The Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI) is the leading independent hybrid civil society organization in Georgia, committed to strengthening the foundations of Georgian democracy and promoting the country’s Western aspirations.
Founded by George Melashvili, Shalva Chkheidze and Revaz Topuria in 2015, the EGI’s mission is to advance democracy, rule of law, and free markets in Georgia and the Caucasus, and to empower a new generation of leaders to find solutions that are essential for Georgia’s development and for a successful future of the Caucasus. We are fiercely independent and focus our efforts on issues such as human rights, peacebuilding, good governance, and youth engagement in the democratic process.
Our Institute plays a vital role in analyzing Georgian and international politics, creating policy recommendations, and implementing projects that contribute to a more open, democratic, and free society. With the support of our volunteers and partner organizations throughout Georgia and the Caucasus, and with funding from various donors, we work tirelessly to improve Georgia’s political culture, to provide a platform for discussion, and to enable citizens to make their voices heard. We are the only organization in Georgia that implemented a nationwide Get out the Vote campaign in 2016.
An important area of our work is our focus on youth. The EGI recognizes that young people have a unique role in society and face specific challenges. We prioritize youth work and promote equality and non-discrimination, and strive to ensure that all policies and activities concerning young people uphold young people’s right to participate in the development, implementation, and follow-up of policies that affect them through meaningful participation. To achieve this goal, the EGI encourages and promotes inclusive democratic participation of all young people in society and democratic processes, actively engages young people in the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies affecting the lives of young people, and cooperates with all major Universities in Georgia to support specific frameworks and activities to empower youth and ensure youth participation in political and civil life.
Our mission
The Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI) is the leading hybrid independent civil society organization. Our mission is to fortify the foundations of Georgian democracy and defend Western aspirations. Our mission is to promote democracy, human rights, rule of law, and free markets in Georgia and the Caucasus, and to nurture a new generation of leaders who can find solutions that are crucial for the development of Georgia and the shared future of the Caucasus.
Our History
A group of thoughtful, committed, idealist students came together in 2012 to create the Future Diplomats’ Club – the first student club dedicated to contemporary international issues, diplomacy, civil politics and the rights of youth.
Later the team behind the FDC created the Europe-Georgia Institute – a hybrid independent civil society organization, with more than 500 members from all around Georgia.
Our Work
Our work is guided by a vision and mission statement and is centered around three thematic focus areas:
That was more than 5 years ago, and in that time, the EGI has indeed changed the participation of youth in civil life. We organize diverse forums, especially for young people, to exchange information and experience and discuss current and future political and societal developments and maintain networks of committed individuals and organizations sharing our views and values. One of our main goals is to promote a greater understanding of politics and to inspire citizens to take part in the political process.
Enjoying the support from the office of the President of Georgia, the EGI lead the unprecedented campaign “Your Voice, Our Future”, uniting hundreds of young men and women to make the people around them realize the importance of their single vote. Being the leading non-formal education institution in Georgia, the EGI has developed a unique program for summer and winter schools, as well as youth camps – empowering the participants to realize their full potential and the ability to make a change.
Soon after “Your Voice, Our Future” campaign the EGI created the Initiative platform, providing thousands of young people all around Georgia expertise and necessary tools to make a change.
Our Volunteers
We work with hundreds of volunteers who are on the inside track of our campaigns all around Georgia, especially in the mountainous regions – whether you’ve already been an activist, or you’re just starting and want to learn how you can help, we have dozens of volunteer opportunities for you.
