LOCAL CAPACITIES FOR PEACE SEED GRANT TOOL PROJECTS
2019 REPORT
CONTENTS
Preamble
1
Camp for Change - YMCA Artsakh
2
- Introduction and program
2
- Aims and Objectives
5
- Participant Profile & Team
6
- Evaluation
7
- General conclusion
8
- Future plans and sustainability
8
Peace Day Techniques in Summer Camps - YMCA Ukraine
9
- Introduction
9
- Participants & Team
9
- Program
10
- Practical use
11
- Evaluation
11
C.A.M.P. Creat! Act! Make! Peace! - YMCA Georgia
12
- Aims and Objectives
12
- Team of facilitators
12
- Preparation process
13
- Program
13
- Evaluation
16
- General conclusion
17
- Media (photo album, video)
17
LCP SGT Application procedures & selection criteria
18
Reported by: Vardan Hambardzumyan - Project Manager Revaz Shavladze - Project Assistant Layout and design: Marius Pop - Project Assistant
©Copyrights YMCA Europe 2020
THE PREAMBLE The Local Capaci es for Peace (LCP) Seed Grant Tool (SGT) is one of the major components of Roots for Reconcilia on (Roots) project. The concept was elaborated and developed based on best prac ces obtained from the first two phases of Roots (2007 – 2010 & 2012 - 2015) and aims towards strengthening the local capaci es for peace in the region of South Caucasus. The first LCP Program Forum (PF) was organized in 2016 in Tbilisi, Georgia for the target organisa ons and groups in order to transfer the know-how on applica on and implementa on criteria for LCP SGT Projects; The second LCP Program Forum in 2019 in Stepanakert, Artsakh served as a working pla orm where the SGT projects carried out in 2018 were evaluated, learning outcomes and best prac ces shared, and new plans conceptualized.
The Programming Commi ee (PC), comprising appropriate RfR project staff and the RfR PWI first genera on alumni from South Caucasus region, had been set up in 2016 with gender and county representa on balance as key condi ons. The PC developed the grant tool criteria and procedures, based on which YMCAs in the region as well as other youth groups could develop projects and receive grants for cross-border or regional coopera on ini a ves aimed at intercultural learning, peace culture educa on, conflict trauma healing, etc. Upon review and approval by Programming Commi ee, subsequent grants are issued to applying organiza ons. Detailed descrip on of applica on and selec on criteria is provided as appendix to the report. There were three (3) projects granted in 2017 with a total of 224 par cipants: · Camping and Outdoor Educa on – Road towards Peace, Camp Orange, YMCA Georgia – 40 par cipants · The Camp for Hope. YMCA Artsakh – 84 par cipants · LiveLove Camp for Syrian – Armenian Youth. YMCA Armenia – 100 par cipants In 2018, four (4) projects had been approved, with one (1) from YMCA Georgia postponed to 2019 due to congested schedule of implemen ng organiza on. 200 par cipants were involved. · Camp Awesome for Syrian – Armenian Youth. YMCA Armenia – 87 par cipants · Camp for Life - YMCA Artsakh – 82 par cipants · Impulse for Cross-Border Dialogue - Russia, Ukraine & Belarus. – 31 par cipants Two (2) projects were selected for implementa on in 2019 with a total of 215 par cipants. · The Camp for a Change. YMCA Artsakh. 102 par cipants · Peace day techniques for summer camps. YMCA Ukraine. 82 par cipants · C.A.M.P. “Change! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Georgia. 33 par cipants
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2 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019
102
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participants countries
24 average age
INTRODUCTION & PROGRAMME I n t h e s co p e o f Y M C A E u ro p e “ Ro o t s fo r Reconcilia on” Project Local Capaci es for Peace Seed Grant Tool, YMCA Artsakh ran “Camp for Hope” 2017 and “Camp for Life” 2018. Due to the success and posi ve feedbacks of these camps there was a big interest and demand in a follow-up camp among the ac ve youth of Artsakh.
YMCA Georgia. This was an important step to make the camp more rela ve for the RfR project goals and objec ves, but also to show that young people in Artsakh have enough skills and are empowered and mo vated enough to act as hosts for young people from other countries in conflict and implement a successful project.
Hence YMCA Artsakh leadership was bound to find resources to run a new camp in 2019 that would both somehow be the logical con nua on of the previous 2 camps but also offer something new. Fortunately, the RfR Project could par ally fund a new camp. The rest of the resources needed were raised through dona ons by YMCA Artsakh. This is another indicator that the previous camps were well-appreciated by the community and we could even raise some funds.
91 young people from all the regions of Artsakh took part in the tent camp. 3 par cipants from Georgia and 2 par cipants from Russia took part in the camp. Of course there were young people who already knew each other or young people who met in the camp and made friends. But one example of a friendship that started in the camp to be men oned is that of a Georgian guy with his Russian peer who made such good friends during the camp and they were together all the me. This was one of the li le successes of our camp.
“Camp for a Change” 2019 took place in Patara village, Artsakh on 23-29 July 2019. It is noteworthy, the campsite infrastructure was even developed with newly built toilets and showers that could be used by more people at a me and there was a be er water supply. The SGT is a conflict transforma on ini a ve to enhance the skills, knowledge, a tudes, values and percep ons of young people affected by the conflict and to influence their approaches and behavior through these changes for the sake of peace. The 2 camps in 2017 and 2018 were targeted at the youth of Artsakh as a vulnerable group that firstly needs to be mobilized and then encouraged and mo vated to be ac ve and take ini a ves to make changes in their lives and communi es. For 2019 it was decided to try to make an interna onal camp with few par cipants invited from YMCA Russia and
It should also be men oned that the team had certain concerns about the working language of the camp. Though it was officially announced that the working language would be Russian, all the three languages (Armenian, Russian, and English) could be heard during the camp week and it all worked well. The par cipants were constantly helping each other with the interpreta on, which served bases for more communica on with each other and contributed to new friendships to be born. The team of the leaders comprised of 8 experienced YMCA leaders from Artsakh and Armenia, 3 suppor ng staff, 1 leader from YMCA Georgia and 1 leader from YMCA Russia.
3 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 INTRODUCTION & PROGRAMME The camp program was tailored targeted at two different groups of poten al par cipants - young people who would apply to be in the YMCA camp again and new par cipants and to be equally interes ng for every single par cipant. The camp program ensured a diversity of ac vi es to meet the expecta ons of all the par cipants. The main goals for this year were developing cri cal thinking and crea vity of the campers. The fashion show to create costumes on 3 given themes and the TenSing component tasks were a part of this. The camp started with the official presenta on of the “Roots for Reconcilia on” project. The main presen ng team comprised of the elder genera on of the “rooters” and PWI first and second phase alumni. YMCA Artsakh leaders spoke about the YMCA movement in Artsakh and the projects they run, the camping being the most extensive one. The “Camp for a Change” project and its main goals were presented to the campers, too. Since the tradi onal home groups make it easier to manage the campers in teams and it is more effec ve to get to know each other and work in smaller groups when the number of par cipants is so big in par cular, the campers were divided into 8 home groups with par cipants of different backgrounds (country, gender, region they come from) in each. The schedule of the whole week was quite busy for the par cipants. There was a very good balance between the training sessions and physical exercise parts. Like in the previous camps, every single day of the camp comprised of the 3 main components- an Educa onal part, Rest me and Evening Program. Each day one of the home groups was assigned to take care of different logis c issues such as leading the morning exercise, me-keeping, helping in the kitchen team, etc. At the end of each day, all the par cipants gathered together within their home groups to discuss and sum up the day. The posi ve and nega ve points of each day, as well as the sugges ons and ques ons they had worked on in their home groups were presented by the team delegates to the camp steering group every evening.
This feedback has always been an important part of an overall evalua on of the whole week. In most cases the issues raised by the home groups were addressed to find a solu on to, in case they were quite reasonable and well- jus fied and if possible to address immediately, of course. Morning outdoor exercise was a good start of the day and it was the favorite part of the program for the majority of the campers since they felt quite energized a erwards. Each of the home groups on duty for wake-ups had to show a new crea ve way to wake the whole camp up every single day. As for the awareness raising and educa onal part, the camp leaders had prepared half-day trainings covering topics like Conflict Transforma on, Cri cal Thinking and Public Speaking-TED Talks format were mainly targeted at providing the par cipants with very helpful and useful life skills.
4 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 INTRODUCTION & PROGRAMME The second important component in the program is the TenSing program. It had three main objec ves: 1/ to introduce the YMCA TenSing Program to the young people who are new in the movement; and 2/ to give space to discover their talents and skills and 3/to give them space to display their crea vity preparing the evening programs. There were 3 tradi onal TenSing groups formed based on the choice of camperssinging, dancing and ac ng and they had some tasks to work on and to perform in the evenings for the whole camp. It is worth men oning that there were very talented young people among the campers who had very different skills (singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument or ac ng). The sports day is another favourite part in the camp program and the campers used to ask for more sports compe ons all the me. There were several sports and so-called “big game” compe ons that needed crucial cri cal thinking skills and crea ve approach to succeed in. It was fun to watch the home groups figh ng at their full poten al in every single compe on and making efforts to enjoy the victory. It is already a tradi on that the campers receive guests who join the rou ne of the camp. Ashot Ghulyan, the Chairman of the Na onal Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh tradi onally holds an informal mee ng with the YMCA Artsakh event par cipants and campers every year encouraging the youth to display a more ac ve civic par cipa on in favour of both their personal and professional growth and the development of the country. He always gives space for the youth to ask ques ons and answer them with pleasure. This year he was very happy to host the interna onal guests among the campers as well. Due to the posi ve feedback in the community, Bako Sahakyan, the President of the Republic of Artsakh informally visited the camp and joined one of the evening programs around the campfire as well. Another important visit was paid by Vardan Hambardzumyan, YMCA Europe Execu ve Secretary who is the person in charge for the RfR project. The RfR logo was used in all the project-related
promo materials, including the T-shirts. This year the T-shirts design for this year included a barcode on them that when using modern technology to read barcodes direct the users to the YMCA RfR page immediately. Members of the staff of the Emergency Situa ons Service of the Republic of Artsakh stayed in the campsite for the whole camp to ensure the safety of the campers and to provide first aid, in case needed. The closing of the camp was combined with the outdoor dinner on the last day of the camp, which was also very well organized with a lot of fun, dancing and singing the whole evening.
5 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 AIM & OBJECTIVES To stay in line with the RfR Project goals and principles, as well as to make certain changes in the tradi onal program format implemented during the previous 2 years, it was decided to invite young people from other conflict countries as par cipants. The main goal was to show the youth in Artsakh that they are not the only ones or alone in such circumstances and that young people in different countries in the region have similar problems and common interests. Also it was important to make them feel themselves the hosts of foreign guests and act as mediators for peace and reconcilia on between young people in an ongoing conflict. The “Camp for Hope” 2017 was targeted at mobiliza on and empowerment of young people, the “Camp for Life” 2018 was targeted at arming young people with necessary and very useful knowledge and skills to be applied in their daily lives and the “Camp for a Change” 2019 was more about giving them a sense of ownership and responsibility and a space for self-expressions and crea vity. The main methodology of this project is youth empowerment and fostering their ac vism through developing capacity and providing opportuni es for “learning by doing” a tude. The camp had the following key tasks: Ÿ Encouraging youth leadership through a youth camp as a model of co-existence in challenging condi ons and as
a life-changing experience and life skills; Ÿ Coopera on, networking and experience exchange with YMCA experienced leaders; Ÿ Integra on and support to socially vulnerable youth groups of
the community and young people from conflic ng countries (youth from rural and border areas, young par cipants from Russia, Georgia and Artsakh);
Ÿ Encouraging improving knowledge and personal and professional skills (cri cal thinking and public speaking); Ÿ Trainings on Conflict Transforma on and public speaking in TED talks format; Ÿ Encouraging youth ac vism; Ÿ Youth interac on and exchange of new ideas and opinions; Ÿ Leisure me through evening programs to reveal the crea vity and talents of the camp par cipants.
6 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 PARTICIPANT PROFILE Overall, there were 102 people in the camp including the leaders and the technical staff. The direct beneficiaries of the project were 91 young people aged 18-30 who are ac ve youth in their communi es. The campers who par cipated in the camps in 2017 and in 2018 were asked to take some responsibili es, which was a good way to encourage their ac ve par cipa on and improve their leadership skills. This genera on of these young people is the most affected by the conflicts as they have been brought up in the condi ons of the unstable peace and con nuous armed conflict and they cannot stay indifferent to the peaceful resolu ons not being reached as of present. Most of the par cipants seemed to be much devoted to their communi es and love their countries and are ready to invest all their poten al for the further development of their countries, as well as for finding peaceful solu ons to the conflict they have lived in all their lives. Also all the par cipants chosen through a very scrupulous selec on process proved to have a high interest in all the topics discussed and also ensured the efficiency of the program offered. For the second me the online applica on method of enrolling par cipants was used. There was an online announcement posted on the Facebook social network as in 2018. The applica ons were further submi ed to the whole team of the leaders who shortlisted them for the interviews. There were 3 Russian and 2 Georgian par cipants (including 1 leader from each country) in the camp in 2019. A special a en on was paid to equal involvement of both genders as an important model for building up a contemporary and developed democra c society.
TEAM The Steering group of the “Camp for a Change” comprised of David Melkumyan (YMCA Artsakh president), Zoya Sargsyan, Tigran Melkumyan, Gegham Stepanyan, Georgi Petrosyan, (YMCA Artsakh volunteers), Lusine Vardanyan, Tatul Bostanchyan, Haykuhi Karapetyan, (Armenia), Marina Martynenko (Russia) and Kris Arakelova (Georgia). Most of them are former par cipants of the RfR projects and PWI alumni. We had Anzhelika Zakaryan (YMCA Artsakh), Gor Soghomonyan and Sossie Belekhian (Armenia, Syrian Armenian YMCA Youth Ini a ve group former leader) as a suppor ng staff this year. Abgar Klyan (Armenia) joined the team as a trainer on his own ini a ve. It is also noteworthy that Lusine Vardanyan is also members of the Local Capaci es for Peace Seed Grant Tool Programming Commi ee. One day prepara on mee ng was held in Stepanakert on the eve of the start of the camp on 20 July, 2019 with the par cipa on of the majority of the leaders. The main prepara on work was held on online pla orms. YMCA Artsakh also engaged the specialists of the Emergency Situa ons Service of Artsakh to ensure the security of the campers in the tent camp.
7 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 EVALUATION During the camp the evalua on of each day was conducted as last year. At the end of the day the groups were asked to answer the tradi onal 3 ques ons (1. What was good? 2. What was not so good? 3. Do you have any sugges ons?). One delegate from each home group shared the results of the discussions within the home group with the camp leaders’ team. The feedback and answers were later discussed by the camp leaders and, if possible, they were immediately addressed. Post-Event Survey Results This year the par cipants did online evalua on filling-in survey monkey format ques onnaire in a while a er the camp. In their evalua ons most of the par cipants men oned that they liked to be part of the YMCA and they would like to con nue coopera on with this organiza on. They expressed their readiness to contribute to the implementa on of future youth projects camp with great pleasure. The scale measurement of from 1 to 5 (where 1 is very bad and 5 is very good) was applied. The total average for specific ques on items: Food – 4.2, accommoda on and territory of the campsite - 4.7, trainings (Conflict Transforma on, Cri cal thinking, Public Speaking) – 4.3, TenSing – 4.4, games – 4.2, me-balance – 4.1, work of the steering group – 4.5, how much your expecta ons were met – 4.5, how likely you will advise your friends / acquaintances to par cipate in events organized by the YMCA - 4.8. The average overall total for the Ac vity is 4.4 from 5.
8 “The Camp for a Change” Patara, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) 21-27 July, 2019 GENERAL CONCLUSION The “Camp for a Change” was a success as the two previous ones. It brought together ac ve young people and leaders mostly from Artsakh, but also representa ves from Armenia, Georgia and Russia. The interna onal format applied for the first me in the scope of the SGT was a success too and it was fully coherent to the main goals of the RfR project and the mission and values of the YMCA movement. A camp is a great tool to promote the YMCA movement and to engage more young people with the organiza on. Par cipa on in the camp empowers them for their further personal and professional growth. It provides a huge local and interna onal network and new opportuni es for ge ng new skills and knowledge, par cipa on in events of different formats, travelling and enlarging one’s worldview. Besides, the camp provided the youth with a lot of fun and a good summer rest. Everybody enjoyed the week in the great outdoor loca on and with the great company of ac ve youth. Living and working together, learning new things, exchanging opinions and sharing experiences, and making new friends are mandatory elements of such camps.
FUTURE PLANS AND SUSTAINABILITY It should also be men oned in this report that a er all the three camps young people con nued holding gatherings of different formats in smaller groups. They con nued making posts on social network and promo ng the YMCA camp. This is a very good evidence of the obvious and long-term impact that our camps have and these young people are the main guarantees of the sustainability of the projects being implemented. We can state that the majority of the par cipants of all the 3 camps stay commi ed to the YMCA ll now and they are ready to take part in new ini a ves with a greater enthusiasm. YMCA Artsakh is commi ed to con nue working on the previously iden fied direc ons and seeking for new opportuni es for: Ÿ Development and strengthening the YMCA movement in the country and the region; Ÿ Staying engaged with the YMCA World and European Alliances and looking for more opportuni es for Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
coopera on; Staying as an ac vely involved part in the YMCA Europe RfR project; Looking for new partners and developing new ideas for more projects; Becoming the main role player in the fields of Youth and Peace work in the country; Striving to keep the experienced leaders engaged with the organiza on to ensure the sustainable and systema zed ins tu onal development; Mobilizing and engaging more ac ve youth to ensure the genera on change; Providing opportuni es for raising the youth awareness, developing their knowledge and skills; Engaging the youth in assessing their needs and iden fying exis ng issues and finding solu ons to them; Involving the youth in the development of the country and in peace work in the region; Holding similar events both on local, na onal and interna onal levels.
Authors of the report: David Melkumyan - PWI alumni, YMCA Artsakh President Haykuhi Karapetyan - volunteer, Armenia Lusine Vardanyan - PWI alumni, volunteer, Armenia
9 “Peace Day Techniques for Summer Camps” YMCA Verkhovyna Centre “Dymca” and Summer Camp “Paradise in Carpathians” 16 - 30 July, 2019 Reported by: Nataliia Vainilovych & Yana Bakalenko
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participants countries INTRODUCTION
17 average age
Five years have passed since the Russian military interven on in Ukraine. Around 1,6 million Internally Displaced People (IDP) who moved from the occupied territories had to integrate in the life of other regions which was a hard path to walk. Nowadays they feel much more comfortable although there is s ll a tension between the hosts and newcomers from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. That is the reason why our young people s ll need to be reminded that peace-building is the only way we can use to prevent excluding people from society due to their specific place of birth or other differences. YMCA Ukraine project consists of special peace-building ac vi es, including the na onal training for camp managers and camp leaders with involvement of the RfR program par cipants and youth opinion leaders, with involvement of the representa ves of the IDP, who take an ac ve part in the YMCA. Right a er the training the trained volunteers shared their knowledge and skills in the na onal and local YMCA camps. This ini a ve is a relevant one because it is directed to both groups - hos ng and displaced people to show that peace and reconcilia on is very important and that all deserve the same respect to each other. “Peace day techniques for summer camps” was the ini a ve elaborated by PWI Graduates from Ukraine. It was held at YMCA Verkhovyna centre “Dymca” and summer camp “Paradise in Carpathians” on July 16 - 30, 2019. The detailed descrip on of program modules & ac vi es is provided as narra ve in this report.
PARTICIPANTS AND TEAM “Peace day techniques for summer camps” enrolled 32 Ukrainian YMCA leaders (as par cipants of the Peace Day Training) and 50 par cipants of the Na onal YMCA Camp (17 volunteer leaders and 33 children 10-16 years old from different local Ukrainian YMCAs). Two RfR Project par cipants were ac vely involved into the elabora on of the project applica on, prepara on and implementa on of the project ac vi es, as well as into the evalua on and dra ing the reports a er the project was finished. The overall facilita on of “Peace Day” training was conducted by Nataliia Vainilovych (Na onal YMCA trainer) and specific program modules were facilitated by Yana Bakalenko - volunteer & Maryna Isaieva (YMCA Ukraine Na onal staff member).. The manual on “Peace Day” was elaborated by Nataliia Vainilovych and Yana Bakalenko – RfR program alumni.
10 “Peace Day Techniques for Summer Camps” YMCA Verkhovyna Centre “Dymca” and Summer Camp “Paradise in Carpathians” 16 - 30 July, 2019 PROGRAM Opening, Aims, Expecta ons, Code of Conduct & Program Overview The first session was opened by Nataliia Vainilovych, who welcomed the par cipants to the event venue and the project scheme. She provided the general informa on on RfR programme. The concept of “Peace day in summer camps” was introduced, its perspec ves and relevance in the mes of conflict and war. The process included narra ve from facilitator and interac ve engagement from par cipants like the game “Splash” and “Common feature”. What is Peace? A discussion was ini ated in groups to help par cipants discover their own vision of what peace is. A er presenta on of their concept, groups wrote on the board the main ideas they all agreed with. Non-violent communica on This part of the training included the good prac ces of the use of counter and alterna ve narra ves in mass media, including social media, human rights educa on approach and do not harm approach. The facilitator and the par cipants discussed the reasons for troubles in communica on and percep on of informa on, “pie model” was presented when on the surface is the a tude and inside is the content of the message. Also, the steps for nonviolent communica on process were presented, such as: 1/Observe the situa on objec vely. 2/State how the observa on is making you feel, 3/ Connect with a need, 4/ Make a request. Further, par cipants tried to express their daily used requests applying the men oned structure. These topics provided the par cipants with the mechanisms of human rights-based narra ves as a tool to fight hate speech and all forms of aggressive a tude in real life and social media.
Types of conflicts There were presented main types of conflicts to par cipants, such as: Inner Conflict / Person vs. Person / Person vs. Group (Society) / Group vs. Group To explore the varie es of conflicts and find ways to cope with them, facilitator offered par cipants to complete a few exercises Such as: Ÿ Making a Fist and Opening it – players assume the
one making the fist should resist. Par cipants discussed how the direc ons influenced their ac ons. Did they consider a peaceful way of asking? Why or why not? Ÿ Columbian Hypnosis involved students working in
pairs to lead one another through a space as one par cipant follows par cipant’s hand. This ac vity requires trust, awareness, and non-verbal communica on as students work together to move safely through the space. Ÿ Forum Theatre is an ac vity when audience
members propose alterna ves for solving the problem that the protagonist faces. A play format in which there’s no dis nc on between an actor or a spectator but is witnessed by ‘spectators’ who can interrupt an unjust act being portrayed in the play and an actor to give it an alterna ve ending. Digital ac vism The last part of the training was dedicated to figuring out of the most popular pla orms for young people in Ukraine, different approaches for spreading the informa on about important social issues. Par cipants discussed the most common prac ces for promo ng social issues in social media. At the end of training they presented several ideas on what kind of peace theme challenges can be held in summer camps.
“Peace Day Techniques for Summer Camps”
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YMCA Verkhovyna Centre “Dymca” and Summer Camp “Paradise in Carpathians” 16 - 30 July, 2019 PRACTICAL USE OF PEACE DAY PRACTICES On the 2-nd stage of the project, the trained camp counselors implemented the men oned peace building tools during the Peace Day in “Paradise in Carpathians” from 22nd to 31st of July. Leaders-par cipants of training carried out a day dedicated to peace topic which included a topic based devo on, ac vi es in groups (so called “families”) and evening program. Leaders provided lots of learned exercises and each “family” made a li le performance to show their own vision of peace. Also Peace Day methodology was used in “You are not alone” camp by YMCA Lutsk on 22 - 28 of July (around 100 children – camp par cipants were covered).
The “peace day” trainings will have its development as the form of the a er school ac vi es, held by the local YMCAs in secondary schools. This way we’ll share the “peace making tools” in the local communi es and make the school children ac ve peace actors (these ac vi es will be helpful especially for the local communi es with big number of Internally Displaced children, where s ll the tension between the hosts and newcomers exist. The par cipants of this project will also share the peace building knowledge and skills in the YMCA overnight and school day camps.
EVALUATION Par cipants were offered to express their opinion about the project ac vity on the last day of the program by voicing out their thoughts in a circle and filling in the ques onnaire. At first, par cipants individually expressed their feelings and emo ons about the event and how it affected them on a personal level. Par cipants also used the printed ques onnaire which included the evalua on of project in points and also ques ons about the prac cal side of the training and how par cipant plans to use it in the future. The replies of the par cipants at the ques onnaire show high posi ve effect of the project ac vi es. The ques ons/replies were the following: Ÿ Have you ever par cipated in peace related events? 70% of par cipants haven’t par cipated previously in such events. Ÿ Does your local YMCA host any Peace Day events? If so, which ones? YMCA Kyiv Peace camp leaders each year has special ac vi es dedicated to the topic of peace.
Ÿ Why did you decide to a end this training? 80%
of par cipants wanted to find out new exercises and games to discuss peace in unusual and fun way. Ÿ Please rate the statement on a 5 point scale: At the training I was able to express my own vision / I learned new exercises that I can prac ce with my kids at camps / The topic of peace has become clearer to me. 70% of interviewed gave 5 points to each statement. Ÿ What elements of training can you use when working with children? The majority of interviewed par cipants will use games, exercises and non-violent communica on scheme in camps, trainings and other ac vi es. Ÿ Would you like to a end peace events in the future? 100% of par cipants were ready to a end other peace focused events. The absolute majority of par cipants expressed their sa sfac on about the Project Ac vi es and highly evaluated it as a pla orm where they were able to learn, share and grow; as well as to network and have fun in a safe and welcoming environment.
12 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 Reported by: YMCA Georgia
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29 average age
AIMS & OBJECTIVES Ÿ Reflec ng on the Impact & the Theory of Change of YMCA Europe Roots for Reconcilia on Project -
mainstreaming Camping Program as Central to Conflict Transforma on; Ÿ Sharing Best Prac ces from the Region and beyond (especially from the USA as a leading organiza on in the
field) for developing innova ve and impac ng Camping Programs; Ÿ Developing plans for cross-border camping ac vi es in the region, including effec ve network of camp leaders
and counselors; Ÿ Exploring interna onal camp placement opportuni es and program partnerships between par cipa ng
countries and organiza ons.
PARTICIPANTS PROFILE 33 par cipants represen ng 5 (Armenia, Artsakh, Georgia, Russia & USA) member, coopera ng and partner organiza ons of YMCA Europe and YMCA of the USA, as well as other non-YMCA organiza ons and individuals. Two key RfR Project staff members were present at the event and provided overall supervision and implementa on of the ac vity. Posi on: 9 par cipants were Staff; 21 par cipants were volunteers/leaders in respec ve YMCA organiza ons & 3 non-YMCA par cipants were beneficiaries. Gender Balance: 15 par cipants were female and 18 par cipants were male. Average Age of par cipants: 29, 6 years.
TEAM & FACILITATORS The overall facilita on of “C.A.M.P.” was conducted by Revaz Shavladze (YMCA Europe RfR Project Assistant). The specific program modules were facilitated by: 1. Planning Team Members - Vardan Hambardzumyan (YMCA Europe RfR Project Coordinator); Adriana Stanovici (YMCA of the USA Interna onal Group Global Advancement Manager) & Revaz Shavladze (YMCA Europe RfR Project Assistant). 2. Par cipants – Lucy Davis (Volunteer, YMCA of the USA Delega on); Ian Magrath (Volunteer, YMCA of the USA Delega on); Paul Bryant (YMCA Camp Sloane, USA); Parrish Underwood (YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta Chief Advancement Officer, USA); Marina Martynenko (YMCA Russia).
13 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 PREPARATION PROCESS The prepara on process started in the Spring of 2018, when the concept was elaborated and submi ed to Programming Commi ee for approval; The project was granted to be implemented in August 2018, but due to congested Summer schedule of YMCA Georgia and key partners from US that were supposed to be involved – it was decided to postpone the ac vity for August 2019. The Planning Team was set up early in 2019. The members of the group were responsible for different components of the prepara on process and performed various tasks, such as: dra ing and elabora on of the program; iden fica on and selec on of par cipants; arrangement of venue and travel details, etc. The process was regularly coordinated via Skype and phone calls, email communica on, etc and con nued un l the actual implementa on date of the ac vity.
PROGRAM Opening, Aims, Expecta ons, Code of Conduct & Program Overview The ini al session was opened by Revaz Shavladze, who welcomed the par cipants to the event venue and the project scheme. He provided an overview of the history, aims and objec ves of RfR, as well of LCP SGT project component in par cular. Gela Chikhradze (Secretary General of YMCA Georgia) addressed the par cipants and underlined the significance of RfR project for the growth and development of YMCA Georgia and all other involved organiza ons and individuals, stressing on great benefits that YMCA Georgia has received since the start of the ini a ve in 2007. He put special emphasis on the main objec ves of the Ac vity and the significance of development of solid YMCA camping programs in South Caucasus Region as poten ally principal sources of sustainability. Several par cipants from different Na onal Delega ons took charge of various indoor and outdoor ac vi es aimed towards par cipants ge ng to know each other and hence crea ng the safe working atmosphere. In con nua on, Revaz Shavladze Introduced the “Code of Conduct” & “House Rules” and collected feedbacks used to be reflected in the program to the extent possible, based on the needs and wishes of par cipants. The Importance of Reflec on at Camp & in Peace Building. Employing outdoor and indoor ac vi es concentrated on team-work, as well as group and individual reflec on, Lucy Davis (YMCA of the USA Delega on) focused her session on the significance of crea ng shared commitment(s) in collabora ve groups that ensure for everyone to have the opportunity to learn, grow & thrive. It was a very interac ve session with each par cipant involved and encouraged to share and feedback.
14 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 PROGRAM Sharing Best Prac ces in Camping Na onal YMCA Delega ons from South Caucasus region were given the floor to showcase the work done by their respec ve organiza ons. There were presenta ons from Camp Daranak Armenia; Camp Pambak Armeni); YMCA Artsakh, YMCA Moscow & YMCA Telavi Georgia. Each provided the overview of implemented camping ac vi es and spoke about the benefits and opportuni es, as well as challenges related to camping programs. Roots Theory of Change Vardan Hambardzumyan provided an overview of journey that Roots for Reconcilia on Project undertook since the incep on in 2007 ll present; how it has gradually turned from an ini a ve for South Caucasus into a Pan-European project involving thousands of par cipants and impac ng communi es in more than 30 countries of the con nent. Gela Chikhradze (Secretary General of YMCA Georgia) joined the session with his own reflec on upon engagement of YMCA Georgia in RfR and the immensely posi ve change it brought for the organiza on. Interna onal Partnerships The Discussion Panel with Vardan Hambardzumyan ; Paul Bryant (YMCA Camp Sloane, USA); Parrish Underwood (YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta Chief Advancement Officer, USA); Khoren Papoyan (YMCA Armenia Secretary General) & Revaz Shavladze was facilitated by Adriana Stanovici (YMCA of the USA Interna onal Group Global Advancement Manager). Each Panellist shared about own experience of engagement in Interna onal Partnerships and the value of it – on both individual and organiza onal levels. As a con nua on, the discussion on why Interna onal Partnerships are important was ini ated in Groups of 4 – followed up by feedback from each group.
Centennial Legacy of YMCA of the USA in South Caucasus Region The start of YMCA ac vi es in South Caucasus region was always associated with the fall of Soviet Union in the early 90-ies. With his session, Vardan Hambardzumyan shed light on the piece of YMCA History that is s ll unfortunately very li le known and has emerged on the surface rather recently. The presenta on gave detailed analysis of YMCA ac vi es in O oman Empire star ng in the second half of the 19th century and the great role played for Chris an Na ons residing in it up to 20-ies of the 20th century; the session con nued with the account of tremendous effort of two young American YMCA Secretaries – John Elder & James Arroll that led massive humanitarian campaign in Armenia to support and provide aid for thousands of Armenian refugees affected by the First World War. Team Building Marina Martynenko (YMCA Russia) led interac ve session aimed towards fostering communica on, communica on and teamwork skills among par cipants. Various games were employed with par cipants divided into 3 teams and each team given the opportunity to partake in every offered ac vity. The reflec on upon the finish of ac vi es concentrated on obtained learning points. Advoca ng for People who are different than You Diversity & Advocacy were the main topics presented by Lucy Davis (YMCA of the USA Delega on) – par cipants were engaged in prac cal exercise of making the framework/the list of steps to iden fy the issue(s) and ac ons to be taken in order to safeguard and advance the rights of those in need. The discussion also included issues like: Capacity, Mandate, Relevance, Ways of Advocacy, etc.
15 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 PROGRAM Do No Harm Do No Harm (DNH) is a Conflict-Sensi vity Methodology that has been the central working principle for Roots for Reconcilia on ac vi es. Developed by aid workers, it is widely used by i nte r n a o n a l a n d l o ca l h u m a n i ta r i a n a n d development organiza ons working in conflictaffected areas and communi es. Revaz Shavladze (YMCA Europe RfR Project Assistant) made the general overview of the history, theory and framework of the Methodology and provided the details of its prac cal applica on in the field, based on the examples. What to Do & When to Do it?! The significance of proper planning; se ng priori es; working as a team; clarity on financial situa on; realis c expecta ons; return on investments (ROI) and me management were the key learning aspects of the session led by Paul Bryant (YMCA Camp Sloane, USA). With decades of experience in Camping, large part of which in the CEO role – the provided informa on was very relevant for the overall ac vity purpose. Fundraising Parrish Underwood (YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta Chief Advancement Officer, USA) focused on the tools and methods of fundraising – annual campaigning, grants, fees, contribu ons and dona ons were scru nized based on the reality and principles of YMCA. Prac cal work on “How to Make the Ask” in groups was followed up by feedback from par cipants and Ques ons and Answers session with facilitator. Other Program Events Every day started with “10 Minutes of Georgian” interac ve class facilitated by various members of YMCA Georgia delega on. The ac vity aimed to introduce the visi ng delega ons with basics of Georgian language and alphabet, as well as the culture.
The Intercultural Evening with each Na onal Delega ons showcasing their culture and tradi ons. The Day Trips to the Na onal Park & the Seaside. Excursion to the nearby large town of Batumi, where par cipants had the chance to get to know closer the lifestyle of Georgia, as well as spending some free me together. The Farewell Evening & Campfire.
16 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 EVALUATION Par cipants were offered to express their opinion about the Ac vity on the last day of the program, with several types of evalua on:
Ac vity Venue, Transporta on, Informa on & Communica on) were rated by most as “Excellent” and “Good” (90 % and above in most cases in total).
Ÿ At first, par cipants individually expressed their
4. Absolute Majority (100 %) “Strongly Agreed” or “Agreed” that during the event they:
feelings and emo ons about the event and how it affected them on a personal level; Ÿ A er, they were sent into the same groups where
they were during the Expecta ons Session on the first day – in order to revisit their expecta ons and to evaluate the Ac vity based on them, whether they were met, not met and/or exceeded.
Ÿ Felt safe during the event; Ÿ Learnt about other countries, their cultures and
reali es; Ÿ Had fun and enjoyed the company of other
par cipants; Ÿ Build strong bonds and rela onships with
The absolute majority of par cipants expressed their sa sfac on about the Ac vity and highly evaluated it as a pla orm where they were able to learn, share and grow; as well as to network and have fun in safe and welcoming environment. The Post-Event Online Learning Evalua on was launched 1 month a er the comple on of the event. Twenty Eight (28) responses have been collected. Below is the short analysis of feedback received from par cipants: 1. All par cipants either “Strongly Agreed” or “Agreed” (100 % in all cases in total) that during the event they were able to: Ÿ Act, share and fulfil their poten al; Ÿ Had the chance to offer and get personal
development opportuni es;
par cipants from other countries; Ÿ Acquired specific relevant skills to be used in their
work and personal life. 5. The Five (5) most relevant program components for par cipants were: Ÿ Centennial Legacy of YMCA in the Region – 57, 14 % -
(16 responses) Ÿ Fundraising Tools – 53, 57 % - (15 responses) Ÿ Do No Harm – 50 % - (14 responses) Ÿ Roots Theory of Change & Overview of Roots Project
- 50 % - (14 responses) Ÿ Teambuilding Games – 39, 29 % - (11 responses)
6. Three (3) words that most corresponded to the understanding of par cipants about how the event worked, were:
Ÿ Got inspired by mindset of peace;
Ÿ Rela onships – 67, 86 % - (19 responses)
Ÿ Had the expecta ons about organizers,
Ÿ Ideas – 42, 86 % - (12 responses)
par cipants, event itself met. 2. Three (3) most valuable things taken back from the event were:
Ÿ Values – 39, 29 % - (11 responses)
Ÿ New Friends – 78, 57 % - (22 responses)
7. Ac vity Objec ves were fully met for 22 par cipants (78, 57 %) and par ally met for 6 par cipants (21, 43 %).
Ÿ New leadership knowledge & skills – 53, 57 % - (15
The complete survey is available in PDF format here.
responses) Ÿ New program experiences & ideas for respec ve
organiza ons – 50, 00 % - (14 responses) Ÿ Good Memories – 50, 00 % - (14 responses)
3. Logis cal Arrangements (Accommoda on, Food,
17 “C.A.M.P. - Create! Act! Make! Peace!” YMCA Camp Orange, Ureki, Georgia 27 August - 2 September, 2019 GENERAL CONCLUSION Overall, “C.A.M.P.” was largely implemented as planned; the process went along smoothly, with minor shi s of content units in program within the given meframe to allow more me for par cipants’ inputs and discussions, as well as to manage incurring logis cal issues along the way. The overall event atmosphere was good and posi ve with par cipants being ac vely par cipa ng and involved in the process and focusing intently on the respec ve individual and group assignments. All due tasks were elaborated and delivered.
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18 LCP PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE CRITERIA