AEGEE Exploring the Caucasus

In the second half of August, an AEGEE delegation of 14 students from all parts of Europe has paid a three week visit to the Caucasus, exploring this unknown region on the geographical edge of Europe. The declared aim of this pilot project was to learn as much as possible about Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and their people, as well as to build bridges with local student organisations in view of linking them to AEGEE. During their visit, the delegation enjoyed the legendary hospitality and stunning landscape of the Caucasus and studied its rich history and culture, as well as the current socio-economic and environmental situation of this fascinating mosaic of ethnic groups, religions and traditions. 

Stereotypes on both sides were replaced by personal experiences in endless fruitful discussions. At the end of the visit, all sides expressed their strong interest in maintaining and institutionalising relations. In the opening address to the assembled group of the participants Michael Kekenadze, head of the Georgian delegation, expressed his great enthusiasm to host such a diverse group in Tbilisi, and his hope that the group will manage to discover some of the hidden charms of the Caucasus region. 

On return to Western Europe, Aliki Louvrou, project manager of the Caucasus case study trip, described this trip as a unique, revealing experience. "We had read a lot on the region before going there, but still we were amazed by the mentality of the people, where hospitality knows no limits, by the breathtaking nature, still undiscovered by tourism, by the obstacles and problems that young people face there, but still never giving up; the Caucasus may seem quite a far away region, but it has a European conscience and soul, strong, especially among young people, who read the same books, listen to the same music, have the same dilemmas and problems, just like other European young people."

Reacting upon the results, President of AEGEE Europe Diana Filip noted that "AEGEE has always been the first to provide space for dialogue in an intercultural perspective between young students from the European continent."

Being an AEGEE Europe project, this case study trip belongs to the framework of this year`s AEGEE year-plan project Youth and Globalisation that includes a survey distributed among higher education students, five Study Meetings, a case study trip and a final World Youth Summit to be held in December 2003 www.aegee.org/globalyouth/wys

For more information contact:

AEGEE-Europe
Rue Nestor de Tiere 15
1030 Bruxelles
Phone:    +32 2 245 23 00
Fax:        +32 2 245 62 60
Web:      www.aegee.org
Email:    [log in to unmask]


AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l?Europe) the Europe's largest interdisciplinary student associations, which promotes a unified Europe, cross-border co-operation, communication, integration among students and strives to create an open and tolerant society of tomorrow is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that operates without being linked to any political party. A widely spread student network of 17.000 members in more than 260 local branches, so-called
Antennae, provides the ideal platform where young people from over 40 European countries can work together, free from any national way of thinking.



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