The active participation of youth in local self-government processes is crucial for the establishment of democratic and accountable governance. With this vision, as a representative of the Civil Society Institute (CSI), I actively supported the institutional strengthening of the Batumi Municipality Mayor's Youth Advisory Council and the enhancement of its members' competencies. Our cooperation aimed to facilitate the effective functioning of the newly established council.
Needs Analysis and Strategic Planning The process began with coordination meetings with representatives of the Batumi Municipality Mayor's Office and the council members themselves. These meetings identified the main challenges related to the council's activities: on one hand, the need for institutional strengthening (lack of a structured action plan, templates for session minutes, reports, and other important documentation), and on the other hand, the necessity to enhance the competencies of council members on topics such as budgeting and local development issues.
Based on this analysis, CSI developed an action plan.
Within the framework of the developed
action plan, CSI, with my direct involvement, carried out the following
significant activities to strengthen the council:
- Preparation and Sharing of Technical
Documentation (May 11, 2023): Council members were provided with
ready-made templates for documents such as an action plan, session
minutes, agenda, registration log, evaluation questionnaire, and activity
report. Additionally, the importance of producing each document for the
council's effective and transparent work was discussed. According to the
council members' feedback, these materials would significantly simplify
their future activities.
- Informational Meeting on Local Self-Government
and Citizen Participation (June 07, 2023): To enhance the competence of
council members, Natia Apkhazava, Head of CSI's Batumi Branch, spoke about
the principles of self-government, the role of citizens, municipal
structures, and forms of citizen participation in Batumi. Emphasis was
placed on the role of the Youth Advisory Council in encouraging youth
involvement.
- Informational Meeting on the Council's
Transparency and Accountability (September 19, 2023): This meeting
discussed the importance of the council's transparency and its
accountability to local youth. As a practical step, an email address and a
Google Drive folder were created for the council to publish public
documentation, making it accessible to all interested parties.
This collaboration with the Batumi Mayor's Youth Advisory Council is a clear example of how a civil society organization can contribute to strengthening youth representative bodies and thereby promote more active youth involvement in resolving issues of local importance.