"I consider that assisting people via non-formal education is the most valuable. Therefore, I like the idea of the Traveling University a lot.

Most importantly, this university goes to places where young people have the least access to information. Information is the key to success, and through the concept of the Traveling University, this information can be disseminated all overGeorgia. " - Elvira Aliyeva, 22 years old, participant of the Traveling University.

Elvira is a student at Tbilisi State University, currently living in Jandara village, Marneuli Municipality, and she tells us about the experience gained within the EU-funded Traveling University.

"When I was spreading information and notifying the population about the Traveling University meeting, the children told me that they did not believe lecturers would come to the village and give lectures; because most of our visitors are young volunteers, and meetings like this one, where the professor comes and shares experience, are rare. Consequently, this meeting turned out to be very impressive and valuable for everyone.”

Elvira runs a home-based self-development center where she helps young people learn philosophy, language, and shares interesting opportunities. Her center is available to young people seven days a week. Working with the Traveling University, Elvira says, was a new opportunity for her:

"The meeting turned out to be a great opportunity for my community organization as well, as I keep in touch with the lecturers and organizers, and I have many interesting ideas with them. I believe that this collaboration will diversify the activities of the center and give more opportunities to local youth.

The meeting was not only interesting, but also a very important step in the integration of ethnic minorities. The speakers talked about who we are, what kind of relationship we had in the past, showed us the connections and made us think about topics that will enable us to do something together in the future." - says Elvira.

The Traveling University is a part of the “Local Investments in Networks for Knowledge and Skill-share” (LINKS) project implemented by the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG) and Open Society Foundation Georgia (OSGF). The project is funded through the EU’s larger “Skills4Jobs” program, which aims to support vocational education and labor market development. 

Read more information about the Traveling University