Games for Equality event series hosted across Georgia by UNDP

Games for Equality, a series of events designed to “develop critical thinking” among young people and raise awareness about diversity and inclusion, was hosted in the western Georgian town of Chiatura and city of Lanchkhuti, the eastern Georgian city of Marneuli and the northern highland municipality of Kazbegi last month, the United Nations Development Programme said on Friday.

The joint initiative by the UNDP Georgia and non-governmental organisation Care Together was hosted under the Swedish-funded UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality and involved around 100 teenagers, the UNDP said.

It said the events aimed to “activate” young people living in the regions and to encourage their greater involvement in solving local issues and in social, economic and political life. 

Raising awareness is extremely important for building an equal, inclusive and non-discriminatory society where every person, male or female, old or young, can fully realise their potential and aspirations. Our board game helps young people to correctly assess the gender stereotypes in society and to find in themselves the superpower to overcome them", Ia Dadunashvili, the Gender Equality Project Manager of the UNDP Georgia said.

The main activities of the events were public talks on the topic of equality and team involvement in a specially created board game Women from Georgia, developed around the topic of human rights to help players raise their awareness by simulating life situations.

Photo: UNDP Georgia

The game was led by the founder of Tsibakha board game and club, Giga Tsibakashvili, who said it was a “very good way to see and evaluate not only others, but also oneself from another side”. 

Women from Georgia, due to its theme, allows you to grasp the lives of women members of our society for a while and better understand their problems, desires and aspirations; Also, from their point of view, perceive criticism, mistrust or stereotypical attitudes from the society”, he added.

Lali Burduli, an 18-year-old from Kazbegi, said the meetings were “interesting in that they made me think more” about the topic of equality, adding they helped her “understand specific issues and showed her ways to deal with problems”.

During this game, I learned what I can do when I face injustice. I also have experience with gender discrimination, which fortunately ended well. It took me a lot of work to prove that while I am a woman, I can do a specific job well. This winter, I became the only qualified female instructor in Khevi. I have passed theoretical and practical exams and I can already teach those who wish to ski safely. At first, they looked at me with suspicion, but with my work and knowledge, I convinced everyone of the opposite”, she said.

Journalist and writer Dato Gorgiladze, who led the series of talks for Games, highlighted meetings in the region as “extremely interesting”, saying the “most significant” aspect was that “we worked in dialogue rather than monologue mode, which was accompanied by live feedback”.