Politics & Bargaining - simulation "Our Community" from 26th to 29th September 2022 in Tbilisi, Georgia

From 26th to 29th September the seminar "Politics & Bargaining" took place in Tbilisi, Georgia. Participants came from all countries of the so-called Eastern Partnership of the EU: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The students from six different countries experienced varied days.

The methods of the seminar revolved around communication, negotiation and agreement. On the second day, the participants played the simulation game "Our Community". The setting of the simulation is the fictional city "Our Town". Each participant took on a role as a member of a fictional party or of a lobby group representing particular interests. After the reading-in phase, each group developed its own programme which then had to be presented to the interested plenum in a large meeting in the fictional town hall. This was followed by discussions and negotiations - the goal: the formation of a new government coalition in "Our Town". In the end a coalition of three parties proved victorious. In the final talk with the media, which was also played by the participants, the newly elected president of the city had to face critical questions about the government programme. The simulation game finally ended in the evening with major plans for change.

On the last day, the participants shared their reflections and feedback: they felt strained by tough negotiations, but not without feeling encouraged at the same time: That it is possible to reach compromises and agreements in dialogue despite different positions.

The event was organised by the CIVIC-Institute in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation Romania and Moldova.