Be Educated Make a Difference

Asel Matieva ’13 (Kyzyl-Adyr, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Talas region, Kyrgzystan

$378 FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$413 cost share from: American Corner in Talas, local schools, Language School 'Moving Forward', Peace Corps Volunteers, FLEX and ACCESS alumni volunteers.

A group of four alumnae: Asel Matieva ’13, Nargiza Kanybek kyzy ‘13, Meryem Karakhasanova ‘13 and Ayday Amankulova ’14 held trainings and discussions at the schools in Talas region: Ak Dobo, Sasyk Bulak, Ak Korgon and Talas city. 170 secondary school students from 9-11 grades took part in the project. ACCESS Program Alumni (Micro-scholarship Program for students) in Talas helped alumnae to run the discussions and interactive part of the project. On the first day each alumna delivered presentations on following topics: challenges of education in villages, ways of empowering oneself through education and educational opportunities for students. The topics of the sessions also covered the important information about research skills, self-development, and community service.

During the project Peace Corp volunteers spoke about the role of education in American society and how education personally effected on their lives, which gave project participants a chance to compare the role of education in two different countries. During the project participants watched a video made for them by Aizada Marat kyzy ‘08 FLEX alumna currently attending Harvard Law School in USA. She talked about her educational experience and gave very important advice to project participants.

On the second day participants put the theory into practice. They worked in teams of six people to make research about different learning opportunities and programs in Kyrgyzstan. Participants created poster that had information about their research topics.

Global Youth Service Day Matching Grant 2015 Application Is Available!

Eurasia FLEX Alumni Global Youth Service Day Matching Grants Program 2015

Annually American Councils for International Education holds the Global Youth Service Day FLEX Alumni Matching Grants Initiative, which is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State. 

Groups of alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program are invited to apply for matching funds in the amount of up to $500 to implement local community service projects as part of the Global Youth Service Day Initiative weekend: April 17-19, 2015. 

Matching Grant - By offering a matching grant, ECA will leverage additional funds for GYSD.  In order to receive this grant, alumni must conduct local fundraising efforts to secure contributions from other donors.  Those funds must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis. For example if you have 298$ worth of cost share/in-kind contribution from other donor you can request maximum 298$ for your project from us, but if you get more than 500$ in cost share from other donors, you cannot request more than 500$ from us.

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual international event that:

·         Mobilizes youth and adults to identify and address the needs of their communities through service;

·         Recruits the next generation of volunteers;

·         Educates the public about the role of young people as community leaders by highlighting the contributions they make to their communities year-round.

To learn more about Global Youth Service Day, go to http://www.gysd.org.  or http://flexgysd.blogspot.com/

Eligibility: in order to participate in this program, alumni must

·         Be successful participants of the FLEX program;

·         Be in compliance with the two-year home residency requirement following the program;

·         Update their information in the alumni database, which may be done at any American Councils office or electronically;

GYSD Timeline:

·         Applications Available – November 1, 2014

·         Applications Due – February 15, 2015

·         Notification – March 15, 2015

·         Funds Transferred – Early April 2015

·         Reports Submitted May 31, 2015. 

The application deadline is Sunday February 15, 2015 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
For more information contact the FLEX Alumni Coordinator in your country/ region or email flexalumni@americancouncils.org. Proposals may be funded in part.  American Councils may request that applicants modify their budgets in order to accommodate partial funding.

Please note that these grants are not intended to fund purchases of computer equipment, Internet access, any salaries, and political activities working for or against any specific candidates.

Global Youth Service Day Matching Grant Application is available at: ais.americancouncils.org/flexalumni

Education for Orphans

Nazerke Zarlykhanova ’12( Alatau, Kazakhstan)

Event Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan

$ 500 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 550 cost share from partners

As part of GYSD celebration FLEX alumna Nazerke Zarilkhanova '12 partnered with 7 volunteers from Youth Parliament of Kazakhstan to create a training program for orphans in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Volunteers recruited 20 orphans from 8 state orphanages, who are planning to pass the national exams. Organizers conducted trainings and inspired students to study better for their careers. Students from the orphanages were trained in following subjects: Mathematics, Russian Language, Kazakh Language, English Language, History of Kazakhstan, Geography, Biology and Physics. Students were provided with special preparatory books and tests. The team is planning to continue the project until June.

We would like to thank administration of the orphanage #2, and all the volunteers for their contribution.

Safe Roads

Natia Sharikadze ’08 (Borjomi, Georgia)

Event Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

$494 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$691 cost share from partners

With pedestrian related traffic accidents on a rise throughout the world, FLEX alumna Natia Sharikadze ’08 teamed up with nearly 100 volunteers to spread the word about road safely for GYSD 2014.  The Safe Roads aimed to spread awareness about rights of pedestrians and drivers by reminding drivers of the need to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, known locally as “zebra crossings” and reiterate to pedestrians the need to cross the street only on appropriate and marked crossings.  

The two-day event began on April 12 with a training for 42 people about traffic laws and safety by representatives of three partner organizations.  The following day,  93 volunteers including 15 FLEX alumni split into teams to share their message with the community.  Volunteers visited over 60 crosswalks on 40 city streets, crossing in large groups at official regulated crossings holding a zebra-stripped banner saying “On the zebra, stop for pedestrians” and handing out information flyers to the drivers and pedestrians. On Rustaveli Avenue, central street in Tbilisi, volunteers promoted the anti-jaywalking campaign among children by creating chalk pictures on the sidewalks and handing out funny poems about jaywalking.  

American Councils for International Education, The International Spark Program, Children of Georgia, University of Georgia, and the Georgian Alliance for Safe Roads participated in making this event a success.  Pictures from the event can be found here.

Garden for Everybody

Denys Andrushchenko ’12 (Cherkasy, Ukraine)

Event Location: Klaipeda, Lithuania

$486 FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 1250 cost share from LCC International University

The Garden for Everybody project was initiated by FLEX alumus Denys Andrushchenko ‘12 as part of GYSD 2014 celebration in Klaipeda, Lithuania, where Denys is currently enrolled at the LCC International University.  The alumnus’s goal was to create a sustainable garden at the university and promote local gardening among students. On April 11, the 24 student and local community volunteers constructed the garden boxes near the university dormitories, filtering the dirt from rocks, building big wooden boxes, filling the boxes with soil, and fencing in the area to protect against animals.  

The project also included an information campaign for the university students to teach them about recycling options and facilities and how to compost.  The composting facilities on campus will be used to fertilize the gardens.  Students and faculty on campus became more aware of efficient use of resources and healthy lifestyle. A time capsule with inspirational wishes for future generations was hidden by volunteers under the ground in the garden.

You can read more about the project here

Health is My Wealth

Nurgul Irisova ’13 (Kadamjai, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Kadamjai, Kyrgyzstan

$ 159 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 160 cost share from partners

Summary: Nurgul Irisova ‘13 celebrated GYSD event in her hometown with the project My Health is My Wealth. The goal of the project was to raise awareness about health, education, and volunteering. On April 10-12, the alumna involved 70 participants from local secondary school #17 in presentation about the importance of health, hygiene, and a healthy lifestyle.  Additionally, participants took part in discussions on volunteering and community participation.  

The participants of the project volunteered to create a Facebook group, which they called “Active Youth of Kadamjai,” and proposed organizing regular volunteer activities.  Following the spring rains, the newly motivated volunteers plan to hold a town clean-up event.  

Think of Your Health When You Are Young

Zhamilia Klycheva ’13 (Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan

$160 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 260 cost share from partners

With the goal of spreading awareness about nutritious and healthy lifestyle, recently returned FLEX alumna, Zamilia Klycheva ‘13 organized the project “Think of Your Health When You Are Young” in Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan. With the help of two other FLEX alumnae, Zhamilia organized the project from April 11-12, involving over 2000 local community members.

The first part of the event took place on April 11 with presentations about healthy nutrition, genetically modified organism, and the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. Eight and ninth grade students from six public schools attended the presentations and cooking classes to learn how to follow a healthy lifestyle.  

The second part of the event involved volunteers from ten local public schools and three colleges to clean-up three lake territories in the town. After the clean-up participants  gathered on the main square, where each school was given certificate of appreciation and encyclopedia for their library.  Representatives from the local city hall  and local media attended and covered the event. On the same day, Zhamilia organized interesting sport activities for 5-6th grade students from local public schools to promote outdoor activities and exercise among youth.  

The official partner organization for the project, the Kumtor Gold Company, distributed sport equipment for all the public schools.  Project organizers would like to thank the project partners for their efforts and contributions.