Behind the success of any project there stand people, who put their talent and energy, passion, and compassion into making it happen. These are people who wholeheartedly believe in the importance of their work and wake up in the morning with the thought that today they will do everything to make this world a better place.
Rezi Shavladze is one of such people in the YMCA. His dedication and commitment to the YMCAs of Georgia and Europe are exemplary. Rezi spent this summer in the YMCA Camp Orange, where a series of robust camp-shifts were held within the YMCA Europe Roots for Peace and Generation Next projects.
As the YMCA Georgia Program Secretary and the YMCA Europe Project Assistant, Rezi is the best example of service leadership.
“Working with Rezi is and had been one of the most comfortable and full of drive experiences I’ve ever had. We’ve seen him being supportive, motivating, and initiative for many years, not only this summer. The atmosphere he creates around himself is something mentionable! Meaning, that he is considering a lot of factors to ensure a positive working environment.
Regarding this summer and his contribution, all I could say is that he was physically involved in literally all of the events that we have held, he was around us on any occasion and this gave me a feeling that I can rely on him anytime.
As a leader, I would say that he is very good at recognizing everybody’s advantages and therefore encouraging them to do the job at their best. He has been a brilliant motivator everywhere, every time! One of the most significant values, that I would underline, is that he is always involved, he delegates the responsibilities, but does not just leave it to be done only by the others, he is always part of the process together with his team, which makes him a good leader! And besides this, we are having a very close relationship apart from the co-working, as a friend, and this informal attitude has helped me a lot to be open and sharing with him” says Nika Chichradze, YMCA Europe Peace Work Institute Alumnus, YMCA Georgia volunteer leader.
Rezi takes care of people, helping them grow and promoting those whom he believes in. An example of it is Irina Berdzenishvili, another YMCA Europe Peace Work Institute Alumna and YMCA Georgia volunteer leader, who now works as the Roots Media Consultant.
“I met Rezi about eight years ago during the Roots ProFest at the YMCA Camp Orange. We did not speak much during the event, but I can recall a small conversation while hiking in the Mtirala National Park. The conversation did not seem like most of the talks between the event organizer and a participant, it was more like a conversation between peers.
There are many things that I appreciate about Rezi, but his ability to see the potential in young people and support people to grow and become leaders have always inspired me. He has never been just a leader of our team, but part of it, working and learning alongside us” shares Irina.
“Rezi enjoys due respect and love among his colleagues at the YMCA Europe. That respect is based not only on his professional skills and job performance but also on the fundamental values he stands for. It’s been a privilege to work with Reziko in a Team and to share his fellowship. He is one of the stepping stones of the Roots for me and for many participants, I am sure he’ll be the same for the Generation Next” says Vardan Hambardzumyan, YMCA Europe Executive Secretary.
Rezi is always ready to learn and always strives for more. Thus, he is currently enrolled in the joint YMCA Europe and ISCTE Executive Education first batch on Management of Civil Society Organizations at the University of Lisbon.
