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

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.

Start Locally - Change Globally

“Start Locally - Change Globally”

Sanira-Begim Mamatova ’13 (Osh, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Osh, Kyrgyzstan

$ 184 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 249 cost share from partners

The GYSD project “Start Locally - Change Globally” was initiated by FLEX alumna Sanira-Begim Mamatova ‘13. The goal of the project was to spread the volunteering spirit among youth of Osh, Kyrgyzstan.

Sanira-Begin with the help of three other FLEX alumni  held a training for 15 students on “Start Locally – Change Globally” among school students from 9, 10, 11 grades. On April 12th, the alumna organized a training covering the topics of volunteering, becoming a global citizen, education, leadership, and  Global Youth Service Day. The following day, volunteers put theory into practice, by taking part in a volunteer event to teach kids how to make quilling postcards at a local orphanage and teaming up with community members to clean up a local park.

We would like to thank project partners: Osh American Corner, American University of Central Asia, Youth of Osh, and “Apteka 5+”.

Practice CACTUS 2014

Anna Solohor ’12 (Cherkasy, Ukraine)

Event Locations: Kharkiv and Bila Tserkva, Ukraine

$ 422 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$ 3538 cost share from partners

Anna Solohor ‘12, held a Community ACTion Ukrainian Style (CACTUS) Practice project for GYSD 2014.  CACTUS is a time-honored project with the goal of teaching Ukrainian youth the fundamentals of volunteerism, civic activism, and community service on the local level, culminating in the development of participants' own community service projects.

Anna’s project was was in Kharkiv and Bila Tserkva, Ukraine and included 78 participants and 24 volunteer leaders and trainers.  Practice CACTUS projects also took place in two other locations in Ukraine, involving 70 Ukrainian youth.  The project met a milestone with this GYSD project  because it was led fully by Ukrainian volunteers!

Project organizers would like to thank CACTUS organizers and local public schools for their efforts and contribution.

Ties of Generations

Ignatiy Kim ’10 (Osh, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

$446 in FLEX Alumni GYSD Grant Funding

$530 cost share from partners

FLEX alumnus Ignatiy Kim ‘10 brought together orphans and elderly people with his project “Ties of Generations”. Four FLEX alumni worked with young children to increase their awareness of how they can make a difference in the lives of elderly people in the community and organize events to support them. The first step of the project was to organize training events for the children at the Svetliy Put and Uchkun Orphanages. on April 6, alumni and Unity Fund members held interactive presentations for the children to help them to think outside of box in regard to the older generation, understand their stories, and show respect to them.  

Next the volunteers held a craft training with the 30 children involved in the project to make postcards and crafts.  The 350 cards and crafts that were made, were then sold for over $250.   
On April 27, the children and volunteers went to the Serofimovskiy Nursing Home to meet the elderly people that they helped!  Participants brought food and personal hygiene items, which were bought with the money fundraised by the craft items.  The volunteers and children spent part of the day with the elderly people, socializing and making their day brighter!  
Program organizer would like to thank the partner organizations for such a meaningful event.

Friends of Help and Travel CRIMEA clean up

Evelina Ibrayimova’11 (Yalta, Ukraine)

After the clean up of Alupka Park

Event Location: Alupka

FLEX GYSD Grant Funding: 103$

Cost Share: 404$

Summary: FLEX alumna Evelina Ibrayimova ’11 organized a project dedicated to environment protection, volunteering, and community service. The first part of the project was a clean up of Alupka city park in Crimea where, volunteers collected 20 bags of trash. After the clean up, volunteers had discussion about the importance of volunteering and everyone shared their experiences and volunteering ideas. Later the team of volunteers visited the Vorontsov Palace, a masterpiece of Crimean architecture. The palace administration organized an interesting lecture about characteristics and history of the Voronstov Palace and showed it to the team from the inside.

Volunteers at Vorontsov Palace, Alupka, Ukraine

The project involved 25 volunteers including five FLEX Alumni. Volunteers not only contributed to the cleaner environment, but also expanded their knowledge of Crimean history and culture. As Evelina says: “By combining hard work, friendly discussion and cultural activity we demonstrated that being responsible for our land can be fun!”

Better Conditions for Future Artists

Project Leader: Elizabet Mamikonyan ’13 (Yerevan, Armenia)

Event Location: Dilijan, Armenia

FLEX GYSD Grant Funding: 500$

Cost Share: 675$

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.

Another Step to Communication and Knowledge

Another Step to Communication and Knowledge

Aizhan Orozbakieva ’12 (Karakol, Kyrgyzstan)

Event Location: Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

FLEX GYSD Grant Funding: 160$

Cost Share: 90$

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.

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!

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!