WinNers of Women's Day Photo Contest

Winners of Women’s Day Photo Essay Contest: 1st prize, 2nd prize, 3st prize

Conflicts in our daily lives

During the February partnership activity GCE students learned about different types, and some of the top conflicts faced by teenagers around the world. Through research and interviews among fellow classmates, students analyzed the impact conflict has on young people, what are some sources of conflict, and what are positive ways of addressing conflict. Students created publications based on the results of polls taken, and expressed their thoughts about conflicts in the daily lives of young people.

Conflict in our Daily Lives Conflicts shared by teenagers around the world.

Health - Tajikistan and beyond

From February through March, students will address major health challenges in Tajikistan and throughout the world. By participating in this activity students are learning and teaching others about different health issues confronting their communities and the world. Based on the presentations created by GCE students, this week on our forum participants will select one health issue which they will explore further by conducting research online, discussing with experts, and conducting interviews. Check back soon as we will be updating frequently as students tackle some of today’s biggest health issues!

Health - Tajikistan and Beyond. Find out more about today’s biggest health issues.

Youth in action

In January GCE students continued their program activity with another interesting project that allowed them to show the role of youth in their own and world’s society. Students learnt lots of new things about themselves and other younger community members by conducting interviews and doing research. Being engaged in discussions students could realize the impact of youth in constructing the environment that exists today. As a result of this activity students created publications showcasing the role of youth in society today.

Here - you can find information about role of youth in society by eyes of GCE students.

Foreign Fashion

GCEP students of Tajikistan and the U.S. learned about the values and cultures of their partner country through the Foreign Fashion activity. This project allowed students to prepare interesting presentations about the clothes they wear at school, and explore their partner country through the clothing worn by their foreign peers. In other words, students found out what teenagers on the other side of the world wear.
A new U.S. partner school – Oshkosh West High School in Appleton joined GCEP in this activity. We want to welcome Oshkosh West High School to our program and our wish for a strong partnership!!!

Foreign Fashion - Click here to find out what teenagers on the other side of the world wear.

Global Recipe Book

In January GCE students continued their program activity with another interesting project that allowed them to show the role of youth in their own and world’s society. Students learnt lots of new things about themselves and other younger community members by conducting interviews and doing research. Being engaged in discussions students could realize the impact of youth in constructing the environment that exists today. As a result of this activity students created publications showcasing the role of youth in society today.

GCEP chefs - Learn and prepare national foods with us! Click here to find our recipes.

Getting to know you

This is the first partnership activity between the U.S. and Tajikistan students of GCEP. To start the collaboration first students introduce themselves, their project group and school. They also tell about their country, its culture, history and environment. Click the following link to see PowerPoint presentations prepared by students.

Click here to see presentations by GCEP students.

Best posters about International Educational Week prepared by GCEP students from Khujand, Isfara and Kayrakkum.

Tajik girls playing American Footbag   footbag Games Games! A great activity for spring – Footbag Games was a great chance to get outside and have fun for Connectivity students. Youth in different countries around the world play footbag, a game where you kick a small ball without letting it touch the ground. Through footbag we can connect with the ancient cultures of China and with modern-day Americans and Tajikistanis. Many young people like to play footbag or hacky sack (US), lyanga or chika (Tajikistan), takraw in Thailand, jegi in Korea, and temari/kemari in Japan. With almost the same concept and rules, but with different design, this game to some degree reflects how every culture is special and by creating and playing footbags our students dipped into the different cultures and saw its values. Please, click here to see our photos! By clicking on the links below, please download Connectivity Schools Presentations Footbag Games Presentation by Academy of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, US #1 Footbag Games Presentation by Oroville High School, US #2 Footbag Games Presentation by Oroville High School, US #3 Footbag Games Presentation by Oroville High School, US Footbag Games Presentation from Lycee #1, Kulyab, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #16, Gulyakandoz, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #1, Vakhsh, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #2, Gissar, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #2, Khorog, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #1, Sarband, Tajikistan Footbag Games Presentation from School #14, Kayrakkum, Tajikistan Tajik women reading magic tale to her baby, so he grow beautiful as Majnun (Tajik interpretation of Romeo) and strong as Ilya Murometc - one of three Hercules's from Russian folk tale. traditional folk tales While participating in Folk Tales activity, students collected and studied examples of the folklore of their country. They researched, recorded, and analyzed these stories, concentrating on the morals they teach and how they support their culture's unique values and traditions. Then they compared these tales and morals to those of their partner country, discussing the similar themes, characters, adventures, and the unique social aspects they reveal, as well as the relevance of the tales and morals today.   Connectivity Students Folk Tales   Rabbit and Snake. Folk Tale from Delano High School, Delano, CA Zarrina and Bahodur. Folk Tale from School #2, Khorog, Tajikistan Tall Tales from Harbor City International School, Duluth, Minnesota Hen, Duck and Mouse Tale from School #3, Nurek,Tajikistan Maui Tale from Academy of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii Attic Tale from the School #16, Gulyakandoz, Tajikistan Frog Prince Tale from Colorado Academy, Denver, Colorado Three Brothers Tale from School #2, Gissar, Tajikistan Daniel Boone Tale from Oroville High School, Oroville, Washington Pinocchio Tale from Ukiah High School,Ukiah, Oregon Susie Chang, Program Associate at RI-SOL headquarters in LA, tries 'plov' on a recent visit to Khujand, Tajikistan Show your creativity!!! Using the Internet to research the food culture of another country in the program (Tajikistan, Bangladesh, United States, Afghanistan or Palestine), students compiled their research results into a portfolio of culture, various foods, etiquette, and traditions that impact the establishment of a restaurant in each of the cultures.  Then students created brochures for a new restaurant which caters to the food culture that they researched. The brochure should reflect the cuisine, culture and food habits of the chosen country. One brochure from each country will be chosen as the country winner and will receive a technology prize from RI-SOL for their school! Dear participants from Palestine, US and Tajikistan Connectivity Schools! Thank you for the active and creative participation in our education activity 'Foods Around the World'! All of you did a great job and prepared beautiful brochures for the competition. Based on your voting results, we want to announce our winners from each country:   Palestine -  Wedad Naser Adden Secondary Girls School, Hebron Tajikistan - School #16, Gulyakandoz US -            Delcastle Technical High School, Wilmington, Delaware   Our Congratulations! Each of these three schools will be contacted by their coordinators about the prizes.  Palestine Brochures Huda Abdul Nabi Secondary Boys School, Hebron (webpage) Alawda Secondary Girls School, Bethlehem, Alhashemya Secondary Boys School, Ramallah, Wedad Naser Adden Secondary Girls School, Hebron, Khawlah Bent Alazwar Secondary Girls School, Ramallah, Tajikistan Brochures School #2, Gissar School #32, Istaravshan School #35, Fayzabad School #3, Kanibadam School #3, Nurek School #12, Kurgan-Tyube School #40, Chorbog School #1, Vakhsh School #2, Khorog School #1, Isfara School #18, Shahrinav School #1, Sarband School #16, Gulyakandoz School #1, Rudaky School #4, Chkalovsk School #1, Kulyab School #10, Dushanbe        US Brochures Oroville High School, Oroville, Washington Delcastle Technical High School, Wilmington, Delaware Sissonville High School in West Virginia Academy of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii Littleton High School, Littleton Please, see Tajikistan Connectivity schools location on the map Click here for a larger map Improve Yourself - Improve Your Community! On Global Youth Service Day, millions of young people in countries everywhere will highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. Tajikistan Connectivity students decided to contribute their might to the Global Youth Service Day by conducting special events and activities to BUILD the capacity and ADVOCATE community, EDUCATE the public, MOBILIZE youth and adults, LEARN and share effective practices in youth service. With all these goals, Connectivity folks started their active participation with brainstorming for ideas. Below you will find each Tajikistani Connectivity school's activities, some of them they have already implemented, some of them are planned for April 15-17 This page will be updating each day until April 20th, as soon as each school will do something important and useful for their schools and communities.       School #10, Dushanbe       School #8, Dushanbe       School #2, Gissar       School #139, Vakhdat       School #1, Rudaky       School #35, Fayzabad       School #101, Tursunzade       School #18, Shahrinav       School #12, Kurgan-Tyube       School #1, Vakhsh       School #1, Sarband       School #3, Nurek       School #10, Vose       School #40, Chorbog       Lycee #1, Kulyab       School #1, Ayni       School #32, Istaravshan       School #16, Gulyakandoz       School #4, Khujand       School #14, Kayrakkum       School #4, Chkalovsk       School #3, Kanibadam       School #1, Isfara       School #2, Khorog     Migration – The World of Gästarbeiter Connectivity girls from Fayzabad create their own migration map This collaborative project gave Connectivity students a chance to learn about a very real and important issue in both Central Asia and the US - migration. The ‘Migration – The World of Gastarbeiter’ (a German word meaning “guest worker”, a foreign laborer working temporarily in an industrialized country.) lesson opened new information and ideas to Connectivity students and teachers. Using migration and immigration statistics and with the help of Internet research using National Geographic maps, students created maps where they could analyze migration areas and population statistics to determine how geography, economics, politics, and other characteristics of a region affect the lifestyles of the people who live there, and whether they stay leave. Schools Maps and Presentations Click on the school to find out results of their research Academy of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Isfara, School #1, Tajikistan, Nurek, School #3, Tajikistan Khorog, School #2, Tajikistan Shahrinav, School #18, Tajikistan World War II Veteran Saidov Kodir from Fayzabad City told connectivity student his story. In January, as part of the collaborative projects between US and Tajik schools RI-SOL held the “Personal History” project. This series of lessons and interviews gave connectivity students a great opportunity to learn first hand important stories from members of their community. Learning about ones own history is very important for the young generation, because you can't build a strong future for yourself, without knowing your past. Students from both countries were asked to choose history topics that they, as well as their partner schools, could relate to. Some of the chosen topics were about the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, World War II, War in Afghanistan, and so on. Many were about wars as now the world is once again discussing the rights of nations to conduct war, and the effect it has on the world. As part of the project, students interviewed community members that had served in past wars. The older veterans were proud that they younger generation still showed a respect for their sacrifice. This lesson gave students an idea of how events of the past still affect people’s lives, how people survived during war, and what changed in their lives after the war ended. This activity showed we can live together to prevent war and cataclysms, and how to not forget all the good sides of our past legacy. During the course of the project the US and Tajikistan Connectivity students showed all their new skills they have learned in research skills, communication and computer programs. By combining personal interviews with the power of the internet students were given a personal account of history in another culture. Students Unforgettable Events Presentations Click on the school to see the presentations Six Rivers Charter High School,Arcata, California, US McKinleyville High School, McKinleyville, California, US Khorog, School #2, GBAO, Tajikistan Academy of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, US Isfara, School #1, Sugd Region, Tajikistan Oroville High School, Oroville, Washington, US Gulyakandoz, School #16, Sugd Region, Tajikistan Meeting American Diplomats David Fay, a native of Iowa, USA, grew up in the Midwest and in Venezuela, with three sisters and a longing to act in the theater and cycle whenever he had the chance. From high school through university, he lived in the green, mountainous state of Pennsylvania. There he also began teaching English as a second language to middle school, high school and university students in one of the state’s, and country’s, oldest cities, Philadelphia. In 1991 he moved to Istanbul, Turkey and stayed there for over a dozen years, during which time he found a Turkish wife and became the father to two boys, now ages 5 and 9. He currently works for the US Department of State as an English Language Officer, and lives with his family in Washington, DC. He will soon move to Tashkent, where he will begin working as a teacher trainer for teachers throughout Central Asia, including Tajikistan! He enjoys learning new languages and writing about his travels, even though his sons tell him that he is now mixing Russian with his Turkish. He likes to play soccer, fly kites, eat kebab, read books and swim with his sons. Tajikistan Connectivity Schools Participating in a forum   Jon A. Larsen Future Job: Public Diplomacy Officer, Dushanbe. Jon was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado, where he skied, worked, and prepared for a career as a pilot. He received a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Aviation.   Following Flight School, he served in a variety of countries, including Germany, Korea, Turkey and the former Soviet Georgia. Along the way he received a Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University. While working at the Office of Defense Cooperation in Ankara, he took the test and was accepted into the Foreign Service. He speaks English and German and is currently studying Russian in anticipation of his assignment to Dushanbe.     Connectivity Students from School #1, Isfara, Sugd Region, Tajikistan. In this Internet-Learning Center was opened one of the first 'English Club', where students and community members can study and improve their English Language skills. Connectivity Team from School #14, Kayrokkum, Sugd Region, Tajikistan. This ILC was opened a couple months ago - but students here already using Internet not just for fun, but for their study. Connectivity activists in School #1, in Sarband, Khatlon Region, Tajikistan. Students at this ILC are very creative in terms of urgent tasks - in their school they opened the 'wall of tears' about the tragic tsunami in South Asia, so everyone from their community can learn about this. Connectivity Students from Nurek, School #3, Khatlon Region, Tajikistan. Brave students from this ILC made a trip to another ILC located one and a half hour drive from them, to talk about gender issues with their friends.   Please, click here http://tojikiston.com/connect/forum/viewforum.php?f=15 to enter the forum Tajikistan Connectivity Students and Teachers are Celebrating Their Second International Educational Week. We invite you to participate in our activities! International Education Week (IEW) was first held in 2000 and is now     celebrated in more that 85 countries worldwide. Nearly 600,000 international students from more than 200 countries     study in the U.S. each year. Almost 90% of American college students believe having international     students on campus enriches their own learning experience. Activities: Forum for Flex students in America Date November 17th – November 24th Language - Russian, Tajik, English “As you know each year The US State Department sends high school pupils from Tajikistan to the United States to spend one year living with an American family and attending a local high school." This forum is a chance for you to ask them questions about their life in America, how it is different from Tajikistan, how American view Tajikistan, what music they listen to, and anything this you want to know about America from the eyes of a Tajik pupil. Please, click here to find more about Flex Students, who will participate in this forum. Please, click here to view the forum Forum for Connectivity Students from Tursunzade, Tajikistan and Students from Denau, Uzbekistan Date November 17 – November 24th Language - Russian, Tajik, Uzbek With the end of the Soviet Union came the loss of freedom for citizens to travel internally as new borders were built. The new borders of Central Asia have left ethnic groups divided. In the border regions of Tajikstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan the new borders have caused many problems, and have isolated people from there own ethnic community. The cities of Tursunzade and Denau are two such cities. Located only an hours drive apart each city holds large populations of Uzbeks and Tajiks, but with new rules all citizens must have a visa to visit the other city. With the Connectivity project we have decided to arrange a friendship meeting during International Education Week School #101 in Tursunzade is connected to the Internet by Relief International-Schools Online, and the school in Denau is connected by IREX. We will start the week by holding an internet forum, in this forum students will have a chance to ask their neighbors different questions about life in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, how students live in both countries, and any questions they have about life and study. After discussing these questions in the virtual world pupils from Tajikistan have been invited by their peers in Uzbekistan to visit for a day to meet and form friendships. This international day of friendship organized by RI-SOL and IREX, will be a small step to break down borders and help build understanding. Please, click here to view the forum Forum about holidays in the United States and Tajikistan. Date: November 15th - 24th Language – English “Every country has many holidays, this can be religious holidays, government holidays, holidays to celebrate an person or an event, or small communities might have a special day for their own event." There are many similarities between holidays; most countries have an independence day, or a special day to celebrate a fall feast, or to ring in the New Year. There are also many differences, for instance in America we do not celebrate Woman’s Day on March 8th, but we have Valentines Day on February 14th. In this forum you can describe what holidays you celebrate, describe the history of your holidays, and tell what is your favorite holiday and why. Please, click here to view the forum Connectivity Program Forum Language – Russian Dates: November 15th - 24th The US State Department funds internet centers in schools across the world including connectivity centers in: Armenia http: http://www.ascp.am/ Azerbaijan http: http://www.projectharmony.az/programs.php                                Southeastern Europe, http: http://www.schoolconnectivity.net/                                Tajikistan http:http://www.connect-tajikistan.org/                                Uzbekistan http: http://www.connect.uz/ The connectivity program has also started in Jordon, Syria and Bangladesh. This forum is for anybody interested in the Connectivity Program as a whole, or how connectivity works in specific countries. On this forum you can write about how Connectivity helps your school, your community and your country. You can also ask how you can get involved, and meet with students and teachers from all of the Connectivity countries. Please, click here to view the forum The English Club Date November 22nd Language - English A place for Tajik students and teachers to practice their English! The English Club is a website designed to give English learners of different levels a fun and interactive place to practice and improve their English. The website has self-guided lessons of grammatical structures to review, quizzes to self-check understanding, as well as alphabetical lists of common idioms and slang. There is a section designated to Tajik English teachers which will include everything from links to useful websites for English teachers, sample lesson plans, ideas for activities and games. Also on the website is a section entitled "Ask Amber!" where students and teachers are encouraged to email question they have about the English language to Amber Ward, an American teacher of English as a foreign language who is currently living in Tajikistan. The website will be debuted November 22, 2004 as part of RI-SOL International Education Week activities. Click here to find more about website creator's. Announcement: Date November 15 – November 24th Language - Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, English During the IEW Tajik 5 Connectivity Exchange Teachers that went on a professional training course to the US in fall of 2004, will make a presentation about their experience in the US in the Internet learning center in their school. During these presentations Connectivity Students will have a chance to ask teachers different questions about their trip to America. Presentations will be held in five ILC's across Tajikistan - in Chorbog, Tursunzade, Chkalovsk, Gulyakandoz and Sarband. Holidays and World Religions Students at Colorado Academy, Denver, Colorado celebrating Eid-i-Ramazon We all love to celebrate. People in the USA and Tajikistan enjoy their holidays. And although they have different holidays, they also have much in common. This lesson was designed to introduce students to customs and traditions that show even ancient holidays can connect us with the universality of celebrations. Connectivity students, with the help of the Internet and their partner country, researched and then filled out electronic organizers about the November holiday of their partner country (Thanksgiving in the US or Eid-i-Ramazan in Tajikistan). Then they planned a celebration of their partner country’s holiday in their school. Students were divided into small groups to research specific aspects of the holiday in their partner country on the Internet--such as the history, decorations, clothes, food, songs, and religious aspects. They asked their partner schools questions online about how students personally celebrate this holiday. At the end of the project, students created a real or virtual celebration of the holiday in their partner country--Eid-i-Ramazon in the US or Thanksgiving in Tajikistan. Students invited other youth at their school or Internet center to celebrate the holiday with them. Students prepared food, made decorations, and practiced traditional greetings while sharing what they have learned about the holidays and traditions of another culture. They took photos of the celebrations and sent them to their partner schools. Click here to view some of the photos from the celebrations! Holiday Organizers Click on the school to download the results of the students’ research Thanksgiving Organizer from Ukiah High School, Ukiah, Oregon, USA Isfara, School #1, Tajikistan Six Rivers Charter High School in Arcata, California, USA Shahrinav, School #18, Tajikistan Colorado Academy, Denver, Colorado, USA Gissar, School #2, Tajikistan Identifying Issues in Elections

Election activity at International School of the Americas, US

The objective of this lesson is for students to analyze the issues that make up an election--how government does/does not address the problems of daily life, what is a party platform, and how to become involved by voicing your concerns to political parties and NGOs

Throughout this activity, students have learned about how both an established democracy and a developing country address their problems and disagreements. Ultimately, they learned why it is important to vote and become involved in civic life. Almost all ILC’s invited representatives from local political parties to their classes. As a result students send their summaries about political and election issues to their partner schools.

Schools Summaries
Click on the school to find out results of their research

• Kettle Moraine High School, US
• Dushanbe, School #10, Tajikistan

• Isfara, School #1, Tajikistan
• Gissar, School #2, Tajikistan
• Khujand, School #4, Tajikistan
  
  

Students at School #3, Nurek, working on the "A Day in the Life of a Student" activity

"A Day in the Life of a Student" activity gives students the opportunity to explore and describe their home, lifestyles, and culture for their partner schools, and to understand the daily realities of life in another country.

Using photos and text, student teams from each school prepared a presentation in PowerPoint and designed it, focused on a typical school day: what time they get up and what time they go to bed, what they eat and when, what religious or family traditions they follow, who their friends and families are, what they wear, what movies and television they watch, etc.

• School Teams Presentations
  View some of these presentations to see what you can learn about students lifestyles in the US and in the Tajikistan
  See the results!
  
  
  
  

Students at School #2, Gissar, working on the "Soccer Around the World" activity

• Soccer Around the World
  View some of these maps to see what you can learn
  about geography by studying World Cup soccer...
  Lesson plan Russian | English
  See the results!



• What's in a Name?
  You'll be surprised how much you can learn about languages
  and world history just from a name...
  Lesson plan Russian | English
  See the results!



• Culture Wheel
  Here is a fun way to widen your knowledge of the culture
  of far away places, and learn how to work as a team too...
  Lesson plan Russian | English
  See the results!

Students recording a song

Students, teachers and guests with the musicians and their instruments

Recording the stringed rubab

Recording the doira drum

Recording the konun zither and doira drum

Lutfiya Kambarova, School #40, Kulyab district