Olympic Champion in Judo Visits Access Program Students in Gori
On October 26, Access Program in Gori organized an enrichment activity on Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among the guests of the event were Nino Jugheli, English Language Programs Coordinator at the U.S Embassy in Tbilisi and Shalva Shavdatuashvili, Olympic Champion in Judo in the 2012 Olympics.
The enrichment activity was led by Access Program English Teachers in Gori Natela Tlashadze and Veriko Michitashvili. After a PowerPoint presentation on the history, prizes, kinds of sports, symbols, mottos, and famous participants and winners of the Olympic and Paralympic games, students were divided into groups of five to compete in a quiz contest on Olympics.
Watching videos on Olympic Torch Relay, Paralympic athletics and best moments of Olympics 2012 in London were also part of the day.
The enrichment activity culminated with the Q&A session during which the guest speaker Shalva Shavdatuashvili told the Access students the story of his life and his way to success. Students asked millions of questions about his childhood, his diet, his friends and lifestyle. Students were curious to know which language Shalva used when abroad and were delighted to hear from him that fluency in English had been very helpful. Shalva underlined the importance of being able to speak foreign languages and especially when intending to have international career. He also spoke of the importance of setting a goal and working your way toward it. He encouraged the Access students to work hard in whatever area they choose in their life and assured them that hard work and perseverance always bring positive and gratifying results.
To conclude the day, students shared sweets and pastry with the guests.
“I cannot believe I got to shake hands with a national hero – our Olympic Champion!” admitted Soso Bugianishvili, Access program participant from Gori. “His story was so inspiring! Based on what he told us, I do believe nothing is impossible if you have faith and put all your efforts together!” he added.
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Success Stories
 Dianne Zhambakhidze was once a shy and silent student, but that was before she enrolled in Access. It took her nearly a year to find her voice, but now she is one of the most helpful and friendly members of the group. Peers admire her diligence and hard work and always pay extra attention to what she has to say in class when she answers questions and gives advice on homework problems. > More Second rotation of the Access program in Adjara region of Georgia started with its own set of challenges. After consultations with PH, “Changes without Borders” the implementing partner of the Access program decided to cast the participatory net wider to the outer and more remote locations of Adjara. The level of education and achievement among youth, in those remote locations, is lower than that in the Batumi public schools. Although over 200 applications were received, general starting level of language competencies among the selected 25 Access students was dramatically low. The majority of students could hardly read in English > More  |
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