The Academy for Peace and Development (APD) aims at empowering youth and promoting peace, tolerance and solidarity in the South Caucasus and beyond, through the capacity development of young people.
APD was founded in Tbilisi, Georgia, in October 2002, based on the six year experience of the Young Leaders for Peace and Development Training Program (YLPD). It was founded with the mission to build bridges of friendship, understanding and dialogue among teenage war victims of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.
In the following years, APD has developed a strong profile in peacebuilding, youth policy development and education for young people and stakeholders of youth. Within this context, APD has realised various programmes at local, national, regional and international level, with diverse donors and partners from all across Europe.
APD is implementing short and long-term educational programmes for young people and NGOs from Georgia, the Caucasus and Europe in conflict transformation, active citizenship, and intercultural learning, as well as in relevant qualifications for the Georgian labour market. APD is also actively involved in the development of a coherent youth policy in Georgia, providing youth information and works on the protection of IDP rights.
Objectives
- To provide community-based educational opportunities to young people, particularly to internally displaced youth;
- To train future youth leaders committed to peace, democracy and inclusion;
- To contribute to nonviolent processes of conflict transformation in the Caucasus by providing competencies to youth, youth leaders, youth workers and youth organisations;
- To support the integration of young people into the society and to empower them to take an active role on the community level;
- To make youth policy development in Georgia and the South Caucasus accessible to young people and their needs;
- To promote cultural diversity and to fight any form of discrimination.
APD has contributed a number of publications to the sector, including a manual on conflict management in non-formal education (2007), and a manual on conflict transformation as a tool for youth work in the EECA region.
