September 15 is an important day. In addition to celebrating International Day of Democracy, Georgia’s students will return to school. For people like Tamta Gamrekeli, a member of the USAID-supported civics club in Osiauri, the learning process is always ongoing.
“‘Active citizenship,’ ‘civic activism,’ and ‘advocacy campaign’ were terms I did not fully understand before Momavlis Taoba [USAID’s flagship civic education program in Georgia] took an active role in my life,” said Tamta.
“In the process of carrying out civics projects, we have become active citizens who are responsible for the future of our country and who must make changes for the better. We realize the importance of our contributions to building civil society.”
Tamta and her fellow civics club members are learning to identify and speak up for the needs of their community, growing into engaged citizens that will help Georgia build a stronger democracy from the ground up.
Recently, they advocated to improve the physical environment at their school and in their village. They conducted a community survey on environmental issues, presenting the results to the local government. At the meeting with the governmental officials, they also discussed measures that should be taken to improve their school.
The advocacy campaign was a success, and the local authorities placed rubbish bins throughout the village and provided 90 evergreen seedlings to be planted in and around the schoolyard.
USAID is proud to support young people like Tamta and her fellow civics club members who are advocating for the needs of their community. Democracy gets stronger when citizens get involved in local issues.
