The Central Election Commission (CEC) and the LEPL Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Trainings (Training Centre) continue to actively implement initiatives in the field of youth electoral civic education in accordance with the 2026 Action Plan.

At the current stage, the CEC and the Training Centre, in cooperation with the “Youth Academy for Democracy”, are implementing the educational project “Student Debate Club 2026.” The project is carried out within the framework of the Tbilisi City Hall Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs Department subprogram for the Promotion of Continuous Education and Student Projects.

The aim of the project is to raise young people’s electoral awareness and strengthen civic culture by promoting the importance of constructive, argument-based debate. The initiative encourages greater youth engagement in electoral processes and fosters the development of a democratic dialogue culture.

The Training Center, based on its developed concept, offers participants broad opportunities for professional and personal skills development, including: improving critical thinking and effective time management skills; encouraging teamwork and collaborative decision-making; developing public speaking competencies; and strengthening the ability to defend one’s position through well-founded arguments. Within the framework of the debates, students will discuss election-related topics while adhering to the principles of constructive and argument-based debate.

The Training Centre has many years of experience in organizing student debates and actively cooperates with various higher education institutions. This year, 30 law students from five universities are participating in the project: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Ilia State University; Georgian Technical University; Caucasus University and Caucasus International University.

The project “Student Debate Club 2026” will be implemented in two stages: a qualifying round involving 10 teams, followed by a final round in which the two highest-performing teams will compete. Each university is represented by a three-member team.

Within the framework of the project, the Training Centre will provide participants with training on the following key topics: an overview of technological elections in Georgia; debate structure and regulations; research and analysis of arguments and evidence; public speaking techniques. The cycle of meetings began today, on February 13, with members of all 10 teams participating.

The CEC and the Training Centre consistently support and implement informational and educational projects aimed at promoting elections among young people and fostering their development as active citizens.