Connecting Youth Through Art: the EU-Eastern Partnership Summer Camp 2017 Officially Opens

80 young people from the EU and the EU's Eastern Partnership countries will spend six days in Georgia using art to discuss European values and intercultural dialogue.

The European Union and the Georgian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Children and Youth National Centre officially opened a youth summer camp in the Bazaleti resort near Tbilisi. The camp gathers around 80 participants aged 16-22 from the Eastern Partnership and the Visegrad countries. Activities will aim at strengthening intercultural dialogue and understanding as well as raising youth awareness about European values through different forms of art. The participants will benefit from facilitated inter-cultural dialogue, various art workshops, masterclasses, networking and civic skill development during 6 days.

The summer camp is a pilot phase of the European Eastern Partnership School, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Government of Georgia which will promote European values as well as cooperation and exchanges within the region. The School will be a beacon of excellence for pupils from Georgia and the other five Eastern Partner Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine). The school is expected to start operation from September 2018.

“The European Union has been always at the forefront to bring people together, making the most of their diverse cultures. Next to well-known programmes like Erasmus student exchanges, this camp is another example of this, bringing together youth from various countries with a common aim, in line with the EU’s motto of United in Diversity.” noted Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Georgia, Vincent Rey.“

The summer camp is organised by LEPL Children and Youth National Centre (CYNC), under the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia, and is fully funded by the European Union.