The CHF International/Azerbaijan and “Uluchay” Charity Society sponsored youth art exhibition took place on 12 May, 2007. With input of several community members and the support of both organizations it was able to successfully create a complete and comprehensive plan for the project.

Students in the regions do not have very many opportunities to participate in projects that allow them to express their opinions artistically while being exposed to their piers from different communities. One of the purposes of this project was to mobilize youth in different communities, and in turn empower the participants to more actively contribute to activities within their communities. Of the 60 individual submissions, 8 were from the CHF communities of Kish in Sheki and Kapanakchi in Zaqatala, and more than 60 people attended the exhibition. Yet another goal was to introduce democratic selection of the winners in the art contest. The final goal of this project was to contribute to community members' way of seeing the world by exposing them to art from various styles and topics of art from a wide range of youth from their own regions. In addition to the youth from CHF communities, a large group of disadvantaged youth from Sheki's Internat School and the Children's House submitted works of art and participated at the exhibition.

Rich Former, Director of Economic Programming &Deputy Chief of Party CHF International/Azerbaijan distributed awards to the 4 winners: Ahmedli Vusal (1^st place), Azer Shariyov (2^nd place), Badalov Eldaniz (3^rd place) and Hamletzade Shabnam (3^rd place) (two participants tied for 3 rd place). Many participants spoke of the next time, and the lessons that were learned from this year will enable the organizers to make the next event even greater.