Support for these projects was provided in part by the FLEX Global Youth Service Day Grants Initiative, which is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State (ECA) and administered by the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS.
Summary: FLEX alumna Elizabet Mamikonyan ’13 organized a GYSD event to support the Dilijan Art School. The event took place on April 12 with the help of famous Armenian artist Aram Mehrabyan, who taught approximately 30 art school students about modern art history. The project was organized by 15 volunteers, including 8 FLEX alumni.
As part of the project Elizabet bought supplies for the Dilijan Art School with GYSD grant money. Because of a lack of financial resources, the art school cannot provide necessary materials for the students. Volunteers also donated books collected during a book drive, which was organized earlier.
As part of the project, the Tsirani Cultural Hub bought web hosting and a domain for the art school to create its own website. The Dilijan Art School website should be ready very soon, displaying all the great work done by its students. The website will serve as a sustainable source of income, allowing the school to sell artwork, to provide funding for new materials for the students.
The organizers are planning to continue their project in other regions of Armenia.
Karakol, Kyrgyzstan - Aizhan Orozbakieva '12 presenting
FLEX Alumna Aizhan Orozbakieva ’12 organized an event to raise computer and social media literacy among orphans from Karakol. Aizhan spoke about modern technologies, internet innovations, useful websites and search engines such as Google, Bing and Yandex. The alumna also presented the FLEX program and the Global Youth Service Day to an audience of eight students from a local orphanage. During the presentation, invited speakers Sergei Trifemecey and Anastasiya Stycenko showed the audience how to create an email account and sign up for Facebook. The speakers also covered Google products, such as Gmail, Google Drive and Google Maps. Students were then asked to employ their newly-acquired internet searching skills to collect and present information about the dangers of smoking, alcohol, drugs and general infomration about Global Youth Service Day.
Karakol, Kyrgyzstan - team working on their research
After the event, participants were given books about different topics for their orphanage library. The event took place on April 12, at the American Corner in Karakol.
We are thankful to youth volunteer organization Leadership and the American Corner in Karakol for making this event possible.
вторник, 1 апреля 2014 г.
Random act of kindness!
Remember I have told you that projects without big outside funding can be great, exciting and have a big impact on someone's life? Also, they are not hard to prepare and do not require a lot of time! Here is a proof!
On March, 8, - International women's day - Moscow FLEX alumni and other students randomly decided to give out flowers to local women on the street. It is a very simple gesture, but it can make anyone happy for the rest of the day or even longer! Especially elderly people, who are not getting a lot of attention even on holidays and feel so lonely. I do not think that you need any more words to describe the project, just look at the pictures yourself and see the joy and happiness on people's faces!
воскресенье, 30 марта 2014 г.
GYSD 2014 and Dolphin watch project by Svitlana Buko
Hi everyone!
We had quite a busy month with FLEX GYSD matching grants, and that is why it's been a long time since I've shared something about GYSD 2014 with you. Right now I am very excited to announce that this year we have 16 FLEX GYSD matching grant winners from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine! Kyrgyzstan is leading in the number of granted projects this year again - FLEX alumni over there are doing 6 projects. Way to go, guys!
The projects they are working on are amazing and very exciting! Starting from today I will tell you more about them and will keep you updated on how the projects are going.
Today I want to share with you the project from Svitlana Buko, FLEX'96 alumna from Ukraine. It's already her second GYSD project (you can read about her last year's amazing beach clean-up in Sevastopol here and here). This year she is organizing "Dolphin Watch and Eco Kayaking" project. Here is what she says about it:
"Project aims to change perceptions of people who live on the coast of the Black sea, improve their understanding of Nature, share unique aspects of local life by meeting Dolphins. The key goal of the project is to help NGOs, Educational institutions, Research Institutions focus on Black Sea research, Sea Sport Associations and businesses to get together, share experiences, promote eco awareness, build appreciation of living on the coast and caring about the coast via Dolphin watch, clean beaches and contribute to better, cleaner, more aware of coastal ecology Crimea.
Last year before beach clean up with GYSD2013 grant Clean Beach my lead team and I made an assessment trip to the beach, checked out location after winter and estimated trash.
This year the project is even more complex and detailed preparation is essential. Volunteers will be taken for a practical coastal assessment trip to Inshir national reserve. This area is abundant with flora, fauna and rich cultural history. I plan to divide the team into 3 parts: 1 kayak group, 1 boat group and 1 hiker group. All members will have opportunities to witness Black sea dolphins, will do beach cleanup and will take part in 3 beach workshops on ecotourism, marine debris impact on the nature and dolphin watch.
Assessment trip (hike) to the beach was conducted by the lead team of the project 3 weeks before the start of the project. We checked the beach terrain in order to evaluate trash volumes, estimate time and complexity of the hike. Onsite evaluation of the landscape also helped prepare for plan B (in case of unpredictable weather conditions such as wind, storm, rain)."
The project has only begun, but it does sound so amazing! Thank you, Svitlana for an amazing update and all the hard work that you are doing! We are really looking forward for GYSD weekend to hear more about your project! Also, check out the video about Svitlana's last year project:
If any of you (not even FLEX GYSD matching grant winners!!!) want to share any updates about your project or you want to announce your project so everyone could see it, please, email me, and I would love to do a post about it!
пятница, 28 февраля 2014 г.
GYSD is just about the corner!
Hi guys!
Even though the deadline for FLEX GYSD Matching Grant is over, there is still an opportunity to take part in this amazing event. Just come up with a volunteering project (it can be something simple and not required any additional funding) and register it on the GYSD map. Hurry up, because the deadline is on March, 17th! Today I want to share some projects from last year's GYSD participants - hopefully it will help you and give you some inspiration! Looking through those projects, I've noticed that a big part of them was about the environment around us. Our alumni all-over Eurasia have turned boring (as you might remember from school) "subbotniks" into something fun, educational and exciting! Let me tell you more about some of them!
"I've got the spirit" project by Natia Sharikadze in Tbilisi, Georgia
Natia has been participating in GYSD for 4 years now. As we are very excited about her project this year, her last year's project was a great example of how clean-up can become very informative and fun! The clean up took place in one of the most historic and ancient places in Georgia - Aragvis Kari (Aragvi’s Gate) in the city of Mtskheta . Before the clean-up, volunteers had a chance to listen a training/lecture about Georgian Cultural Heritage Preservations. Invited speaker from The Agency Ketevan Digmelashvili spoke to the audience. Later the students had discussion with Natia Sharikadze about the concept of volunteering and what it means to people. One of the goals that Natia is trying to achieve by doing this project is to tell the youth about how important volunteering for the world is. That's what she says about her project: "We are willing to lead the young generation towards volunteerism with our event. We hope, that after GYSD event, students will be more involved in community service and realize how important it is to contribute to the society."
You can read more about Natia's project in our previous entries (part 1 and part 2).
Beach clean-up by Svitlana Buko in Sevastopol, Ukraine
One of the thnigs that all FLEXers have in common is the amazing volunteering experience that have been gained during thier exchange year. Svitlana Buko'96 had a great time volunteering in "Save our Shores" organization in California during her exchange. The main goal of the organization was to educate locals on man-made debris and motivate locals to clean the beaches systematically. This type of clean-ups are not very common in Eastern Europe, but Svitlana had made an amazing attempt and organized Costal clean-up in Fiolent National Park beaches. The Beach clean-up was a huge success and brought together 55 volunteers and gained public attention through social media and local government. The great turn out of locals and more than 300 bags of collected trash shows that people do care about the future of their community. This year Svitlana is participating in GYSD again! We are relly looking forward to her new project, but meanwhile you can read more about Beach clean-up 2013 here and here.
Other clean-ups around Eurasia! :)
Clean-ups were organized everywhere across Eurasia. Not all of them were FLEX GYSD Matching Grant participants, but FLEX alumni and other volunteers also had a lot of fun while participating. A great example is a clean-up in St. Petersburg. North-West Russia FLEX alumni have organized a clean-up in the Petrovskiy Park and had a picnic afterwards. The great part about this event was that some people who were relaxing in the park have decided to join and help during the clean-up!
That's all for now! This year we have recieved 24 FLEX GYSD Matching Grant applications. Therefore, there will be a lot of amazing stories coming up in the next couple of months. Keep up with the blog by subscribing to it. Also, what do you think will be a great GYSD project idea that doesn't require big outside funding? Please,share your ideas by leaving a comment in this post or don't hesitate and email me at gysd@americancouncils.ru. I am waiting for your ideas and will be very happy to help with your projects!
Have a great weekend and good luck with your projects :)
пятница, 7 февраля 2014 г.
Youth power in action!
The deadline for FLEX Matching Grant application is just about the corner, therefore I am going to share the information about some amazing celebration events and ideas for GYSD! National Green Week National Green Week 2014 kicked off February 3, and you can choose any week until April 25, 2014 to be your Green Week! It is an annual event that empowers schools to engage in sustainability focused lessons, projects or activities. Participate for the whole week, a day, or just one lesson, reading or activity. Schools and groups are encouraged to take this opportunity to spend time with students discussing sustainability topics and exploring ways they can make a difference. Find out more here! Random Acts of Kindness week
International Random Acs of Kindness week is starting this next Monday, Febrary 10th, and will last until the end of the week. Take this time to step out of your normal routine or comfort zone and attempt a new random act of kindness each day of the celebratory week. Post and share your stories, photos, videos and ideas on social media channels using #RAKweek.
Here are some simple ideas that will make someone's life better!
This events are fun and easy to do! Share these ideas with your friends and family, and help to make the world a better place :) Also, send me updates or pictures or any other information if you decide to take part in it, and I will post them in the blog!
And, the last, but not least - do not forget to participate in Global Youth Service Day! If you haven't started your project yet or need some insparation and ideas, visit GYSD web-site and follow three simple steps:
Make your project count by registering on the GYSD Map. You'll be eligible for the latest news, info, and tips, plus you can use the Map to recruit others to join your project.
I hope February is going great for everyone so far, and you are keeping yourselves busy by preparing new GYSD projects :) Keep up with this blog, and soon I will tell you about last year's most outstanding and inspirational projects! Let's make the World a better place together!
среда, 29 января 2014 г.
New Global Youth Service Day season!
Hello everyone!
My name is Liya Khalikova, and I will be your new Global Youth Service Day assistant this year! Elina Mukhametdinova has done an amazing job with this blog last year, and from now on I will continue working on it.
At first, I want shortly
introduce myself. I was born in Kazan, and currently I am studying political
science at Higher School of Economics in Moscow. I am a Future Leaders Exchange alumna of 2010, and I
have spent my year in a very small, but friendly and very sharing community in
the town called Leland, MI. I did a lot of
community work and took part in different projects, and I loved the idea and
feeling of it. That is why I have continued doing it after coming back home,
and now I am working as this year’s new assistant and will help you throughout
your projects! Also, I love photography and traveling, and I would love to come
and take some pictures during your projects if it is not that far from Moscow
region :)
For those who are reading this blog for the first time, I would like you to briefly describe the main objectives and goals of the Global
Youth Service Day. It is the largest service event in the World, which is going to be held on April, 11-13, 2014. GYSD encourages young people all
around the World to improve their communities and feel the joy of volunteering! It grows every year, and last year it had record-breaking 135 participating countries and 5434 projects registered! Our goal is to involve as many people as possible into this amazing event, so don't be shy and take part in it :)
Also, there is an amazing opportunities to apply for grants and fund your project! It can be either one of the GYSD sponsor's grants or FLEX GYSD Matching Grant and recieve up to $500 to support your ideas. Basically, the idea of the matching grant is that you find a sponsor who will provide you with needed money for the project or some equipment (for example, cleaning bags and gloves for the clean-up), and the matching grant will award you with the equal amount of money. In order to apply for FLEX GYSD Matching Grant, you have to be FLEX alumni (or team up with one of the alumni :) and register at American Councils web-site, go to FLEX 2014 Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) FLEX Alumni Matching Grants Initiative Application and fill it out! Keep in mind that the deadline for the application is February 17, so you have only less than a month left!
I hope you are exited for the upcoming Global Youth Service Day as much as I am! Don't miss a chance to make the world a better place for everyone :) For some insparation, read more about last year's winning projects in our past blog entries and check out GYSD's web-site. Also, keep up with this blog and see how amazing projects transform communities all over Eurasia!
Leave comments or send me an email at GYSD@americancouncils.ru, and I will be more than happy to help you!
Project Leader: Elizabet Mamikonyan ’13 (Yerevan, Armenia)
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