Eva & Roman on the GLEN Program in Koda Community Education Centre
The Global Education network of Young Europeans brought us together to Koda in Kvemo-Kartli region in Western Georgia. We can debate about reasons why we choose exactly Sakartvelo and this project but we know that this is a matter of destiny and we are exactly on the place we should be. The text below narrates the story about Eva’s (elf from Germany with Polish roots, social scientist, vegetarian gourmand), and Roman’s (hobit from Czech Republic, free minded photographer, traveler, Toltec and beer drinker) internship in Koda.
Who is GLEN?
The GLEN is “it”. And this “it” is a special program for young Europeans who are interested in global education and will to spend one year of their life in GLEN cycle. Glennies (how we call us) start their internship in the country of global south working for various NGOs according to their specialized education.
Yet the idea is that not only we as young Europeans contribute to the work of a non-governmental organization or educational institution, but we, too, acquire from our work in a different environment new skills, experience and ideas.
Besides that, always two people from two different European countries work together in one framework - so through the cooperation between the so-called tandem partners we also get to know better a different European culture. As we have discovered soon working and living together in a new environment is an intense experience. There is no choice - if you want or not you will get to know your tandem partner very well.
Our Midterm report depicts the situation in the following words:”We work together, we live together, we eat together, we always meet same people wherever we go, we lost our individualities and forgot the meaning of word “I”, we have a common budget, same office – we share one desk in it, we have the same room, we took over the habits of the other person, we are perceived as a married couple and we have really great time:-)
The GLEN program, however, is more than just the three months of internship experience. Before the stay abroad, we receive intense trainings which aim at sensibilizing us for working within an unfamiliar culture and equip us with a variety of skills. After the internship we are requested to create a Global learning activity (GEA). Global learning is not a clearly defined concept, as indicated on the GLEN webpage. “Global Education is a creative approach of bringing about change in our own society”. In other words, with our experience that we have gained in a developing country, Glennies organize a project which brings the two cultures together and makes the world a little bit better place. The GEA can include all possible methods i.e. photo exhibitions, street actions, workshops, documentary movie…
What are you doing here, tourists?
This is what we are frequently asked. But the answer is not as most of the people expect. We are neither tourists nor do we not teach English. We are working for the Koda Community Education Center, which has been initiated by dvv international in 2009. Our task is to bring new inspirations for projects, but at the same time we are not supposed to replace any person working in the center. Of course we are also taking part in regular activities of our hosting organization.
The content of our work in Koda CEC is very colorful. Sometimes we are joking that our work starts with repairing printers, includes reporting and taking over English classes, photographing ,organizing community events, up to shooting documentary film and facilitating theatre workshops.
Youth Club Members: Basic Ingredients
Very important and the most interesting part of our work is concerned with the youth club. Let us mention some of the activities we do together with our great youngsters.
Theatre of the oppressed: Forum theatre workshops
This specific form of theatre was developed to point out solutions to conflicts of daily life and seeks to promote participation and peaceful solutions of conflicts. Additionally, it also can change ones mind forever. We have organized five workshops containing various theatres warm up activities and creation and displaying of of forum theatre scenes. Finally our youngsters presented one scene on the Adult Education Festival for about 100 spect-actors.
Promotion of Human Rights through Documentary Films
The Czech NGO “People in Need” has extensive experience with organizing one of the biggest Human rights documentary film festival “One world” in Europe. In accordance with this focus, PIN started running a project called “One World in Schools in Georgia”. Thanks to their support we are bringing these movies to Koda and showing them for the youth club members.
Koda Community Night
In October we prepared the first night event of Koda CEC. A documentary movie about Community Education Centres in Georgia was shown in open air cinema in front of our CEC. The second part of the evening was focused on collecting ideas from community members connected to the Koda CEC, improving the yard in front of the center and possible contribution of local people. Last but not least we were screening Roman´s slideshow about the workcamp in Tushetia – Omalo 2010, traveling in India and also pictures from life and work in Koda.
Adult Education Festival
This festival was one of the most important events for our center in this year. All the staff of the center was hardworking and we as volunteers were as well actively involved. Our work included more general support of the busy preparations such as moving the tables till visible parts like creating flyer,installing Roman´s exhibition, decorating whole space, creating a slideshow about Koda CEC, choosing pictures to present and facilitating forum theatre workshops.
Koda: Cemi Sikvaruli (my love)
Not many people would say that Koda is one of the most beautiful places on this planet. But we do. We understand for the 450 IDP families that it is very difficult to be moved from beautiful places on the countryside under the mountains. Koda is too dry, in summer it is very hot; there is lack of water and people are living in block of flats.
We came just for short moment but we love Koda. Not only because of our magical view from our window. Much more because we have met so many nice people with whom we have been establishing great relationships. There are plenty of small moments which will forever stay in our hearts. Eva running to the bathroom because now is one of four times a day when we have water and she does not want to miss this opportunity. Feeling like a drunk although sober when walking to our flat – every stair has a different height and there is no light on the corridor. Madona enjoying bustling activity in the center. Mission was to hang up a flyer in front of the center and I ended up by drinking one obligatory beer with friendly locals and then our director Khatia looked from the window. First month we were every time welcomed by two puppies living next to the center, our community dogs that disappeared forever. Bringing 35kg of wine grapes by marshrutka and making our first wine on fifth floor in our small flat. Looking how the view from the window is today. Being asked worried questions in the shop where Roman is when he spends some days in Tbilisi. When going by marshrutka alone the question appears: “Where is your wife or husband?” Eva’s sentences: “This tandem partner system is like arranged marriage” or “I can’t control myself”. Enjoying incredible tasty food and drinking one cognac for warming up. Good bye, hallo shouting from children on the ways in Koda. Overboiling coffee. Water disappearing from our toilet. Five tibetians exercises in the morning. During visit of our drunk neighbours Eva trying to pronounce Roman’ s surname to prevent from any marriage offer..
Eva Greischel (eva.greischel@googlemail.com)
Roman Bartoň (indarokle@gmail.com, indarokle.com, romanito-on-the-road.blogspot.com)
Koda, 17.11.2011
Photos from the internship: http://www.indarokle.over.cz/sakartvelo/magari_bici_var.html
GLEN: http://glen-europe.org/
Koda CEC, Eva & Roman in Georgian TV (from 10:45): http://1tv.ge/Video-View.aspx?VID=6703&Loc=202&CatID=1&LangID=2
