the total number by four. The changes are being accompanied by a Cabinet reshuffle. Kvirikashvili said at a 13 November press-conference that the ministries of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, sport and youth, energy, and environment will all be merged with other ministries. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection will have its responsibilities spl

Armenia

No friendship in Armenia’s ‘village of friendship’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

Barekamavan, a village on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, regularly comes under fire. Unfortunately for Barekamavan’s besieged residents, this is not their only problem, and with people moving away, the village faces extinction. [Read in Armenian — Հոդվածը հայերեն կարդացեք] Barekamavan means ‘the village of friendship’ in Armenian. This is the name of a village in Tavush Province, north-eastern Armenia, which lies on the border with Azerbaijan. Sometimes people in Tavush call t

Georgia

Study shows young Georgians optimistic about future employability

by OC Media

•2 min read

Young people in Georgia are optimistic about their future employability, according to a study unveiled on 23 January by the German political foundation, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. According to the study, 41% of young people aged 14–29 are in education, with 71% of these feeling optimistic about their employment opportunities. A large majority, 75% of those surveyed, believe that personal connections are the most important factor in finding a job. Only 26% of young Georgians are in any kind