The new educational project “I Am My School’s Election Ambassador” of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the LEPL Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (Training Centre) has been successfully completed.

At Tbilisi Public School No. 221, the CEC Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili and the Director of the Training Centre Natia Zaalishvili congratulated the project participants on completing the course and presented them with certificates. The students were awarded the status of “School Election Ambassadors”. As Giorgi Kalandarishvili noted, the project promotes awareness of electoral issues from school age and the formation of young people into active citizens. According to him, the project is an important platform that gives adolescents the opportunity to better realize their role in the country’s development and creates a basis for the development of electoral culture in the long-term perspective.

Natia Zaalishvili, Director of the Training Centre, focused on the importance of the project and noted that the program combines the components of both theoretical knowledge and practical skill development, which will help students effectively use the acquired knowledge in their daily lives.

The event was also attended by the school director, Inga Saakashvili, who also spoke about the importance of the project in her welcoming speech.

The pilot project “I am my School’s Electoral Ambassador” was ongoing for one month, from April 6 to May 6. More than 900 students of VII-X grades from 50 public schools across the capital participated in the project. During the three-day interactive course, the youth studied the essence of democratic elections, the basics of media literacy, the importance of an informed choice, and deepened their knowledge about the school self-government election process. After completing the course, the students evaluated the project positively.

The project, the aim of which is to raise electoral culture among youth, popularize elections, and understand the importance of elections, was implemented at the initiative of the CEC and the Training Centre, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. Considering the received positive experience and high interest, after evaluating the stages and results of the project’s implementation, a gradual introduction of the project in all schools across Georgia is planned for the future.