On May 8 at 14:00, the International Research Center on Georgia Studies at Caucasus University will host a public lecture and discussion at the CU Library. The lecture, titled "Youth as Important Actors of Change," will be delivered by Salome Alania, Project Manager at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Youth represents the most important part of society and a powerful driving force for progress. Young people can not only be participants in the process of change and development, but often serve as initiators of transformation themselves, bringing innovative ideas, fresh perspectives, and alternative visions to society. Accordingly, supporting young people during transformational processes is vital so they can fully understand their role, gain the knowledge necessary to implement change, and believe in their ability to translate efforts into real change.

In addition, it is important to highlight that participation in political processes is an essential component of any societal transformation. According to existing studies, a significant part of youth perceives themselves as less active participants in these processes, which is explained by factors such as lack of political interest, the presence of other priorities, distrust of political figures, etc. Moreover, one of the most persistent challenges remains the low level of civic awareness and limited understanding of the mechanisms available for political engagement. Accordingly, it is important to critically examine the reasons that prevent young people from political involvement and to explore the mechanisms that encourage their active participation in political processes, creating the basis for change.

Salome Alania is a project manager at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) South Caucasus Regional Office. She has extensive experience in policy analysis and has collaborated with many international and non-governmental organizations, especially on issues of peace processes, security and democratic transition. Additionally, Salome has worked within Georgian state structures through the GIZ/CIM “Expert Program.”

Salome Alania is a PMI Certified Project Manager (PMP), and Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP). She holds a Master’s degree in Politics, Economics and Philosophy (PEP) from the University of Hamburg.

Public lecture moderator: Keso Esebua, Professor at Caucasus University, Senior Researcher at ACT Global.

Those wishing to participate, please register at the link.