The Heinrich Boell Foundation has helped improve the management skills of regional leaders, with an intensive Summer School organized by the Foundation and supported by the European Commission. The main focus of the Summer School was to give the community leaders from eight regions of Georgia general skills to further enable them to manage their projects and work together with different organizations.
Throughout a week-long programme, the participants attended intensive project cycle management training, which gave them all the necessary skills to write project proposals, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate projects with international standards. Because project management is not an isolated activity, leadership, solidarity, and lobbying skills training was also conducted by instructors from La Strada International –Ukraine. During this period, participants, from regional centres such as Akhalkalaki and Gori, were able to acquire new skills and make new contacts. The School was held from 29 August to 3 September 2009 in the seaside town of Batumi, Georgia.