On October 14, 15 and 16, training on advocacy and civil activism was organized by “Eco Centre”.
We hosted the training outside the city, in Kachreti, within the framework of the project – “Strengthening the Network of Environmentalists in Kvemo Kartli”. The project is carried out by a grant from the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), with support from the British Government.
People interested in environmental issues and techniques for solving these problems took part in the training on a regional scale – from Rustavi, Gardabani, Marneuli and Bolnisi. Among them were representatives of civil society in these cities, young people involved in activism and teachers.
Our meeting started with an informational tour in the industrial area of Rustavi. Most of the participants had no information about the scale and condition of the production zone of Rustavi, and we are glad that this tour was a source of important information for the participants and they got to know this side of Rustavi.
The next stage continued in Kachreti and we talked about “Gavigudet” and “Eco Centre”; our path, our activities and our future goals. We told the participants about how “Gavigudet” acquired a place at the negotiating table, we talked about the policy documents that “Gavigudet” was and is currently involved, in regard of the improvement of the air quality.
We talked about indoor air pollution and discussed how and what specific actions can be taken for the protection of the air.
We started the second day of the training by discussing the issues and the statistics of how air pollution affects people’s health, and the list is quite extensive, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, nervous system problems, risks of mental health difficulties.
The agenda of the second day also included an introduction to the core of advocacy for the participants, a definition of civil engagement, an introduction to the risks of activism and the techniques of managing these risks. In order to better clarify the issue, we also did a practical exercise on the analysis of interest groups related to the problem and their activities.
At the end of the day, we discussed opportunities for civil engagement exemplifying successful practices.
We talked about media advocacy as an important way of keeping various problems spotlight and getting the people’s attention.
We also did a practical exercise on planning an advocacy campaign. Young people proposed interesting ideas for advocacy campaigns on interesting topics.
On the third day, we talked about the possibilities of citizen involvement on a local level; We discussed the legal forms of citizen participation, the procedure and deadlines for requesting public information, the practices of citizen involvement proposed by the local authorities. In addition, we got acquainted with the existing platforms for exploring environmental issues.
It should be mentioned, that the training participants were actively involved in each session and there were discussions. Also, many interesting ideas for future collaborations and the promotion of eco-friendly approaches were suggested.
At the end of the training, the participants got certificates.
We are glad that our network of environmentalists has expanded on a regional scale, with active young people.
