Georgia Project Leadership

TINA JAVAHISHVILI

I started to study psychology at D. Uznadze Institute of Psychology. During my first year, I ended up as a volunteer in GCRT. I was doing all kinds of work there helping psychologists conduct group sessions. GCRT works with different target groups (IDPs, refugees, former prisoners, victims of sexual violence, etc.).

After some time, I started working there full time.  I have experience in working with Juvenile detainees, children with varying kinds of trauma and sexual abuse, and victims of domestic violence.   In 2014 I completed my degree in Psychotraumatology. In my free time I like to ski, travel and spend time with friends. Someday, I wish to be able to build a shelter for homeless cats and dogs.

My PlayWrite experience was, and is, one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It was the hardest, most exciting, and groundbreaking work I have ever done. It was full of emotions; joy and sadness, excitement and anxiety. I saw how these writers changed in front of our eyes, how they tried, how they wanted to give up, but did not. I saw how we gained their trust and how they learned to trust themselves. I saw pride in their eyes on the performance day. I believe their lives have been changed, and I know that I have changed because of PlayWrite. 

MARIAM AMASHUKELI

I was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. I hold my BA in Sociology (2005-2009, TSU) and MA in Anthropology-Interdisciplinary Research (2009-2011, TSU). I have worked as a researcher at the Center for Social Sciences (CSS) since 2012.  I am an author and co-author of several research publications.

Since February 2014, I have lead my own research and policy oriented organization - ‘Social Change Supporters.' Some of the topics I research concern higher education and trauma-sensitive school policies.

PlayWrite was an incredible challenge for me; at some points I even felt scared. It was a huge responsibility for the team in Portland and the children who were on their way to participate in the first workshop of PlayWrite Georgia. I felt so happy and relieved as soon as I saw the kid’s excited faces on performance day. At this moment, I realized we had done it! PlayWrite was an unbelievably great experience for all of us. Now I feel so proud of my Team Tbilisi and I’m very grateful to PlayWrite Portland who made PlayWrite Georgia happen! April 28, 2016 was a historical moment – I feel positive this is only the beginning. 

anka jgenti

In 2007, I became a child psychologist at Georgian Centre for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCPMR) where I had been a volunteer. The main focus of the organization I work for is to provide assistance to victims of torture, domestic violence, war, and sexual abuse. In parallel with GCRT, I worked at Union Saphari – a sister organization of GCRT – assisting victims of domestic violence and operating the first shelter in Georgia.

For two years, I coordinated the activities of the shelter. In 2010, I was actively involved with implementing a project for GCRT and Union Saphari to establish the first services for children and women victims of sexual abuse. I have participated in a project that monitored psychiatric institutions, worked as an accompanier for family members of missing persons as well as in programs of diversion and mediation as a mediator. I received my masters from Ilia state University, in 2014 in Mental Health. 

My PlayWrite experience was amazing! The entire process of working with young writers, to watching their change throughout the workshop was a big challenge for me and for the young writers. But the last day of the workshop was so magical, all of us –young writers and coaches – could see what we had accomplished in these two weeks! We saw the changes in young writers and in ourselves. I will never forget this wonderful experience and have hopes that PlayWrite Georgia will conduct many more PlayWrite workshops to change the life of youth in Georgia!

Sopo Vasadze

I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 2009 and went on to study for my MA degree in Anthropology. I am interested in the cultural dichotomy of Individualism-Collectivism. My Master’s thesis focused on “Social Interaction and Individualistic/Collectivistic Values and Behavioral Orientations.”

In 2011, I help found the Initiative Group, Young Supporters of Social Change in Georgia. We successfully completed the "Gender-Based Violence is a Social Problem” project. The aim of the project was to strengthen Georgian youth’s cultural-social discourse supporting gender quality in Georgia. Since 2015, I have worked at the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia as a Project Coordinator.

My PlayWrite experience was in Project Georgia, specifically assisting with the guideline/training manual translation and other preparation activities. I attended the first two days of the workshop as a floater and helped the team at the final performance day. The children were immensely satisfied with their work.  The performance day was attended by many people, and there was also interest from the media. During the preparation process, we shot a video to raise awareness regarding the PlayWrite project.

elene japaridize

I hold a PhD from the International PhD Program in Gender Studies, Tbilisi State University. I have my MA in Social and Political Science and BA in Psychology. 

During my BA, I studied in Germany (University of Saarbrucken) within the framework of a student exchange program. After returning to Tbilisi I started to work in the field of social sciences and since then, have been involved in research. I work as a Project Director and Senior Researcher at the Center for Social Sciences (see: www.css.ge). I lead and implement various projects addressing social, psychological and gender-related issues. My research interests are focused on youth, gender equality, women's and children’s mental health and rights. I’m also an author of several research publications concerning gender policy, drug addiction and women's mental health.

In 2015, I established a nongovernmental organization – FELIX –which focuses on activities to support social change. FELIX may be regarded as a platform for enthusiastic people who are interested in addressing positive changes for children and youth needing psycho-social support and help.

My PlayWrite experience seemed like a dream that might not come true. After many months, of hard work, many days and nights of trainings, translations, adaptations and editing we made it happen. On the 11th of April we started our first PlayWrite workshop in Tbilisi and on April 28th we had a magic and absolutely fantastic performance day. The whole process of working with youth showed me that we as coaches and PlayWrite as a program gained interest and love in Georgian participants. During the PlayWrite workshops, we were able to build a healthy and safe environment, strong connections and relationships in the group and reach a creative and inspired atmosphere. The whole process demonstrated that it is of immense importance to have more and more of these kind of activities in Georgia. PlayWrite is a youth oriented program that has strong and long-term benefits for young people. I’m overjoyed and proud that we had a chance to be involved in PlayWrite, to be trained as coaches in Portland and implement this fantastic program in our country. 

Nato kvavilashvili

I am a psychologist by profession. I have BA and MA degrees in psychology from Tbilisi State University and a Master of Science degree in Social research from the University of Edinburgh. I’ve worked at a local NGO GCRT since 2005. Our organization provides psychosocial and medical assistance to various vulnerable groups – people who have been tortured in different settings, captivity, war, prisons, women and children, victims of sexual and domestic violence, internally displaced persons and refugees.

I’ve worked with children’s groups in IDP settlements and I’ve also worked in juvenile special facilities where the young offenders serve their sentence. In my multi-responsibility job, I have always gained something from working with kids and young people the most.

My PlayWrite experience was a two-year long journey for me. During these two years there were many times when I thought PlayWrite Georgia would not be possible, due to organizational and financial issues. It was only when I was getting on a plane to Portland that I realized we had done it, and PlayWrite was happening.

I’ve always loved working with kids and adolescents because I really believe that this is the ideal age to make positive changes in young people’s cognition and behavior and help them find something new about themselves. That is what PlayWrite does, and why I got so interested in this program and took part in its first workshop in Georgia. Coaching a young girl at the workshop was such a tough job- to get her to imagine characters, their features, conflict, and the play. Initially it was a real struggle, inside herself and between us as well. I was pushing her all the time and I was trying to be creative because relating to one’s emotional truth can be scary. She was smart, but scared that she was saying ‘stupid’ things and that I didn’t like any ideas she had. It took a lot of effort to reassure her that there was nothing stupid in the original, unique play that she was creating, and that there were no right or wrong answers in the PlayWrite process. She came up with several fantastic ideas in conflict scenarios between the two characters. In the closing circle on performance day, she said that I had taught her a lot of things and especially that there are no right or wrong answers (I think that was something very important to her in her everyday life – to be perfect and to not say or do something that is a mistake or is wrong). This was an incredibly rewarding moment for me. The performance day was full of various emotions; excitement, fear, pride, joy, anxiety and tension. When the performance started, I couldn’t even sit down and watch peacefully, I was so nervous! And of course the ultimate reward for this amazing, creative, interesting program was to watch the proud kids who had accomplished something so meaningful and important in their lives. I could see how happy and proud my writer was, along with others, how happy they were, because they had the opportunity to direct their own plays and watch them performed live on the real stage of the real theatre!

“I want to thank Lyndsay Hogland who supported us every single day throughout the whole process, to Bruce Livingston who trusted us and encouraged us to join the PlayWrite team, and to the whole PlayWrite Portland team who helped us become coaches in this journey. ”

Anka Jgenti

“This experience opens so many channels for young people. It gives them a chance to discover themselves, to develop creative and even problem solving skills and to gain self-confidence, which is crucial to their age. The only regret I have is that I didn’t participate in PlayWrite as a writer when was a kid.”

Nato kvavilashvili

“We hope that the government sector and some international donors will be interested to implement the project in Georgia in the future.”

Sopo Vasadze