Graffiti on the art space building in old Tskhinval (Gana Yanovskaya /OC Media)
Enterprising young people in South Ossetia have lots of ideas for improving their homeland but the challenges are many. Few opportunities to develop a career at home, even fewer opportunities to travel abroad, a lack of cultural and recreational facilities, and a dearth of funding for youth initiatives mean the obstacles can seem insurmountable. Nevertheless, many are willing to try.
Book sale-off in Baku organized by Qanun Publishing House (Facebook)
Almost three decades after independence, Russian language still plays a large role in Azerbaijan. Many of the country’s schools and universities are divided: into the Azerbaijani-medium Azsector, and a Russian-language sector. But the divide goes far beyond the language: graduates of the Russian sector often see themselves as the elites of society, more progressive, more open-minded, and more cultured. In turn, they are portrayed as aloof, unpatriotic, and not ‘real’ Azerbaijanis. [Read more…]
Luiza Mutoshvili (Luka Pertaia /OC Media)
‘Five years ago, I started a job as a teacher at the public school in Duisi, Pankisi Valley, which completely changed my life. The goal of my teaching programme was to overcome the language barrier in regions with ethnic minorities. I’m ethnically Kist myself, and since Georgian is not my native language, I was well familiar with the language barrier problem.’ [Read more…]
Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku (Azerbaijan Airlines /YouTube)
Although official figures show low levels of emigration, many young students and specialists from Azerbaijan appear to be moving abroad for work. This has led many in the country to begin to question: is there a new brain drain in Azerbaijan?
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili (Official photo)
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has announced plans to merge a number of ministries, cutting down on the total number by four. The changes are being accompanied by a Cabinet reshuffle. [Read more…]
You can fetch as much as $1,000 for the materials from a dismantled home (David Stepanyan/OC Media)
Barekamavan, a village on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, regularly comes under fire. Unfortunately for Barekamavan’s besieged residents, this is not their only problem, and with people moving away, the village faces extinction. [Read more…]
(Eana Korbezashvili/Civil.ge)
In May 2016, Tbilisi’s Kiwi Café — a vegan hangout for city hipsters — was hit by nationalist youths armed with meat sausages. The grotesque spectacle was obvious click-bait in today’s attention seeking social media, but it did highlight a new trend: social and lifestyle issues increasingly trump Georgia’s latent political rifts, and young people are at the forefront of this evolution.
(Caucasian Knot)
According to North Caucasian media outlet Caucasian Knot, the number of young militants in Chechnya increased in 2016 compared to previous years.
Young people in Georgia are optimistic about their future employability, according to a study unveiled on 23 January by the German political foundation, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. According to the study, 41% of young people aged 14–29 are in education, with 71% of these feeling optimistic about their employment opportunities. [Read more…]
