Emerging Leaders School (ELS) alumni continue to actively contribute to developing their respective regions and try their best to use their resources to make positive changes. We would like to share the stories of ELS 2020 alumni from Zugdidi who work for the local government.
Tamar Chikava is a Leading Specialist at the Social Care & Gender Equality Unit at the City Hall of Zugdidi Municipality. She has a significant experience in the implementation and management of municipal programs/services, including services of elderly care, “Women’s Room” and many more. Currently, Tamar is working on the localization of gender equality policies in Zugdidi municipality. Moreover, she is a member of various thematic committees, councils, and working groups. Also, Tamar is an Executive Board Member at Local Assistance Group Zugdidi LAG. Last but not least, Tamar is actively engaged in voluntary work at “Georgians in France, Géorgiens en France”, where she works as a Samegrelo region representative.
“My work in the public sector in the process of creating municipal services and programs contributes to the implementation of innovative practices; At this stage, my main objective is to create services that are both effective and efficient and manage them in a way that will ensure to deliver high-quality municipal services to relevant vulnerable groups of our society”.
Nino Sitchinava is the Head of the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs at the City Hall of Zugdidi Municipality.
“I believe that encouraging youth participation in the decision-making process in Zugdidi municipality is of immense importance in order to encourage young people to directly participate in building a better future for their municipality. I see myself building bridges between the youth and decision-makers through cooperation and increased trust. Young people need to believe that their voices are important and have decisive power. My main goal is to open as many doors for young people as possible and work together to make a positive impact. To achieve that goal, different agencies need to cooperate and effectively work together”.
Nino Gvagvalia is a Coordinator at Women’s Room Zugdidi Municipality and primarily works on women’s economic empowerment and job opportunities.
“Unemployment still remains one of the main social challenges for the country. Moreover, unemployment among women is characterized by additional barriers and factors, such as cultural attitudes, the traditional role of women as primary caretakers of children, the gender pay gap, etc. The aforementioned circumstances make women’s employment even more challenging in regions. The objective and future plans of our organization are directly tied to women’s economic empowerment and increased job opportunities on the municipality level”.
Emerging Leaders School ELS2022 is implemented by the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) under the project “Promoting Youth Transformational Leaders in Georgia” with the financial support of USAID/Georgia. The initiative aims to raise young people’s awareness about political processes and democratization to encourage their involvement by developing leadership skills.
