Preparation and launching of this web-site was made possible through support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USIAD) under the "Youth House" project implemented by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) with input and participation of the staff and youth of the Sukhum, Zugdidi, Ochamchire, Tbilisi, Dushanbe, Gornji Vakuf, Sanski Most Youth Houses.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID.

Elena Kobakhia, director

As a result of the war of 1992-3 many children in Abkhazia are in need of psychological help and support. This section was created at SYH specifically to address this need. In the 4 years it has been in operation around 2000 people have attended more than 4000 sessions. The counselling service works in several different ways: a) individual consultations, held with both children and parents, andpsychotherapy sessions with children; b) assessment, research into various types of character;and c) group work with the children in the Young Psychologists' School where they learn about psychology, work through their ownproblems learn about their inner self, how to avoid conflict and form healthy relationships. This section is run by Arda Inal-Ipa a graduate of Psychology at MGU(Moscow State University) and a qualified psychotherapist, and Marina Akirtava a teacher of Psychology.

English Language
The younger group for children from 8-12 is run by Lana Tarkil. The lessons are taught through play - the children learn songs and rhymes - and generally get used to a language which is new to them. They start by learning the alphabet, then moving o17) is taught by Natela Bzhania where the children work using different stages of "Headway" depending on their level of English.nto reading and writing. The older group (12- The main aim of these lessons however, is conversational English on which everyone concentrates the most.

Computers
Teenagers of 14 and over are taught by Victor Supin. The section is divided into two groups: newcomers, and those who have already completed the first stage. The newcomers learn basic computer skills: typing, drawing, games and using the Internet. The other group have a more in depth programme. The main aims of this section are to overcome any fear of computers and become computer literate.

Abkhazian Language
Mostly younger schoolchildren come to these classes to learn Abkhazian. Liudmila Nachkebia uses interactive methods, playing with the children to help them learn little rhymes and songs in Abkhazian.

Journalism
SYH has 2 bi-monthly newspapers "Mshybzia. Dobrii Den'" and the children's rights newspaper "Adzyrkui. Svetliachok".The first contains news about SYH and articles written by the children on anything about which they feel strongly and these pages reflect their literary creativity. The second is devoted to the study of the UN "Convention on the Rights of the Child". The Journalism section is led by Elena Zavodskaiia.

TV Journalism
This section is run by Elza Chanba and has 2 video cameras and a computer programme for creating montage. Elza teaches the children/teenagers how to work with a camera, explains the basics of the operational side and the tricks of the trade of a TV journalist's work. Under her guidance the young people film all the events organised by SYH and then arrange a viewing session for the other members of SYH.

Art
Evgenii Kotliarov -an acclaimed master with a brush in Abkhazia - teaches the children in his section the technicalities of working with gouache. Children of all ages (from 3-18) get a great deal of pleasurefrom his lessons. Their works adorn the walls and corridors of SYH and they take part in all our in-house exhibitions. They have also entered several competitions in Russia for talented young artists, some are hanging in the Russian embassy in France, and others have been given to the Sukhum Centre of Children's Creativity.

"Utrenniaia Zvezda" Abkhazian Language/Literary Workshop
This group was created for those who have an excellent command of Abkhazian and also an aptitude for literature/writing. During the workshops the youngwriters translate literature and write their own poems and prose, thus broadening their knowledge of the language and the ability to express themselves. Their work makes up the Abkhazian section of our newspaper "Mshybzia. Dobrii Den'". They have the chance to meet with Abkhazian writers and write about anything of interest to them. The workshop is led by Gunda Kvintsinia a famous Abkhazian poet.

Young Journalists' Club
The club is made up of old hands who no longer go to the journalist sessions but still play an active role in the section. They are the editing team and decide on the format for every edition. In particular they work on developing their own writing style, learning how to write so that their style is instantly recognisable. Every year they take part in "Proba Pera" a writing competition in Sochi (Russia) and in our own national competition organised by the Minister of Education. Our talented members are always successful and their work rewarded with prizes. Interesting articles are published in the local newspaper. The club is run by Elena Zavodskaia.

Jambul Jordania, a musician and an actor at the Russian Theatre, is our resident guitar teacher. He tries to teach each pupil a basic set of chords so they can play a tune, where to position their fingers and to teach them a couple of good pieces. "To give them a good basis so that they can then go on to pick out any tune on the guitar" is what he considers important. The rock group "Spectre" was started after these guitar lessons. They now regularly play gigs and are well known in our area.

Playtherapy
Children from the ages of 7-10 come to us. Anjela Ladaria uses special play methods to work through any problems the children have. Working on communication skills, attention span, improving memory, developing imagination and expressing emotions are all part of the programme in this section.

Ecological tourism
With rucksacks on their backs, the children get to know the beauty of the Abkhazian countryside, climbing up the mountains and down into the valleys and enjoying the alpine meadows. With their teacher Valerii Agrba, who knows these mountains very well, they walk along countless paths, learning how to conduct themselves, what to do and what not to do and to have respect for their native countryside.

Young naturalists
This section works alongside Nature Hiking organising hikes together. Taia Alania, a leading co-worker of the Abkhazian State Museum, is in charge of teaching the nature side of the hikes as she has an excellent knowledge of the flora and fauna of Abkhazia, historical places and geological history. On their trips the young people get to know the local countryside and learn to love and cherish it.

Choir
Diana Shamba was a student at Sukhum Music College and has a great deal of experience with children's choirs. The section is divided into 2 groups: younger (6-10) and older (11-17). The children learn how to read music and sing in harmony, learn folk and popular songs. Diana tries to nurture a love of music in them, broadening their musical taste and diminishing their inhibitions.

Drama
Getting rid of any complexes, feeling free, learning to move fluidly, expressing your emotions publicly and feeling like true actors are all part and parcel of this section. Anna Giuregian, their teacher, is an actress of the Russian Dramatic Theatre. She writes sketches for herself and her proteges to perform. All the inhabitants of SYH really love them and are always on tenterhooks waiting with baited breath for the next inspired performance!

Handicrafts
This is a new section at SYH. The teacher Aleksandra Kaushlieva goes to the Abkhazian State University. Since the age of 5, with the help of her mum, she has done embroidery, crochet, making lovely things and generally beautifying her home. Now she is passing on her expertise to the girls who come to her lessons, and their handiwork is always an object of delight for both regulars and guests of SYH alike.

"Dune" Club
"Dune" was set up 3 years ago as a part of the AED "Youth Development" programme (Academy for Educational Development) sponsored by the humanitarian fund USAID. There are 18 members, aged 14-17, who study English, computers, small business, NGO development and conflict resolution. They also take part in events organised by SYH. A children's camp is also part of the project and for 2 years running all the participants met in Pitsunda (a spa town in Abkhazia), one year they met in Armenia with their Georgian counterparts, and in 2000 the most hardworking members went to the US for 2 weeks.
The lessons are taught using interactive methods similar to that of a workshop. The project aims to develop leadership skills in young people, furthering the development of civil society, building tolerance in young people and working towards peace. As a result of being in the club it is hoped that the members will have developed their capabilities, learnt self-affirmation and matured. Aida Ladaria, deputy of SYH, is the club leader.

"Omega" TV-Journalist Club
The members of this club have already completed several cycles of the TV-journalism section and, as a result of their knowledge and experience of working behind the camera, want to continue improving their skills as TV-journalists. On the whole, the programme is more in depth and the young people have plenty of opportunities to work behind the camera, in particular filming all SYH events. Elza Chanba is the club leader.