In July, these 74 youth, along with 46 others, aged 14 to 18, participated in a 10-day peacebuilding camp in the mountains of Abkhazia. The camp, organized by World Vision and the Sukhumi Youth House (SYH), and the Eagle Down Foundation, not only taught the diverse group how to live together and survive in the wilderness, but also how the United Nations (UN) works by having them participate in a model UN session to draft a resolutions for different conflicts around the world.

As politicians met in the capital of Georgia’s breakaway republic of Abkhazia recently, leaders of the future were celebrating months of hard work at their peaceclubs and summer camp. Some 74 youth from all eight regions of Abkhazia, representing the various ethnicities throughout the territory showcased their newly found knowledge of peacebuilding in a poignant celebration of diversity in a region which has so recently witnessed conflict. Photos and text by Dwayne Mamo, World Vision Georgia