Teams of Gifted Young People

16.04.2010

A youths’ social action dubbed “We are a Team”, one of the wide-scale projects by Kelajak Ovozi center, continues its marathon throughout Uzbekistan held within the Year of Comprehensively Advanced Generation in cooperation with Fund Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan and Mehr Nuri Foundation.

The action is held for the fourth time. This year’s program is especially eventful including business trainings combined with enrolling new participants to a school of young entrepreneur, trainings on organization of language clubs, job fairs with the participation of university and college graduates, employers, presentation of the Kelajak Ovozi 2010 contest, Youth Forum with the participation of all organizers and partners. During the visits Mehr Nuri Fund will also organize charitable actions.

We are a Team action calls for active lifestyles, and is focused on revealing talents, raising intellectual level and creative aspirations. Like in the past years, over 100,000 active boys and girls in all regions of the country took part in the action.

Children have been traveling around the country since late March. Moving from one region to another, crossing towns and settlements, they find new friends and like-minded people in each region and with that they expand the circle of active, enterprising and talented youths. We have been keeping in contact with them all the time. In the course of preparation of this article we arranged a kind of a conference with young people, having attracted several activists at a time. Interrupting each other, they told about their adventures, wonderful mood and impatiently shared their unforgettable impressions.

Children have already visited Bukhoro, Qarshi, Termiz and Samarqand where they participated in various events focused on raising the intellectual level and creative potential among the youths and informing about the opportunities for their further creative growth. Job fairs proved especially successful.

“I’m a third year student of the college specializing in international business,” Aziza Khaydarova introduced herself. “I came to this fair to realize my dream of working in a bank. With this purpose I headed straight to the stand of the Youth Employment Assistance Center where I was offered to fill in the application form.

More than four thousand young people took part in the job fair in Qashqadaryo. 274 enterprises and organizations offered 5,100 vacancies during the fair. Thus, 265 boys and girls were provided with permanent job. About three thousand young people concluded labor agreements on employment after graduation. Besides, 30 people were attracted to learning crafts on the mentor – pupil system.

“I graduated from the medical college last year and I’d like to work on my specialty,” said Jamila Usmonova from Shakhrisabz. “Having participated in this job fair I got the opportunity of being employed in our municipal hospital.”

The job fair in Surkhondaryo region was successful as well. Farrukh Sharipov, one of the activists of the Information Technologies direction expressed his opinion on the fair:

“I think the job fair is one of important events for youth since every young person has a right to choice, acquiring the job he or she would do with pleasure and enjoy. This would help them achieve some success.

The employers, representatives of various enterprises and organizations – characterized this event as an integral part of the social life that favors the development of a certain region and the republic in the whole. The successful employment enables enterprises to accelerate the process of activity expansion and acquire qualified personnel. The Youth Employment Assistance Center inspired them with hopes for cooperation in the course of the event.

The Youth Forum Kelajak Ovozi is another big event of the project. It unites representatives of governmental and public organizations, partners, donors, talented youth – holders of the Fund Forum grants and scholarships, and proactive boys and girls. The Forum highlights the cooperation of the Kelajak Ovozi Center in the sphere of implementation of youth projects, support and encouragement of the talented youth. Business seminars headed by professional trainers and counseling on the arrangement of language clubs are held within the action.

Another job fair was held in Samarqand. Nearly 350 enterprises and organizations from all cities and districts offered more than twelve thousand vacancies. Over a thousand people have received referral letters, and more than 4,500 young people got advice and guidance on learning and skills development.

One of the biggest events in the project is a youth forum held in Samarqand regional youth center. Its participants included representatives of governmental and social organizations, partners and sponsors, talented young people, holders of Fund Forum grants and scholarships, who find a worthy place in society owing to their excellent knowledge and skills.

In the competition for the Best Business Plan and seminars organized in the framework of the action, youth presented their projects in this area and has received expert advice.

The day went on with a media forum organized by Samarqand-STV. Young journalists and students exchanged views on the coverage of young people in the media. It was noted that the prevention of various alien ideas and views on thoughts and consciousness of young people, as well as active participation of young journalists in this process is now a topical issue. Participants got familiarized with the Youth Studio as well as a Kelajak Press center of the regional Kelajak Ovozi office.

The action We are a Team continues. The projected route includes meetings with youths in Namangan, Andijon and Farg’ona. The tour will finish on 24 April.