On June 7, Ozgurgeti Access Program held an enrichment activity about the 4th of July celebration, which was facilitated by Rachel Evarts, Peace Corps Volunteer. During the session, students watched a short video on American Revolution. To determine the level of comprehension among students, facilitator asked various questions on the topics related to the video. Students were encouraged to share their thoughts about the importance and cultural significance of the Independence Day in both the United States and Georgia.
On May 31, Ozurgeti Access Program organized an enrichment activity dedicated to American poetry. Rachael Evart, Peace Corps Volunteer based in Guria Youth Resource Center (Access Program partner NGO) led a session introducing three American poets: Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and Shel Silverstein. After getting acquainted with the poets’ short biographies, Access students were given an opportunity to read some of the best poems by the given authors and discuss the messages the poets wanted to convey through their work.
On May 26, Access Program in Rustavi organized an enrichment activity that was devoted to celebration of the Day of Independence of Georgia and aimed at discussing the most common aspects of celebrating the Independence Day in Georgia and the United States.
On May 25, Access Program in Gori hosted an enrichment activity devoted to the Day of Independence of Georgia. The main goal of the activity was to raise the students’ awareness about the history and importance of this national holiday and also draw parallels between the Independence Day celebrated In Georgia and the United States.
The Access Program in Gori held an enrichment activity devoted to the topic of Leadership on April 28. The activity aimed at developing leadership qualities among Access program students and encouraging them to become future leaders in their communities.
On April 25, Akhaltsikhe Access Program students started to watch the series “Connect with English” - the film that explores American Language and Culture in 48 fifteen-minute-long episodes and serves as a great resource not only for improving English, but also increases the knowledge and awareness of American culture, values, and way of life.
On April 11, Center for Civic Participation in Akhaltsikhe hosted an Access Program enrichment activity, which was devoted to the history of American music.
On March 29, Access Program students from Rustavi attended an enrichment session hosted by a guest speaker from the U.S Embassy in Georgia – Vicky Thomson at the American Corner in Rustavi. The enrichment activity was devoted to Women’s History Month and Women in the Civic Life of the United States.
On March 23, American Corner in Rustavi hosted an Access Program enrichment activity devoted to the U.S. Navy. The session was led by special guest – U.S. Marines. Students had an opportunity to get familiar with special military gear, equipment and uniforms. During the session Access Program participants learned about the U.S Navy, daily routines and duties of U.S Marines and heard interesting stories about the adventures of individual soldiers.
Access Program Student from Akhaltsikhe – Nino Samsonidze was appointed a delegate of South Caucasus Youth Parliament (SCYP) thanks to her leadership qualities and English language skills. In the frames of SCYP Program Nino will spend a week in Brussels in the month of June. Only five students were selected to be the delegates of the South Caucasus Youth Parliament countrywide.
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.
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
