Name of organization:
Institute for Youth Development
Description of organization:
The Institute for Youth Development was established in 2014 and is now one of the leading organizations in Kyrgyzstan to work with young people and promote the development of youth policy. The Institute fosters opportunities for young people to participate in the sustainable development of the country. Coordination also occurs with municipal authorities, top-level governmental agencies, and international organizations to include young people and their needs in the development of youth policy with all stakeholders.
Context:
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan faced the deterioration of their education system, and the lack of a strong institutional system to shape the identity of young people. In this context, youth became vulnerable to a range of extremist ideas, involving religion, politics and ethno-nationalism. Although progress has been made since the 2010 interethnic conflict in South Kyrgyzstan, tensions still exist particularly between the Kyrgyz and Uzbek populations. This is especially an issue in the rural areas where two-thirds of the youth population resides. The rural areas additionally face greater socio-economic challenges, which often results in blame being placed on ‘the other’. A National Youth Policy has been developed to integrate and address the needs and priorities of young women and young men, but it remains at a conceptual level and requires implementation.
Proposed project and expected results:
Institute for Youth Development proposes to address these issues through implementing “The Lives of Others” project. A nationwide peace summer camp “Jash Bulak” with at least 200 young people from rural areas of Kyrgyzstan will produce local Seeds of Peace, who are supported to develop projects in their communities to effectively counter interethnic tensions. A youth exchange between 20 host families will then occur, incorporating elements of intergenerational dialogue and partnerships when overcoming stereotypes of other religions and ethnic groups. All peacebuilding processes are made visible via an internet platform called “The Lives of Others” with documentaries, films, project reports. Project activities will conclude with a National Youth Week event in Bishkek.
By the end of the project, the Institute for Youth Development expects to:
- Sensitize 200 young people during a summer camp on issues related to peacebuilding and the transformation of interethnic conflicts in the rural regions, then identify and support 30 local Seeds of Peace who will implement projects in their communities.
- Conduct a youth exchange between 20 host families, incorporating elements of intergenerational dialogue and partnerships when overcoming stereotypes of other religions and ethnic groups.
- Create an online platform called “The Lives of Others” which will document all peacebuilding processes of participants, through videos, photos and reports.
- Organize “The Lives of Others” event during National Youth Week with more than 1000 attendees.
Project coordinator: Tilebaldy uulu Eliizar
Contact information: office@dr.kg
Website: facebook.com/YouthDevelopmentKG/