Center for Civil Integration and Inter-Ethnic Relations - CCIIR is a non-governmental/research organization established in 2005. Since then, with the financial support of different donor organizations, CCIIR has been working on needs and demands existing in education system of Georgia. We develop and implement various projects (including the joint international ones) with specific focus on the integration of ethnic minorities through education, empowerment, advocacy and capacity building enabling them to be equal participants of country's life.  By ensuring the equal access to education and civic awareness we strive to achieve positive state development.

CCIIR's multilevel approach includes but not limited to:

• Policy study & analysis - in this regard CCIIR conducts comprehensive researches and continuous monitoring activities, elaborates recommendations for improvement of education policy and provides dialogue with policy makers.
• Multilingual/multicultural education - the organization raises awareness of the diversity in Georgian, supports development of tolerance, participates in development and introduction of multicultural education programs/curriculums at the universities.
• Literacy & bi-literacy - in this regard CCIIR supports improvement of reading literacy in ethnic minority school children through development of leveled readers, various teaching, learning and methodological resources; creates e-learning platforms.
• Teaching Georgian as a second language - to this purpose the organization implements programs for quality improvement of state language instruction at bilingual ethnic minority schools of Georgia.
• Teacher professional development - in this direction CCIIR conducts training seminars and workshops in bilingual teaching methods and strategies, provides development of pedagogical approaches that support intercultural relationships.
• Publishing - CCIIR publishes policy documents/research reports, academic, methodological, instructional materials, textbooks, dictionaries, journals, electronic products etc.

Some of the key projects recently implemented by CCIIR:

Preservation of Abkhazian Language by Abkhaz and Georgians (PALAG)

This project is one of the currently ongoing projects that is funded by USAID and implemented since September 2015 by the organisation in cooperation with Abkhaz, national and international partners. The main goal of the project is to rebuild confidence and revitalise respect between the Abkhaz and Georgian peoples while supporting the endangered Abkhaz language, literacy development in Abkhaz language, development of common values in Georgian and Abkhaz youth, development cooperation between Georgian and Abkhaz writers, linguists, teachers and school students, which are equally important for both conflict-affected sides.

The project will move forward:

1. To support the cooperation of Georgian and Abkhaz academics and linguists for the preservation and development of Abkhaz language.  
2. To develop computer software and linguistic tool “Abkhaz Language Corpus Analyst”.
3. To develop reading texts on living values. A total of 26 value-based reading texts will be selected (13 reading texts from Georgian youth and 13 from Abkhaz). The selected value based reading texts will be translated from Abkhaz into Georgian and vice-versa. Based on the developed reading texts a Georgian-Abkhaz online dictionary and websites will be developed as well as websites (www.ablingua.ge and www.ablingua.org) and all materials will be uploaded on the websites.
4. To organize summer school for young leaders on key values in their life. Young people will experience rich inter-cultural events, will have a chance to communicate with each-other and destroy the stereotypes about the image of enemies. 

Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness in Georgia (PITA)

PITA is a 5 year project funded by UNAG and USAID. Partners include 11 NGOs and 14 Youth Centres in 13 cities of Georgia. CCIIR has been working on the following components for PITA program:

• Component 1: Development of strategic and administrative tools.
• Component 2: Research and development.
• Component 3: Professional development of faculty members and administrative staff of the programme.
• Component 4: Youth Component – Establishment of TSU YOUTH CENTER.

Development of Bilingual Literacy in Minority Schools of Georgia

Funded by USAID, World Vision, and Australian AID, the idea of the project was to improve reading literacy in the native language of ethnic minority students of Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli as well as enhance state language command.

Achievements: 

• Supplying teachers and students with sufficient teaching and learning materials; Development, printing and dissemination bilingual levelled textbooks of "Reading Ladder" (total 416 books).
• In order to use technology in teaching/learning process CCIIR has developed a website (reading.ge) with instructional materials for bilingual levelled reading texts. The innovative computer software was developed based on levelled texts for primary grades students of non-Georgian schools.
• Capacity building of ethnic minority schools through teachers professional development. Total of 433 primary school teacher (Minority Language/Reading Teacher) of 216 minority schools participated in the program and had an opportunity for professional development.

Development of an International Model for Curricular Reform in Multicultural Education and ‎Cultural Diversity Training (DOIT)

Funded by TEMPUS program and the European Commission, this project aimed to enhance the quality of educational programs for promoting multicultural education, human and children’s rights and cultural diversity through a multi-faceted programme that would bring about curriculum reform in its partners' Higher Educational Institutions in Israel and in Georgia.

Results:

• Design and piloting of courses for BA, MA students and in-service teachers;
• Workshops for faculty;
• A programme extra-curricular classroom activities for students aimed to promote positive inter-cultural relations, and a portal that facilitated joint work and dissemination.

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