Georgia | Applied Civic Education and Teacher Training (ACETT) program for Georgia | 19 Dec 2011

Civics club members of Batumi #5 public school “Sangvinik” decided to prepare a short video about street children for a civics education photo and video exposition, held in November. The aim of this video was to show everyone what kind of problems and challenges children living on the streets have in Batumi. 38 members of the club, 1 teacher and 3 parents worked to make this video. During the working process, members of the club had to meet and talk with many of their peers who had to spend their lives out in the streets. This problem isn’t new for Georgia, but in the video prepared by the civics club members, the problem is shown from a different perspective; from the point of view of children of the same age. The video contains a heartbreaking interview with one of the many children who has to spend their lives in the streets begging for money. During the interview members of the civic club found out that their respondent was forced by his father to leave school and spend his entire time around the area of Batumi bus station begging for money. The child told of his desire to go back to school, but being unable to do so because of the constant violation of his rights by his father, who often beat him to force him to do his “job”. After listening to this story, the members of the club and the teacher, Ia Kobaladze, with the help of the Batumi Education Development and Employment Center, prepared a letter to the Head of Batumi Social Service Agency, after which the video was shown to the members of the agency. As a result of this initiative the child featured in the video returned to school, and the members of the Social Service Agency began working with other street children who were in need of help.