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Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
IATP News - Best of 2000
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Armenia
Technology Retreat Promotes Internet Development in Armenia
On October 20, in what US Public Affairs Officer John Balian called an "historic meeting," representatives from more than 15 local and international organizations gathered to discuss collaborative strategies for Internet development in Armenia. This "technology retreat" was sponsored by the US Embassy and held in Tsakhadzor, approximately an hour and a half northeast of Yerevan. The main issue on the agenda was the formation of an independent, educational Internet network throughout Armenia. Another problem is that there is often little collaboration among different organizations promoting the Internet in Armenia. This technology retreat offered a unique opportunity for organizations interested in expanding Internet access to discuss ways to collaborate in order to multiply the effectiveness of their individual programs. These organizations also discussed plans to create an independent non-commercial educational network to connect schools, universities, libraries, NGOs, the US Embassy, and international organizations on one network. The US Embassy technical specialist, Avetik Petrosyan estimated that all of these organizations could pay roughly one third of what they are paying now for more reliable and faster Internet access through an independent network. As a result of the technology retreat, the organizations present agreed to form a coordinating committee to discuss additional opportunities for cooperation and further development of the idea of an independent Internet network. IATP Country Coordinator Gregori Vahanyan agreed to serve as one of the leaders of this coordinating committee. An electronic mailing list will be set up to allow members to continue the discussions and collaboration that began at this meeting.
The technology retreat provided a glimpse into some of the opportunities that are possible for Internet development in Armenia and highlighted the importance of cooperation. The meeting also demonstrated that building an Internet network is not just a technical task, but also involves building the personal and organizational networks that sustain the Internet and help to fully realize its potential.
Uzbekistan
First Deaf Internet Trainer Certified in Uzbekistan
IREX announced today that Nikolay Gladkiy received his "Trainer of Trainers" certificate this week, becoming the first deaf Internet trainer in Uzbekistan and possibly all of Central Asia.
Mr. Gladkiy completed his certification through the Internet Access and Training Program (IATP), which is administered by IREX, a private Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting advanced field research and professional training programs between the United States and the countries of Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State provides funding for IATP.
In the coming months, IATP and Mr. Gladkiy are planning an ambitious training schedule. IATP will be working with the deaf boarding school where Mr. Gladkiy studied – a venue that will allow over 100 deaf students to learn how to use the Internet. IATP is in the process of providing e-mail access to several schools and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Uzbekistan with deaf and hard-of-hearing constituents. Discussions are also underway to allow Mr. Gladkiy to increase the impact of his IATP training program by expanding regionally to neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Mr. Gladkiy is currently seeking funding to attend the English Language Institute at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC in the future.
Since 1995 IATP has fostered continued information sharing, network building, communication, and collaboration among alumni of US academic and professional exchange programs and other audiences with their US counterparts and each other. IREX currently administers IATP in 10 countries of Eurasia including Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. To date IATP has trained over 3,500 people in Uzbekistan alone, with over 300 people completing the "Trainer of Trainers" program.
Kyrgyzstan
Alumni Monitor Kyrgyz Elections
Kyrgyzstan, long seen as one of the ‘bright spots’ of Central Asia for its democratic development, has had a difficult time recently. Financial woes, incursions of Islamic fundamentalists and border problems with its neighbors have caused the government to restrict outside criticism. The recent parliamentary elections were a case in point – in some areas of the country the government clearly inferred with candidates and the results.
One of the bright spots, however, was the work of the Freedom Support Act (FSA) alumni who worked as independent election monitors. Coming from countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Ukraine, they study at the American University of Kyrgyzstan. They are frequent visitors to the IATP Alumni Computer center in Bishkek and have produced a lot of useful information.
Their work as election monitors is detailed on a new website that was produced with the assistance of the IATP staff. Although the Web page is based on a paper report, the Internet version allows their work to be read by a much broader audience.
Kazakhstan
Internet Training for Deaf Students Held in Almaty
From September 26 – 29, 2000 IATP/Kazakhstan held an Internet training seminar for deaf students. The four-day seminar was hosted by the ECA Alumni Resource Center in Almaty. Nikolay Gladkiy, a certified Internet trainer who is also deaf, was invited from Uzbekistan to teach the students basic Internet skills. During the Internet training seminar 14 students and alumni of the Almaty Boarding School for the Deaf learned about the following topics:
- What is the Internet
- Internet browsers
- Internet access
- How to search the Internet
On the last day of the training Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, Vivian Walker, presented the students with certificates. In the near future both the students and their teachers from Almaty Boarding School for the Deaf will have the opportunity to develop their skills by having access to the Internet for two hours per week in the IATP Public Access Site at the National Library of Kazakhstan. We all hope that this training will have a great impact on the lives of these students, as well as other people with disabilities throughout Kazakhstan.
Georgia
IATP/Georgia Holds Seminars to Celebrate International Education Week
During the week of November 13, 2000 IATP/Georgia held a series of seminars in celebration of International Education Week. Over 40 teachers and students from four Tbilisi secondary schools and one institute attended the IATP seminars, which introduced the Internet as a useful tool and information source in education. The seminars were held every day of the week at the IATP public access site at the National Parliamentary Library from 4 to 6PM. After the seminars, many participants, especially teachers, expressed their interest in attending IATP basic Internet courses and integrating the Internet into their professional activities.
Belarus
Ukrainian Trainer Travels to Belarus
On July 27 and 28, 2000, Kyiv-based IATP trainer Maria Makovska participated in the first Western NIS IATP Trainer Exchange. She traveled to Minsk to provide three-hour training to Belarussian physicians and teachers on the benefits and potential of the Internet in the fields of medicine and education, respectively. Eighteen individuals attended the training for physicians and fourteen attended the training for teachers.
Moldova
IATP/Moldova Faces High Demand for Courses
Over 1,600 people are currently waiting for the opportunity to participate in IATP weekly courses. IATP/Moldova currently offers its audiences six different courses. The courses range from basic computer literacy to more advanced courses such as HTML and JavaScript.
In operation for just over 22 months, there has always been a high demand for the services of the program. Since the program began in Moldova, over 1,400 individuals have received training while 530 of them have participated in more than one course. IATP services represent one of the very few opportunities for audiences to receive quality instruction in and subsequent access to the Internet and e-mail. Of the 1,600 people on the course waiting list, 72 percent desire to attend training courses offered in Romanian while 28 percent prefer instruction in Russian. Fifty-two percent of those desiring training have enrolled in basic computer literacy while 38 percent and 10 percent respectively desire training in Internet usage and topics associated with website development.
Ukraine
Journalists’ Seminar Held in Ukraine
On July 17, 2000, IATP/Ukraine held an intensive seminar for journalists entitled "Internet Technologies Available for Journalists." This seminar showcased the potential of the Internet in the field of journalism and showed the audience, in real time, what can be accomplished when using this tool in their daily work as journalists.
Two groups of journalists participated – one based in Kyiv, the other in Kharkiv. The Kyiv-based trainer began the seminar session in Kyiv and at the same time, this training session was presented to the Kharkiv-based participants using Internet driven video and chat as the tools of communication between the two groups. The Kharkiv-based trainer also presented a lecture that was broadcast to the Kyiv participants using the same technologies.
At the conclusion of the conference, the IATP arranged for a simultaneous video conversation with journalists in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and London, England.