Exchange Journey: Batumi & Tskaltubo, 16–21 June 2025
In June 2025, CARAVANE travelled to Georgia for a week of creative exploration and climate-conscious storytelling. From 16 to 21 June, young artists, filmmakers, and cultural activists met in Batumi and Tskaltubo to learn, experiment, collaborate, and build a shared language of climate awareness through film. The exchange brought together skills, perspectives, and personal stories — showing how powerful youth collaboration can be when art meets responsibility.
Filming Across Two Cities
The journey opened on 16 June with a warm welcome and an introductory session at the Lab in Batumi. From the very first day, the focus was on co-creation. Participants filmed in both Batumi and Tskaltubo, working in teams to capture climate realities and social stories shaping everyday life in these two distinct environments.
It was not just about learning how to operate a camera or edit a scene. The exchange helped young creatives discover new ways of seeing a city, interacting with communities, and expressing ideas that mattered. By filming in public spaces, working outside their comfort zones, and learning from one another, participants experienced how cinema could become a shared tool for activism, curiosity, and artistic growth.
Climate Awareness & Sustainable Filmmaking
Throughout the week, workshops and discussions highlighted social climate issues and sustainability in filmmaking. Participants explored how film production could become more environmentally conscious: reducing waste on set, choosing local resources, planning eco-friendly production methods, and understanding how creative decisions influenced both culture and the planet.
These lessons extended beyond filmmaking. They encouraged a mindset rooted in responsibility, respect, and long-term thinking. The programme also opened conversations on sustainable tourism and environmental storytelling, showing how video marketing could shape the way people travelled, engaged with local environments, and imagined more sustainable futures.
Learning, Sharing, Growing
The exchange empowered young artists to gain confidence, build networks, and understand how their voices could create change. Working alongside international peers fostered collaboration rather than competition, and encouraged creative experimentation rather than fear of mistakes. Every discussion, filming moment, and shared challenge became a lesson in teamwork, empathy, and innovation.
Evaluation & Next Steps
The journey concluded on 20 June with a collective evaluation session, offering participants space to reflect on what they had learned, what they had created, and what they hoped to pursue next. Departures followed the same day — but the ideas, friendships, and stories formed during the week did not end there. They continued to inspire new films, actions, and collaborations, carried forward by a generation of artists determined to imagine a more sustainable world together.
