UNICEF, together with the Business and Technology University (BTU), has launched the UPSHIFT Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program in Georgia, to equip young people with the skills to design and implement solutions to community challenges.
The program targets youth aged 14–18 in Tbilisi, Batumi, Zugdidi and Akhaltsikhe, combining training, mentorship and project development based on a globally recognized design-thinking methodology. In its pilot phase, 80 participants, 20 in each city, will receive hands-on instruction in social innovation, entrepreneurship and children’s rights.
Beyond direct beneficiaries, UPSHIFT will also train mentors and local facilitators through shadowing opportunities, ensuring the program’s sustainability. Partnerships with Child Rights Centers in Batumi, Zugdidi and Akhaltsikhe State Universities will provide hubs for training and youth engagement, while workshops with NGOs, businesses, academia and government representatives will help build an enabling environment for youth-led initiatives.
“UPSHIFT is more than a program, it’s a movement that empowers young people to become active agents of change in their communities,” said Jesper Moller, UNICEF Representative in Georgia. Nino Enukidze, Rector of BTU, added that the initiative aligns with the university’s mission to help innovation and entrepreneurship among youth.
