"It is the fourth time we became tutors, a decision that may sound ”strange” for many.” Ilia State University students Keti Chitishvili and Keti Chokoraia have been volunteering to be tutors for ethnic minority students enrolled at Georgian Language Preparatory Program through the mitigation policy/affirmative action (1+4 program).

They became tutors when they joined the Youth Center at Ilia University established within USAID’s "Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness Program” (PITA), implemented by UNAG in partnership with the "ALPE” Foundation.

"Before becoming a tutor, I didn’t even notice ethnic minorities around me. My student life was tedious. Becoming tutor had changed everything. I started to feel appreciation and respect toward people with different ethnic background and understood true essence of tolerance. Throughout two years, we’ve been learning tolerance from them and they from us” – says Keti Chokoraia.

"I’ve never thought to become a volunteer. Couldn’t really understand why people were spending their time on other people unconditionally and on a volunteer base. Still around me lots of people don’t understand how important is volunteering and the fact that one can get intellectual and emotional nourishment for this effort. With the tutorship program we helped a lot of ethnic minority students "to see” Georgia from totally different perspective and to learn acceptance and respect of the diversity. We’ve made lots of friends. Nowadays, our best friends are ethnic Armenians and Azeris” says Keti Chitishvili.

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