A Georgian-Abkhazian Youth Peace Program

Robert Harris and Craig Zelizer
originally printed in the Institute for Conflict Analysis Resolution Journal, George Mason University, Virginia

“By coming here together in friendship, you’re setting an example for your parents and your grandparents to follow. Your generation, you the young people here, today, when you return home you can be a bridge to reconciliation and peace.”
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, speaking with the participants of the Youth Development II program.

The Elephant

“I never ever want to talk about the conflict” reflected Tamar a seventeen-year-old Georgian participant. “If we start talking about the conflict then we will get into politics and all of the trust and friendship that we have built up will be destroyed and things will become polarized.” Gia an Abkhazian youth agreed, “We aren’t like Americans where we can see things from both sides. In the Caucasus we believe very passionately and strongly; if we think we are right, we will defend our positions at all costs.” Sasha, a seventeen-year old Russian from Abkhazia replied, “If we don’t talk about the conflict then what is the point in being here?” Within minutes voices echoed with youth supporting each of the two positions, soon the voices and arguing became so loud, that we intervened before the situation became too polarized.

These youth were a part of a group of Georgian and Abkhazian youth who had recently arrived in the US for a month long, conflict resolution leadership program organized and conducted by the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) and Youth for Understanding (YFU), funded by USAID, and hosted by George Mason University.

Each time that we (the facilitators) engaged the youth in talking about talking about the conflict a heated discussion and argument ensued. During one attempt to initiate discussion, Susan Allen Nan, ACT Vice-President and Program Co-Manager, suggested using the metaphor of the elephant in the room, which no one notices, representing the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. She described how everyone knows the conflict is present, and we have a choice to ignore it, acknowledge its presence, or deal with it constructively. The participants loved the elephant metaphor and by the end of the program, many were comfortable at least acknowledging the elephant in the room, although most were not ready to engage it directly.

This is one of the challenges that the staff of the Youth Development II program (YD II) encountered during the summer program, which included 10 alumni (5 Georgians and 5 Abkhazians), who participated in last year’s program and returned as junior staff for YD II and fifty program participants, ages 14-18, from Georgia and Abkhazia.

Organizing the Program

In the Spring of this year, the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) and Youth for Understanding (YFU) received a grant from the Academy for Educational Development (AED) to run the YD II program. The program was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ICAR, and in particular, Professor Frank Blechman and Development Director John Holman, played a pivotal role in setting up the ACT/YFU partnership and supporting the project throughout the summer.

Background to the Conflict

Georgia and Abkhazia have been in the throes of a violent conflict since early 1992, when severe conflict broke out over Abkhazia’s status, as either an independent republic or as an autonomous part of Georgia. The ensuing fighting left over 20,000 individuals dead and hundreds of thousands of refugees. Although a cease-fire was reached several years ago, sporadic fighting continues and no settlement appears in sight.

At home in their respective regions, it is almost impossible and quite dangerous for Georgian and Abkhazians to meet with one another. The conflict is at an extremely polarized state and a dividing line, which is heavily mined and patrolled by Russian peacekeepers, separates the two sides. Although there are some positive signs, such as increased contacts at the official level and the resumption of some forms of cooperation, there is almost no contact between individuals on the two sides.

The Youth

The youth for this program were selected according to several criteria including vulnerability (having lost relatives in the war and/or living in difficult economic conditions), their Russian language skills, leadership ability, and scholastic achievement. Over 100 youth from each side were invited to participate in initial camps in May in each region. From each side, five alumni (participants from the YD I program) and 25 new students were selected. Throughout the summer the ten alumni assisted with teaching, advising their peers, and served as cultural translators to life in the US.

All of the youth chosen for the program face difficult circumstances. The Georgian youth were born and raised in different cities in Abkhazia and were forced to flee during the war. They long to return to their original homes and face a difficult situation as internally displaced people in Georgia. All of the participants from Abkhazia (which included several nationalities) are growing up in a society devastated by war, isolated from the wider world, and under an economic blockade from Georgia.

The Program Our main goal in designing the curriculum for YD II was to help the youth from both sides to develop trust and interact with one another in a safe and supportive environment. In addition, conflict resolution ideas were infused throughout the program, encouraging the youth to develop conflict analysis, resolution, and leadership skills, so that they can better understand the Georgian/Abkhazian conflict and work towards peaceful social change.

Although the program varied, a typical day included conflict resolution skills training, ESL lessons, computer lessons, and informal activities such as swimming, sports, movies, trips (to DC area sites, Ocean City, Philadelphia) and discos. During the conflict resolution training, the youth learned basic communication and problem solving skills, and analyzed conflicts similar to their situation (such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict). There was some discussion of their conflict at home over the course of the summer, but most of this took place outside of the classroom.

One of the main highlights of the summer was our trip to the UN to meet with Secretary General Kofi Annan and his staff. The Secretary General welcomed the youth and provided strong words of encouragement for them to continue their peacebuilding efforts at home. Other highlights included meeting Congressman Frank Wolfe from Virginia who discussed reconciliation and the role of the international community in resolving conflicts with the youth; team building and developing trust at the outdoor ropes course at Hemlock Overlook; several amazing theater performances organized and led by the youth. In addition, the youth spent a weekend with American host families (including several ICAR families) and developed new friendships while experiencing the uniqueness that comes from living with families from another culture.

Throughout the summer, the youth worked together in cross-ethnic teams on projects that helped them learn to develop trust and re-humanize the other. These projects also gave the youth the opportunity to develop leadership skills. Projects included a photography exhibit of their experiences in the US, organizing impromptu sporting events, planning discos, organizing and preparing a Caucasus dinner for 70 people, and coordinating the final banquet evening.

Lessons Learned

As illustrated in the opening story, one of the main challenges of the summer was deciding how to talk about talking about the conflict. Reflecting a general difficulty in the field of conflict resolution, we struggled with balancing how to create a safe space for individuals who have suffered severe trauma and violence with our interest in helping them begin to work towards resolving their conflict. Many of the youth commented, “We didn’t start the conflict, it is the adults who imposed this situation on us. We don’t have the power to affect change either, we are just children.”

As a staff, we were quite conscious of our desire to encourage the youth to discuss their conflict, to help work towards rehumanizing the other, and begin visioning what impact they could have in building a more peaceful future. Yet, we also realized that the youth would be in a very difficult environment without a great deal of support when they returned home. To push the youth too far, could be potentially dangerous, yet to ignore their conflict would be unrealistic. Therefore, we helped to create a space where youth could talk about the conflict informally with one another and the staff, while learning a language and a set of skills to assist as they approached the elephant from the tail, each side, and moved towards the trunk and tusks.

Conclusion Frank Blechman summed up our view of this talented group of youth and their willingness to participate in the program, “We applaud you for having the courage and hope to take part in this program. The courage to come and meet and work with people from the other side and the hope that you can help build a better future.”

Although the YD II program has ended, its impacts are still being felt. It received extensive media coverage in both Georgia and Abkhazia raising consciousness about youth working together across ethnic lines. The issues raised by participants and organizers during the program remain important opportunities for learning within the field of conflict resolution, particularly the role of youth in transforming conflicts and working with individuals who have been through severely traumatic situations. Plans for YD III are under discussion, and AED is following up the summer program with on-going activities in the region designed to support the youth with input from the participants and organizers. Most of the youth have some hope that they can influence the future and make positive changes. As Zurab Lakerbaia, Georgia’s special representative to Abkhazia, who is trying to negotiate peace between the two groups, told the youth during the visit to the UN “You are the hope of the future. Your parents made mistakes, but you have the power to make peace at home.”

Perhaps the most important impacts were on the youth themselves, where friendships across ethnic lines made the good-byes at the airport tearful. We have already received several e-mails from the youth commenting on this summer’s program, “It was the best time of my life.” “I learned to appreciate the other side.” “It gave me more hope for the future.” We hope that the success of this program has laid important groundwork for more extensive conflict resolution efforts and continues to offer hope to both Georgian and Abkhazian youth.