\nPlease see the interview with Maya Kurtsikidze \u2013 Head of Communication at UNICEF Georgia<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
First of all, please tell us about your success story, what stages did you go through, what difficulties did you face and what stage are you at now?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Thank you very much for the interview. I started working in the fifth year of the university and have not stopped since then. There was a time when I was working in several places and would come home at midnight. It was a difficult period, but it gave me a lot of experience. Even in those difficult years, I was constantly learning something at the same time. Self-development, learning and constant work on oneself, in my opinion, is the formula for success for any person. It is also important to constantly be in search of new things and to maintain curiosity.<\/p>\n
In the first year of the university, one of the lecturers told us to try to be interesting to yourself, and I remember this phrase all the time. I am fortunate to have interacted with many interesting and extraordinary people over the years and it has taught me a lot. Of course, there were difficulties, but there is no problem that cannot be solved. When I encounter a problem, I spend less time looking for reasons and try to solve it immediately. I expect the same from others. At this stage, I am still in the process of searching, and it is this process that is interesting.<\/p>\n
It is also important to dare to experiment and not be afraid of risks. A few years ago, we shot a social experiment, a video film about a child living on the street and society’s attitude towards her. Social experiment was a new thing for us, but we took this risk and this video was published at the right time and on the right platform with the help of my colleagues from New York. The video has been viewed by more than 160 million people, shared by more than 4 million people worldwide, and has become UNICEF’s most viewed video.<\/p>\n
What was the biggest challenge on your career path, an obstacle that seemed insurmountable at first, but you were able to overcome it anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I am a philologist by first education, then I graduated with a master’s degree in international relations. I am a communication specialist by profession. Strategic communication in an international organization is a broader field and includes many directions, it is not only media and public relations, but also advocacy, communication aimed at changing people’s behavior and social norms. Many things were new to me when I started working at UNICEF, but I was constantly learning and I am still learning. I happened to make mistakes in this process and it only helped me to move forward. Communication is constantly changing and evolving, and social media has revolutionized this field. New challenges have also emerged, such as the spread of mis\/disinformation, which may pose serious risks to the organization and also negatively affect the development of society. This is also a challenge and I try to observe the new developments, what new approaches are emerging, what are the ways and tactics of fighting disinformation. In this regard, a lot of experience has already been accumulated in the world, and the main thing is to analyze what myths and misinformation are being spread and to plan the right strategy to pre-bunk or debunk them. Disinformation has also become a challenge to the country’s security, and in this regard, it is important to take more coordinated and strategic approach.<\/p>\n
A couple of years ago we at UNICEF faced the challenge that certain groups tried to \u00a0spread disinformation about the Child Rights Code hindering its adoption, however our team managed to deal with this misinformation and finally the Code was approved by the Parliament.<\/p>\n
I have been working with the media for years to support in developing ethical journalism. There used to be a lot of problems with the confidentiality of certain categories of children in the media. We worked in several directions, we had meetings with media representatives, a special course appeared in many universities, we worked with media development organizations, and I am glad that today journalists pay more attention to ethical standards when covering children’s issues.<\/p>\n
The main thing is the desire and the right strategy and all obstacles can be overcome.<\/p>\n
What is your main motivation to keep moving forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n
It is a great motivation when you see positive changes in the lives of people, children, when you feel that you can do something for people who are in trouble today. I have seen children in large scale state-run institutions. You couldn’t see any emotion on their faces, they didn’t laugh at all, they didn’t have basic social skills. As a result of the reform of the child care system, and with our support, large scale state-run institutions were closed, children were transferred to a family-type environment, and I saw how these children changed, how emotion appeared on their faces. This was a great motivation for me.<\/p>\n
Throughout the pandemic, we travelled a lot in the regions and met people, young people, who talked to us about their problems. I met a family where five children were participating in a distance lesson with one phone. All children must have access to the Internet and electronic devices to develop 21st century competencies and be competitive in the labor market. It is a great motivation for me when we give young people the opportunity to express their opinion and acquire important skills for them.<\/p>\n
Working at UNICEF is also interesting for me because the organization is dynamic, offers you novelties and gives you the opportunity for self-development. Over the years, I have attended many interesting training courses in the field of communication, including at leading universities and various institutions. Learning new things and daily work on myself is my main motivator.<\/p>\n
I had the opportunity to meet many people of different nationalities in the organization and it was stimulating as well. In general, I am interested in people, I like observing them. Human relationships are the most important wealth for me, and these relationships are also the basis for the success in many areas.<\/p>\n
Also, in UNICEF, I have the opportunity to implement my ideas together with my team, and this also gives me great motivation. I have other interests and try to spend my free time with friends, enjoying music and literature.<\/p>\n
Tell us about your current activities in UNICEF, in what position and direction you work, and in a few words, tell us about your future plans.<\/strong><\/p>\n
I work at UNICEF as a Head of Communication. I have been with this organization for a long time, but the fact that I am constantly looking for something new helps to keep my work interesting and useful. Of course, this would not be possible without my team, and I am glad to work with the best professionals both in the communication section and in our office as a whole.<\/p>\n
Communication is a broad concept for us and means: being the voice of all children and talking about the issues and problems they face, being a leading expert in relation to children’s issues; It also means advocating for specific changes, be it legislation or policy, influencing public opinion and gaining public support for those changes; To be a leading brand that is trusted and respected; establish partnerships for children; Empower children and young people themselves to have their say, take action and make a difference in their communities. I also worked on behaviour and social change \u00a0communication, which is a separate science and unfortunately not well known here. However, changing people’s behavior and eliminating harmful social norms is extremely important for the development of our society. Hope, it will be understood that the transformation of the society, especially the post-Soviet society, is impossible without such changes.<\/p>\n
Digital platforms have enabled new approaches to storytelling, and we also strive to tell human stories, to show the public how people’s lives are changing and that this change would not be possible without them.<\/p>\n
We still have a lot of work to do and future plans are still related to UNICEF, although other plans may emerge.<\/p>\n
As we know you recently signed a memorandum of understanding with ICC Georgia. Tell us a few words about what this means and do you plan to implement any initiatives in the near future?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia is very important for us, and I am glad to have met the extraordinary team of ICC Georgia and I hope we will do many good things together. Our goal is to help the private sector better understand and respect children’s rights in their policies and practices. Through our partnership, we will help the most vulnerable children and young people develop the necessary skills and realize their potential, and spread knowledge about children’s rights, positive parenting and cybersecurity among members of the Chamber. This is quite an ambitious plan and we are now starting to cooperate. Businesses have a huge impact on children’s lives through their activities and we aim to work together to ensure that this impact is positive and beneficial to children and families. We know what the problems are and what needs to be done to overcome them, and we consider business as a partner in this process. The fact that young people have the right skills to be competitive and successful in the labor market is beneficial to the business itself, and these successful people will also contribute to the development of the economy. Today, they need help in this matter, and I am glad that we are cooperating with the International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia and other business organizations to provide this support.<\/p>\n
Finally, limiting ourselves to the traditional question, what would you advise aspiring professionals and young people who are now taking their first career steps?<\/strong><\/p>\n
I would advise them not to stop and keep moving forward. On this path, they may stumble, make mistakes, and be disappointed, but they should draw conclusions from these mistakes, get up and continue moving forward. The main process is self-development, discovering oneself and one’s abilities and understanding that I can make changes, I can be successful. Therefore, it is important continue working on yourself all the time.<\/p>\n
I also want to advise them to read a lot and do what they like and what gives them pleasure. The work is important, but the happiness of people is no less important and they must find time for that. This will help them to be successful professionals as well.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>