"AIDS in my eyes"

Retrospective 3. May again.

For two days I had a wonderful opportunity to visit the town of Homel. The final event of the project "AIDS in my eyes" - a round table, gathering representatives of closed educational facilities of Homel region - was to be held there. The project was implemented by Fialta's partner organization "New Faces". The fialtians in this project were trainers in HIV/AIDS.

What was my job? Well someone has to play with the kids while grownups discuss the project...

Homel turned out to be a very green and open city:

Homel - Landmarks

Homel - Streets

The event itself consisted of an exposition with drawings on the HIV/AIDS topic:



And the round table itself:


So basically the trainings were done, kids educated, and further partnership discussed.
I got to see Homel and meet a local rock-band "Wind".

Youthwork Realities in Belarus

Retrospective, episode 1. Remembering May...

As you know, my trip home didn't do my studies any good. I wasn't reinstated and I didn't finish the thesis. But on my return I was awaited by something, to my mind, grand. A study visit to Belarus from EU in the framework of "Youth in Action" program.

To my knowledge this event - "Youthwork realities in Belarus" - was in preparation for a long time. Reaching agreements with SALTO and local authorities... But it really happened - youth workers from EU, representatives of european NGOs, EU governmental structures and structures of "Youth in Action" for 5 days could enjoy to the fullest that, which I see every day.

This event gathered participants from Poland, Belgium, France, Lithuania, Denmark, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Great Britain... It was pretty much all of EU.

5.05.09
Day 1

The program was pretty intense. The first day was dedicated to arrivals, hotel check-ins and getting to know each other


6.05.09
Day 2

The second day started with a visit to Department of Youth Affairs. To my mind, the view of 30 foreigners going up the square by the House of Officers is already a magnificent sight.


At the round table with synchronized translation participants had the opportunity to hear the department's representatives and ask questions.


Second part of the day was devoted to meetings with NGOs of Minsk, who also could present their activities and answer questions.


The evening was an intercultural dinner, open to guests from different organizations, where participants and social activists of Minsk could socialize in non-formal atmosphere.

7.05.09
Day 3

The next day delegations set out to visit Hospice, SOS-kinderdorf and other organizations active in work with children and youth.


8.05.09
Day 4

Was a trip to Hrodno, meeting with local activists and relaxation with non-formal communication.


9.05.09
Day 5

Summing up.


CDs with photos.


Free day and a dinner together.


And going home.

From my side I can say this was an out of the ordinary event, which gave a real opportunity for NGO-workers from Belarus and EU to communicate and get to know at least something about each other. Whether it will bear fruit only time will tell, but I'm glad I could be a part of this.

New season

So I've spent the whole summer busy with events and all of September getting my photos recycled. In a short while I'll catch up on the informational part. So coming soon...

• Study visit of EU youth workers to Belarus
  
• Outdoor camp with people with disabilities
  
• Guides' camp on the Braslav lakes
  
• Summer university of UNESCO clubs

...and much more.

Meanwhile have a look at the updated photo album.

School of educators

I spent the weekend in Hrodna at a training for leaders of educational circles, organized by the Organization of Civil Education.

They have an idea to integrate an interesting form of non-formal education for adults - educational circles. This form was borrowed from Sweden, where these circles are popular. The idea is to research a certain theme over a number of meetings (5-15 about 3 hours each) in a direction the group is interested in. The group is up to 12 participants, from which everyone is making an input to the learning process. And all this based on the principles of non-formal education.

The training was the first part of a large project. It was just to investigate the concept of the circle. Next we'll have a thematic seminar (6 different themes in different cities across Belarus) and a methodological, after which we'll be able to organize our own learning circle.



I can't really say how effective this form is in this concrete context. Guess time will tell.

A word on the photos

Before my departure from Latvia my dad gave me his camera. Which came kind of handy - I stuck to a schedule of 3 photos a day for a month. And I don't think I'm still behind it.
My photos, after some tweaking and editing, make it to the internet. I use Picasa Web Albums as a host and divide my photos in a few main albums, which I update on a regular basis.
Captions mainly in russian, sorry (untranslatable play on words, some realities, which I can't find a synonym to and so on).
Here they are:

Belarus - Impressions

My impressions collected all over Belarus. Things which mean something to me personally (and often only to me personally).

Belrad

From my apartment in Belrad - an institute of radiation protection.

Peculiar

Things I find funny, peculiar or just plain interesting for the major public.

Minsk - Streets

More usual things I see in the streets.

Minsk - Landmarks

Photos of famous sites, monuments or other objects of historical or cultural value.

Fialta

Photos connected with my hosting organization Fialta.

Belarus - Travel

Photos from my travels in Belarus. Yet to come. ;)

Occasionally I make albums dedicated to a single event, like Zubrenok or Minsk Boulderfest, which are available in my public photos.

A visit to "Zubrenok"

On Sunday I didn't pass an opportunity to visit the most popular children camp in Belarus - "Zubrenok".
Camp administration invited different youth organizations to do small master-classes, present themselves and discuss further partnership.



The camp is situated on the bank of Naroch, the biggest lake in Belarus. Whole year through the camp takes in children of different ages for health and vacation programs.

They say the camp wasn't very good till some time ago, but improved much during last few years it was thoroughly renovated. Looks very appealing, 4 beds in a room, computer classes and stuff.

The atmosphere is very "campish". When entering a room children greet you on count of 3-4 with a loud "Good day!" all together.
Children are all smart and intelligent (the stay at camp is not a cheap one, 990 000 belarussian rubles for a summer session). The timetable is quite full, there's a lot of different activities, which makes children want a rest back home after such a surge of information and impressions. The camp serviced 13 600 children in 2008 or 167160 children-days.

We made a few simple getting-to-know and team-building exercises with the children, made a small reflection, as much as it was possible, and went on to the round table to meet the administration.
There were representatives of big youth organizations - pioneers, union of youth, the scouts, the guides, Association of UNESCO clubs, League of Youth Voluntary Service, Fialta (our organization) and others.
Mainly we discussed partnership possibilities with the camp, organization of some activities, inviting of volunteers and such.

After the round table we had an opportunity to present our organizations to the wide camp audience. Children were listening and asking questions, which is peculiar. I wouldn't sit through half the presentations in their age.

And that was the end of our visit, which overall left strong impressions.
Children walking in pairs with camp leaders, waking up and doing things strictly on schedule, greeting guests with a common yell, discipline, solitude...
Well yeah, "Land of Childhood", why not?

Qualification

I spent the most of today at a training course, learning how to improve quality of projects, supported by the CCF (Christian Children's Fund, as I understand one of a few foundations represented to Belarus).



I've had experience with "Youth in Action" as a project coordinator and this is a completely different experience for me. More strict, more to the lines and more... Sysytematic, I guess. They don't think about European dimensions, but they go for what Services which Clients receive, they have Indicators of reaching objectives which have Numbers. Which must have Numbers - the only way you can measure and monitor is through numbers...

I was sitting there like a happy piglet with a bag of balloons - at last something systematic! Someone really analyzes numbers and finds calculable criteria! It's exactly what my built-for-maths-and-systems brain can handle and work with!

But... Giving it some thought, there is something missing there. Exactly what was missing in the IT sphere - attitudes or values. Something that you can't measure, but really miss when it's not there.

When I write to YiA I talk about how I work, my approach and understanding.
When I write to CCF I talk about what I'll do and when, what results I'll have.
That's the difference I see right now.