“A great chance to take a break from everyday life for a few hours and spend time in a new social circle, exchanging thoughts and ideas”- Shuttle participants share experiences and memories
At the end of December, closing events for 8 Shuttles were held in their respective 6 locations across Georgia. These events marked the completion of the 2nd phase of the 3-month Shuttle programme for women supported under the European Union-funded project “Strengthening civil society to overcome gender violence and gender equality.”
The Shuttle closing event gave the respective coach and participants the possibility to give and receive feedback and to reflect on their time together. “Over these three months, I learned a lot of new and important information, acquired new skills, and made new friends. I really liked the project; it is diverse and interesting,” said Eteri Mchedlidze, a Telavi Shuttle participant. In her feedback, she also expressed her gratitude: “Many thanks to the project management, and huge thanks to our professional coach, Nita Kochishvili, for the beautiful days and hard work.”
Each Shuttle had approximately 22 participants who, throughout the programme, were supported in:
- Personal development and improvement of soft skills
- Expanding their professional networks & knowledge sharing
- Finding new partners & like-minded individuals to collaborate on joint projects
All of which has provided them with a clearer understanding of the direction in which they can move forward with their careers and lives. The social and economic inclusion approach that the Shuttle programme employs helps participants to develop their personal, interpersonal and social skills. Its goal is to support the participants in becoming more self-confident and build their motivation to find a job or create their own business in the future. “This project gave me a great boost in setting and achieving future goals and provided an opportunity to receive practical and useful advice from professionals”, says Eka Javakhishvili from Tbilisi. To this Leila Tugushi adds that “for me, this project was the best experience for acquiring new skills, it made me a more confident person. I also learned to realistically assess my abilities when starting new ventures.”
The Shuttle programme further plays an important role in the empowerment of different target groups, including people with disabilities. “The programme has made me more courageous. I am a woman with disabilities, and I must say that for a certain period, I avoided leaving the house,” concedes Bella Mirianashvili, also a Telavi Shuttle participant. She continues, “Through the programme, I was able to socialise, meet new people, and make friends. I became more self-confident. I feel that I am no longer alone.” Maia Tsotsolashvili from Tbilisi reiterates this by saying that “in every session, I felt like I was in the right place at the right time. Thank you for this opportunity."
Towards the end of the closing event in Telavi, Natia Revazishvili voiced that “this is a great opportunity for those who are currently unemployed, looking for a job, love self-development, want empowerment and new skills, or simply want to make new friends. I believe every woman can set aside 2 days a week for a few hours for herself.” Looking back on her experience over the past 3 months she adds that it has been “a great chance to take a break from everyday life for a few hours and spend time in a new social circle, exchanging thoughts and ideas. It’s also a unique opportunity for those whose lack of financial resources hinders them from starting their own business. If I could, I would participate again!” As Maya Chubinashvili says “Since there are no age or status restrictions for participating in the Shuttle. I recommend every woman to register and participate in this wonderful programme.”
This project is led by the Center for Information and Counseling on Reproductive Health – Tanadgoma for Equality / თანადგომა თანასწორობისთვის – in partnership with Action Against Hunger South Caucasus, Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, The Union of Azerbaijani Women of Georgia / აზერბაიჯანელ ქალთა კავშირი and the National Network of Women With Disabilities შშმ ქალთა ეროვნული ქსელი. This initiative is supported by European Union in Georgia.
Since 2015, Action Against Hunger has been carrying out the Shuttle programme with the aim of increasing the professional and personal skills of participants. By strengthening individual competences, initiative and responsibility, participants become more competitive in the labour market. This process is supported by choaches, using a non-directive facilitation-based approach.
