We are so very proud to share this news from LSCI Trainer, Wim Hannsens about his team’s recent LSCI training in Tbilisi and Batoemi, Georgia:
In October 2019, as part of projects on ‘Leuven Restorative city & our vision on Restorative schools’, our workplace was visited by a delegation of judges and policy officers from Georgia.
In November 2019, we were asked to host a second delegation within the framework of education policy in Georgia. As a result, we were invited to the Georgian Embassy in Brussels. These fascinating and other meetings ensured that we were invited to Tbilisi in February 2020 by Nino Shatberashvili, head of the office of resource managers of education institutions.
Supported by TAIEX – European commission, I was sent as experts to Tbilisi. Here, I had the pleasure of working intensively with 18 social workers from the Ministry of Education and we could share each other’s vision and knowledge. Topics such as: Life Space Crises Intervention, the Proactive Circles, Circle of Courage, Education and care policy of Flanders, Angry Smile (passive aggressive behaviour), Turning Down the Heat – support for professionals, … were discussed.
After this enriching five-day event in Tbilisi, Ms Nino Shatberashvili made every effort to make further cooperation possible. Corona and the search for funding made this very difficult. Thanks to the drive of Nino Shatberashvili a new project was made possible. The plan was worked out to train a core team of psychologists in Life Pace Crises Intervention. After the training, this team would examine to what extent LSCI can be put to good use in education in Georgia. Thrilling. Because of Corona, a trip from Belgium to Tbilisi was not possible, so an alternative was sought. Nino Shatberashvili and Mariam Davitashvili succeeded in making the impossible possible on ZOOM’s platform. The breakout rooms no longer hold any secrets for us…
After a few weeks of preparation, Natalie Francq, Sanne Sondervorst and myself dived behind our computer screens as LSCI trainers on Monday 7 December to leave the virtual world on 11 December. After five intense days it was a relief to feel again a breeze and raindrop in the real world. What an experience!
The critical attitude, the vision, the connectedness, the drive, the humour, of this rich team of psychologists made this online training a true celebration!
We proudly welcome Nino Shatberashvili, Mariam Davitashvili, Eka Burkiashvili, Maka Gogokhia, Keti Devidze, Ketevan Tchkoidze, Teona Chitiashvili to the world of LSCI certified psychologists. Georgia is on the map of the LSCI world.
At the end of this exceptional five-day period, Nino Shatberashvili announced that she already planned to hold consultations with the EU and persons in charge of education in Georgia over the next few days in order to work out a further project in this context. The end of this second project seems tob e, once again, a next step in our cooperation.
It was and is a real pleasure to work with these idealists to make a difference in the quest for a better world for children and young people.
Below is a letter of gratitude they received today from the Head of the Office of Resource Officers of the Educational Institutions, from Georgia’s Ministry of Education.
We are so grateful and proud of your work!
