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IATP News for January 2007
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Human Rights Awareness Improves throughout Eurasia with Help of IATP Technology
Over the past year, hundreds of citizens of the former Soviet Union were empowered to defend their rights, increase awareness among their peers and catalyze positive changes in their countries through activities facilitated by IATP that focused on human rights. IATP also provided citizens with the training and access they needed to collaborate with colleagues, coordinate efforts, and expand their ability to educate the public and raise standards throughout the region.
Paul Narain, second secretary at the US Embassy to Azerbaijan, logged in online to answer citizens’ questions on democratization and human rights. In Ukraine, Pavlo Kovtonyuk, leader of a research project entitled, “Monitoring of Compliance of the Right to Work of People with Mental Illnesses,” launched a project website, while representatives of nonprofit organizations from Tajikistan and Armenia gathered online to discuss the human rights situation and specific issues in their countries.
- Three young journalists published a news article explaining several UN articles on human rights in simpler words, for the benefit of their peers in Spitak, Armenia. The authors of the article, Sergey Lambaryan, Anna Makaryan, and Zina Makaryan are members of the Young Journalists Club of Shogher Child and Youth Charitable Center, a nonprofit organization that initiates youth activism and helps young journalists publish the SpiTux newsletter twice per month. They were among 12 young journalists who took part in a workshop on effective Internet research and online journalism techniques at the IATP access site in Spitak from January 15 to 19 and moderated by IATP trainer Edik Ehtibaryan.
Read more in this issue of IATP news
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Georgian citizens in Kutaisi, learned about the challenges facing migrants during a seminar for 21 NGO representatives, students, teachers and librarians with experience living abroad, entitled, “Preventing Illegal Migration.” The seminar was conducted on November 22 by Sofia Kamushadze, a representative of the international nonprofit organization “People in Need,” which supports human rights, democracy, and tolerance, while raising awareness of the situation of individuals suffering from the effects of war, long-term poverty or oppressive regimes.
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Twenty Azerbaijani NGO officials, families, and teachers found out about new children’s rights legislation in the country and steps taken by local and international NGOs to protect children at the IATP center in Ali-Bayramli. The June 2 workshop allowed the group to explore online resources related to the topic, which will allow them to stay on top of continuing developments in children’s rights in Azerbaijan and the world.
Read more in the June 2006 edition of IATP news
- An online discussion of Kazakhstan’s human rights obligations raised the participants’ awareness of international agreements ratified by the government, actions to promote human rights among population, and of a key NGO that aims to defend citizens from abuses. Over 30 local residents participated in the discussion, including three representatives of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KBHRRL), an international nongovernmental organization, from six IATP centers and IICs throughout the country.
Read more in this issue of IATP news
- Eleven college law students in Kyrgyzstan learned how to access human rights databases and to use these online resources in defending human rights during a seminar on January 24 and 25. Chinara Ablaeva, the coordinator of “Street Law”, a project designed to help law students advance academically and professionally, trained the students at the IATP center in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan. The Street Law project is funded by American Bar Association, Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI).
Read more in this edition of IATP news
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Nine Kyrgyzstani high school students created a multimedia presentation on human rights using skills in presentation software and Internet search engines at the IATP center in Nookat. From January 22 to 25, Saadat Saparova (CC 05) trained the high school students in effective online research and helped them prepare a presentation on human rights as part of a school assignment.
- Over 35 people exercised a rare opportunity for cross-border exchange on human rights issues in an online forum for NGOs, teachers, and students from Tajikistan and Armenia to mark Human Rights Day. The December 8 online discussion was facilitated by IATP in order to enable participants to learn more about human rights in Eurasia, discuss problems, achievements, and ways to improve the situation, and provide them with an opportunity to network and share knowledge.
Read more in the December 2006 edition of IATP news
Students of Yeghegnadzor State College listen to
“The Right to a Healthy Lifestyle,” an advocacy
presentation by youth organization leader Karine
Movsisyan at the IATP access site in
Yeghegnadzor, Armenia.
Armenian Students Take Action on Non-Smokers’ Rights
Thirty Armenian university students learned about concrete ways to demand enforcement of the country’s new public smoking ban, and expressed their readiness to volunteer on a youth group’s health advocacy campaign in Yeghednadzor, Armenia.
Karine Movsisyan, the president of Younger Generation, a nonprofit youth organization conveyed to them the importance of student activism in promoting a healthy environment, and encouraged participants to think about ways they could contribute to establishing non-smoking public spaces, during a seminar at the IATP center.
The seminar, entitled, “The Right to a Healthy Lifestyle,” took place at IATP center at Yeghegnadzor State College on January 15. The discussion centered on the civil rights of passive smokers and promoting a no-smoking policy in public places. In December 2004, Armenia’s Parliament adopted a new law that bans smoking in public places, such as educational, cultural, and healthcare institutions and public transportation. However, the new legislation has not yet been effective. Citizens’ lack of knowledge of the hazards of smoking, coupled with the difficulty in changing habits in the majority larger part of the population, has limited its implementation.
Movsisyan invited the participants to join Younger Generation’s project to increase public awareness of the dangers of smoking by educating youth, pressuring employers to establish separate smoking areas, and disseminating anti-tobacco brochures. The participants also accessed anti-smoking online resources, including an article from the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) on Armenia’s new anti-tobacco law. As a result of the event, the participants learned about their right to demand enforcement of no smoking rules in public areas and expressed their readiness to work as volunteers at Younger Generation in their anti-smoking activities.
Gunel Gurbanova (left), IATP Program Assistant,
types
answers given by Ilham Ahmedov (right) during the
online discussion from the IATP main office in Baku,
Azerbaijan.
Citizens Link with Government to Access Distance Learning Prospects in Azerbaijan Online
More than twenty Azerbaijanis were introduced to distance learning (DL) during an online discussion with a national education reform official during a nationwide forum on January 26. Ilham Ahmedov, national advisor to a joint project of the World Bank and the Ministry of Education, also answered questions on education reform initiatives and introduced the students and teachers to online resources for DL at five IATP centers.
Ahmedov gave an overview of different forms of DL, its development, methods, and advantages. He remarked, “At the moment, about 50% of students in developed countries get education through DL. Unfortunately, there aren’t many achievements in this field in our country.” He added, “If we want to offer distance education in our native language, we should prepare all necessary resources and place them on the appropriate university’s server. This is a very expensive and long process. However,… the President of Azerbaijan has pledged financial assistance for promoting DL in the country.”
At the conclusion of the discussion, Ahmedov shared several relevant online resources, such as the Russian Portal of Open Education and the Modern University for the Humanities website where participants can obtain more information about DL opportunities. Through this online event, the public utilized IATP to gain an understanding of cutting-edge innovations in education, and its prospects for development in Azerbaijan.
On January 28, Emil Korchiyev (FLEX 02) conducted a
four-hour seminar on resume writing skills for 17 high
school and college students, alumni, and school teachers
at the IATP access site in Ganja, Azerbaijan.
Youth Acquire Resume Writing Skills in Ganja, Azerbaijan
Students in Ganja, Azerbaijan penned quality resumes with the help of alumni of US exchange programs at the IATP center in Ganja, Azerbaijan, enhancing their chances of finding professional employment. Emil Korchiyev (FLEX 02) conducted the January 28 seminar for 17 high school and college students, teachers, and alumni at the Ganja IATP center.
Korchiyev discussed the importance of resumes and explained what made a resume effective, including tips on clear and concise description of goals, logical structure, and attractive design. Korchiyev commented, “Each person should give broad information about himself in writing a resume. In American style, the resumes starts with a work history with the most recent position listed first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you worked at them.”
Using their newly-acquired resume writing skills, the participants prepared resumes using the center’s computers. Other alumni modeled their resumes as examples and helped participants develop their own, and save them on CDs supplied by IATP. With the help of IATP resources, local students improve their educational and professional prospects, as ECA alumni applied their unique experience and power of technology to help their peers thrive.
Georgian Tourism Industry to Go Online
Since November 2006, local small business owners have been collaborating with IATP centers across Georgia to bring them online and penetrate the international tourism market. The project, called “Places,” will help entrepreneurs build professional websites to solicit guests, create a central portal to promote Georgian hospitality, and improve their business plans using distance learning.
IATP centers in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Khashuri and Telavi, Georgia, received 37 applications from small hotel or guesthouse owners throughout Georgia for first phase of Places. The 25 strongest applicants were selected to complete advanced Web training in January, helping them create websites for their hotels and local tourist attractions. Also in January, project Web designer Giorgi Dvali (FLEX 04) worked with project participants to develop an online portal where all websites created by entrepreneurs will be hosted together, offering visitors a quick hotel search function that provides information about the many destinations on offer, and raising the rankings of the hotels in online search engines.
The project has sparked interest throughout the industry. Established firms with functioning websites will be incorporated into the system in order to make the portal a complete source of information about Georgia for international tourists.
By the end of January, the first 13 hotel and guest house websites are due to be completed at the Places portal. By late May, at the conclusion of the first phase of the project, a total of 100 entrepreneurs will be trained and 50 hotel and guesthouse websites will be added to the Georgian Internet.
During the second stage of the project, from September 2007, IATP will offer distance learning courses on tourism and business management in partnership with local experts to help trainees run their businesses more efficiently and learn about successful advertising, customer care and online services.
Georgian Health Workers and NGOs Review Healthcare Privatization Online
More than 30 medical professionals and NGO representatives voiced their concerns, offered feedback, and became informed about the current reforms in the Georgian health sector through an online forum with a leading NGO official involved in the process. The second in an ongoing series, these IATP-hosted online discussions are at present the only forum for nationwide, direct two-way discussion of important policy issues with government officials in Georgia. Sponsoring the discussions helps citizens voice their concerns and be counted in the policymaking process.
On January 22, George Gotsadze (CI 03), Director of Curatio International Foundation (CIF), a nonprofit organization supporting reforms in the Georgian health, social and education sectors, presented the preliminary results of the reform program on January 22.
Participants posed questions about the privatization plan for hospitals and clinics and the status of the doctors in privatized hospitals. Specifically, some doctors were concerned that without civil service protections, doctors’ employment might be terminated without cause in private hospitals. Gotsadze commented, “Privatizing institutions is not a terrible occurrence, and the fear of people is left over from the Soviet era when the government owned everything and private ownership was beyond the imagination.” He suggested that private ownership will lead to more competition, higher quality of service, and control of costs.
Gotsadze also emphasized that doctors’ rights will be protected by Georgian labor as they are protected today, although private hospitals will have more freedom to hire or fire staff. Responding to a concern voiced by Dr. Rusiko Makacaria that young doctors will replace older ones at privatized hospitals, Gotsadze wrote, “Age does not factor into hiring and firing decisions. Medicine is a field full of innovations, and doctors must be learning new practices in this field constantly. If a doctor is aware of modern practices and complies with modern standards, then, I think, he or she has no chance to be fired, especially at privately-owned hospitals.”
This forum followed the Georgian Healthcare series’ first event last month. In December, Department of Social Integration of Ministry of Health and Social Defense Tsotne Beselia, was the featured guest of a forum devoted to government support for disabled citizens.
Korobeyshikova shares information about APRK’s
activities in 2006 at the IATP access site in Almaty,
Kazakhstan
Citizens Introduced to Human Rights Protections in Almaty, Kazakhstan
A motivated group of eight college students, librarians, and NGO officials, gained insight into the state of human rights in Kazakhstan at the IATP access site in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 31. Anna Korobeyshikova (CI 01) passed along her expertise as the president of Assistance in Prison Reform in Kazakhstan (APRK), a local human rights organization, and her over 10 years of experience in human rights monitoring. Participants learned about international human rights declarations, rights protection organizations, and received a manual on defending their rights.
Korobeyshikova then shared information about her organization’s activities in protecting women prisoners’ rights, helping them find jobs after release, and bringing attention to prisoners’ rights through local media outlets. Korobeyshikova stated that the main challenge her organization faces is lobbying for changes in legislation, which would prepare prisoners to post-prison life, including vocational and psychological rehabilitation.
The participants reviewed international declarations designed to protect rights, the websites of human rights organizations operating globally, such as Human Rights Watch. At the conclusion of the seminar, each participant received Frederick Quinn’s “Human Rights and You” book, donated by the US Embassy in Kazakhstan, which is also available on the US State Department website. The book is intended for those who work professionally and want to learn about international human rights standards, including judges, lawyers, nongovernmental organizations, law students, and the media. The basic human rights conventions are contained in this volume, as are guidelines for filing a human rights petition with an international organization.
Yulia Sherbina, a Law student
at the Karakol Branch,
State Law Academy, finds
materials
on the Web at
the IATP access site
Law Students Equipped to Improve Human Rights in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan
Eleven law students were equipped to utilize key online databases on human rights, preparing them to excel in their field, to defend the rights of others, and to develop curricula on human rights for local youth. On January 24 and 25, Chinara Ablaeva, coordinator of the law student support project Street Law, taught the students to use online human rights databases at the IATP center in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan. The Street Law project is funded by American Bar Association, Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI).
The college students learned to use online databases with legal documents and facts about human rights, including Adviser and the Universal Human Rights Index. The participants also explored an article entitled “The System of Human Rights Protection in Kyrgyzstan.” The students plan to use their new knowledge and IATP resources to develop a complete curriculum for high school students to promote human rights among the young people of Karakol.
MOLDOVA
IATP Mobilizes Youth Development Initiatives in Moldova
Throughout January, young Moldovans made use of the IATP Training Laboratory in Chisinau, Moldova, to improve their academic, research and journalism skills. ECA alumni and youth organizations have partnered with IATP for nearly a decade, creating a unique opportunity for local young people to gain skills in computer and Internet use for their personal and professional development, as well as for implementation of their community initiatives. In January, ECA alumni and members of an association of disabled were among the many young beneficiaries of this partnership.
Gaudeamus members master
computer skills
at IATP
Training
Laboratory in Chisinau
- From January 9 to 12, the IATP Training Laboratory in Chisinau, Moldova, sponsored trainings on advanced word processing for four local ECA alumni. IATP Assistant Lilia Iachimovschi conducted this training to equip the audience with skills on advanced formatting of text documents and help the students to prepare their degree research and presentations. Budding journalist Gamanji Tatiana remarked that she plans to use her newly-acquired skills to publish articles
- From January 9 to12, the IATP Training Laboratory in Chisinau, Moldova, sponsored a training on computer basics for five members of the Gaudeamus Association for Disabled Students. Participants learned the basics of operating systems, mastered skills for managing files and folders, and explored different software. Burdian explained how to create documents, edit texts, work with tables, and save information to various media. By sponsoring this event, IATP contributed to the professional development of local disabled young people.
Medical professionals learn to use computers
IATP-Government Joint Initiative Helps Moldovan Doctors Acquire Technology Skills to Improve Patient Services
Twelve doctors of the Regional Hospital of Cimislia, Moldova, became the latest beneficiaries of the MedIT project, which aims to help medical professionals master computer skills that will improve the quality of health care in Moldova. IATP mobile trainer Victoria Vorosciuc (IV 05) conducted the trainings in January, the first in a series for this group of doctors as part of the project.
A critical element of the Moldovan government’s new initiative to introduce information technology into hospitals in Moldova, MedIT is a partnership between IATP and the Ministry of Health Care and Social Protection. In February, Deputy Minister Boris Golovin requested that IATP develop a training program to prepare over 350 medical professionals from Chisinau, Balti, Ungheni, Comrat, Orhei, and Soroca to access the latest medical research, systematize their administrative work, create websites for their institutions, and participate in countrywide online discussions to share best practices.
The Moldovan government recently equipped hospitals across Moldova with computer equipment, with the primary goal of maintaining internal databases with information about patients to increase the quality of care. As many of these professionals had never before used a computer, the MedIT partnership is critical to the success of the Ministry’s initiative and to the improvement of healthcare in the country.
In November and December 2006, over 60 physicians and other medical professionals mastered computer and Internet skills within the framework of the project.
TAJIKISTAN
Participants discuss gender issue and women
rights in Tajikistan.
Citizens Educated on the State of Gender Equality in Tajikistan Online
Over 30 journalists, NGO officials, teachers and students gained new knowledge on women’s rights during a nationwide online forum with two local experts. Special guests Maryam Davlatova, director of the nonprofit organization Center for Gender Studies, and Tahmina Hakimova, a representative of ACT Central Asia, an international nonprofit organization, delivered presentations on the country’s legal protection mechanisms and addressed the many concerns of attendees during the January 31 forum.
Davlatova noted, “Equality is an essential part of social justice, toward which human beings constantly strive, although in the past it was mainly perceived as equality between different social groups.” She noted that in the last two centuries this aspect of the problem has been addressed in general and it is a time now to focus on equality of members within the groups.
Hakimova, referencing a recent NGO-sponsored report, noted “many problems that hinder gender equality in the country, including low involvement of women in decision-making processes at all levels of government, and a decline in women’s literacy rate.” Females make up 47% of female students in seventh grade, but only 39% of eleventh graders. This is because of strict conservative family traditions, particularly in rural districts, that emphasize the importance of marriage for girls after the ninth grade over pursuit of higher education.
Margarita Khegai, the director of the women’s nongovernmental organization Traditions and Modernity in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, noted the lack of progress towards equality, despite the efforts of NGOs. “ Would you say that there is discrimination nowadays in spite of all official decrees, conventions, and laws? What effect have these programs had? What has changed?” Hakimova replied, “The implementation mechanism of these laws is not elaborated completely and the tangible effects cannot not be seen except some improvements in education. For example, state quotas for free enrollment and study of girls from rural districts in colleges has increased, but the transparency of the selection process is still questionable.”
Davlatova added, “Many things depend on civil society. I think that due to these decrees, NGOs received state support for their activities. Of course, these obstacles cannot be removed in a short period, especially in eastern countries, and in Tajikistan in particular.”
The online discussion enabled participants to learn more about gender equality and protection mechanisms in Tajikistan, discuss problems, achievements, and ways to improve the situation, including eliminating gender stereotypes and prejudices, and develop better legal and educational systems in line with international standards.
Journalists use the Internet at the IATP access site
in Kulyab, Tajikistan
Journalists Keep Kulyab, Tajikistan Connected to the World in Collaboration with IATP
Six journalists from three media outlets acquired Internet skills they need to keep their isolated city of Kulyab connected to the rest of the country and the world in January at their local IATP center. Recognizing the rapid development of information technologies and their huge impact on every sphere of life, the journalists asked IATP to teach them how to use the Internet to do their jobs more effectively. Kulyab IATP Center Administrator Nuriya Hamidova led a series of specialized trainings for the group from January 15 to 17, to teach them how to use Internet resources and e-mail to improve their reporting.
Bilol Shamsov, a journalist from Radio Ozodi, the Tajik Service of Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, commented, “I am a regular participant in IATP events and trainings and actively use its services. They are very important for us, the journalists, since they make our work more productive, efficient, and effective. It’s great that there is such a center in our city that helps us make our own contribution to development of civil society in the country.”
The local station Kulyab TV, as well as Radio Tajikistan, with an audience of over one million, broadcast a story about the event. With enhanced computer and Internet skills, journalists can find any information online, and easily exchange news and opinions with people from other regions and countries. Through these journalists, Kulyab’s citizens will gain access to the events of their region, country, and world that they were previously inaccessible.
TURKMENISTAN
US Embassy Alumni Coordinator Lola Babakuliyeva
meets online with alumni
Turkmenistani Alumni Develop their Community Initiatives in Online Discussion with US Embassy Official
US Embassy Alumni Coordinator Lola Babakuliyeva exposed 16 alumni to grant opportunities, taught effective grant writing techniques, and gave feedback on their ongoing community development projects at IATP centers across Turkmenistan. The alumni also shared their ideas and best practices with each other
Babakuliyeva’s tips on proposal writing included use of measurable results, a realistic budget and clear goals. In the course of the interactive discussion, participants received feedback on various community development projects they are planning, and were encouraged to submit proposals to fund seminars, conferences, contests, thematic clubs and charitable events aimed at development of civil society in the country and addressing problems of people with special needs and various marginalized groups. Babakuliyeva also introduced the participants to the Democracy Outreach Small and Travel grants, the official ECA alumni website, the Alumni Boom quarterly newsletter, and the Turkmen alumni listserv, and upcoming events of interest.
Sheker Muradova (BFTF 06), president of the Alumni Advisory Council in Mary, remarked, “Turkmenistan needs to be developed in the areas of health and education, and implementing these projects can make a difference. Before I didn’t know where I should address my questions regarding grants, but thanks to this event I became updated about IREX and US Embassy-sponsored grant opportunities for alumni.”
For further questions regarding writing successful grant proposals or improving project writing skills, Babakuliyeva suggested visiting online web resources on the topic and participating in IATP-led trainings. This online event helped alumni learn about grant opportunities currently available for them, and receive valuable advice on developing their community development projects.
A senior from Internetional Turkmen-Turkish
University, Alexander Saraykin shares his opinion
High School Teachers across Eurasia Share Best Practices in Life Skills Programs Online
Twenty-five high school teachers exchanged lessons learned and engaged in a lively cross-cultural discussion on life skills education from IATP centers in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Armenia on January 10. The online event, entitled, “Students’ Life Skills Development: Programs, Problems and Perspectives,” was timely for Turkmenistan, as a recent UNICEF program that trained 300 teachers and created a curriculum which is currently under consideration for official use in schools nationwide.
There was some disagreement among participants on the issue of what age is appropriate for life skills instruction. Melanya Hachartyan, a teacher from School #1 in Kapan, Armenia, practices life skills methodology with students from first to seventh grades; the curriculum includes self-appraisal, self-affirmation, self-improvement, and skills like effective decision making, stress management, creative and critical thinking, and understanding of peer pressure. The idea of starting such a program in the first grade met with disapproval by participants from other countries, as it might impose an extra burden on young children who should concentrate on academic basics. Danila Mayakovskiy from Turkmenistan remarked, “To develop a free and effective society, we should first create the conditions for development of individuality in new system of education where every student will be able to solve life problems, become a successful member of society, and see perspectives for society’s and his or her own professional development.”
As a result of the online discussion, Turkmenistan’s teachers were exposed to best practices in life skills instruction from other countries and gained a better understanding of how this new subject can be incorporated into the curriculum of their school system.
UKRAINE
An ECA alumnus created the website
of this youth NGO with IATP’s support
MOVA members benefit from IT in the
IATP access site in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Young journalists from state and
municipal media learn to survive in
market conditions
at the IATP access
site in Lviv, Ukraine
Youth Development Initiatives in Ukraine Take Off with IATP Resources
In January, youth across Ukraine collaborated with 23 IATP centers for a range of initiatives, including launching an AIDS-prevention website, a series of meetings for impaired youth activists, training for young journalists, and a leadership conference for promising girls. IATP has supported young people in numerous ways, providing free training on computer and Internet use for young leaders and NGO employees, a free Web hosting platform to spread their ideas and establish connections with their Ukrainian and foreign partners, free access to unbiased information, and access to online forums for discussion of the most urgent problems facing young people.
In January, IATP supported several notable youth groups.
- A new online resource was posted to the IATP server on January 9, which informs youth on how to prevent the spread of AIDS. The new website for Moye Zhyttia (My Life), a youth nonprofit organization, advocates healthy lifestyles and includes information about its structure and history, upcoming and completed events, and information on AIDS prevention for young people.
- Members of Molodizhna Organizatsiya Vinnytskykh Aktyvistiv (Vinnytsia Organization of Young Activists, MOVA), an organization that brings together local hearing impaired youth, utilized the access site in Vinnytsia, Ukraine to post its website and host its Monday meetings The club members meet regularly to work with Internet resources, and communicate with their friends and peers from other regions of Ukraine and abroad. Among the achievements of the club members is the success of Maryna Chukhriy, who won the title of First Vice-Miss Deaf World at the Miss Deaf World 2006 pageant, which took place in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Ten young journalists from state-owned outlets learned how to adapt to the pressures, demands and incentives of media in the market economy during a training series in Lviv, Ukraine. On January 15 and 18, the IATP center in Lviv, held a specialized series of trainings for the journalists, whose employers are slated to be privatized soon.
Girls practice leadership skills in role-playing games
Girls from Disadvantaged Families Empowered by Leadership Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine
Fourteen schoolgirls – finalists of the Tech Age Girls project (TAG) – and five of their teachers completed the IATP Winter School of Leadership in Kyiv, Ukraine on January 19. In the course of the conference, the group gained valuable expertise on project implementation, created grant applications, learned leadership and job skills, and had the opportunity to meet several successful American and Ukrainian women. TAG is an IREX project designed to equip Ukrainian girls from disadvantaged families and rural areas with technology skills to help them secure a brighter future.
Since October, 58 schoolgirls from six regions of Ukraine have attended IATP’s Step-by-Step training series. They mastered basic computer skills and web design and now use Internet resources and have the ability to create interactive presentations. Twenty-eight new websites have been posted to the IATP server by TAG participants so far. The participants used these skills to develop community service projects; the authors of five winning projects were invited to attend the IATP Winter School of Leadership in Kyiv.
At the Winter School, IREX Media Administrative Manager Svitlana Buko explained the main stages of planning and implementing community projects: idea, discussion, planning, implementation, and analysis of successes and mistakes; the girls learned about incentives for volunteers and how to organize and motivate them.
Participants discovered the basics of fundraising in a session by Maria Makovska, IATP Deputy Regional Manager for Western Eurasia. They explored three sources of funding: business, government, and foreign non-governmental organizations, and during the practical session had an opportunity to prepare applications for grants from each of these sources.
Later, TAG participants attended training on leadership, conducted by IATP Site Administrator Olha Zhdanova and Yulia Lytvynova, an employee of Youth Can, a Ukrainian nonprofit organization. To develop leadership skills, the attendees took part in multiple role-playing games and gained knowledge on the most important qualities of a leader, such as self-confidence, and ability to listen and transfer information.
TAG participants listen to Michelle Logsdon’s
presentation
Building job skills, participants learned how to write a resume and find a job and opportunities for study on the Internet. Attendees also met with Michelle Logsdon, Counselor for Public Affairs of the US Embassy in Ukraine. Ms. Logsdon discussed opportunities for cooperation between American and Ukrainian youth, shared her experience on how to achieve success, and answered questions about relations between the United States and Ukraine. TAG participants also met with Natalia Makovska, director of the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine, and Kateryna Kryvoruchko, senior staff scientist of the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine, who discussed the evolving role of women in Ukrainian society, describing the life story of the famous Ukrainian poetess Olena Teliga.
As a result of the Winter School, the girls plan to improve their community projects as well as use IT to find opportunities for work and studying, personal and professional development. Olena Bandurka, the initiator of a project for disabled children, remarked, “I have new ideas on how to change and improve my project; for example, create a hotline for disabled children and organize a charity fair for them.” Participant Krystyna Sapronova commented, “Due to knowledge acquired at the trainings, my communication skills were improved; I became more self-confident. I will do my best to implement my community project, since now I know how interesting is to be a leader.”
The TAG project, sponsored by IATP, is working to inspire girls to serve their communities, and create new opportunities for themselves and their classmates.
After returning from the Winter School, the girls are to implement or conclude their community projects and share their successes through websites and blogs. TAG participants from Kivertsi, Lutsk region, also plan to share the experience obtained at the Winter School with their classmates, friends, and local ECA alumni during a seminar at the IATP center. Local radio stations in Luhansk and Vinnytsia reported about the TAG project and the Winter School of Leadership.