IYF Jasa.kg Youth Project

Speeches Shim

Duration: March 2011 - March 2015

Funding level: $ 4,200,000

Implementing Partner: International Youth Foundation

Key Partners: Center Interbilim,Youth of Osh, Bishkek Business Club, Central Asia Free, InStream, Y-Peer, Association of Social Entrepreneurs (ASE), Childhood Institute, Oasis, Our Voice, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labor, Migration and Youth.

Activity Locations: Bishkek new settlements, Kara-Balta town, Osh and Jalalabad oblasts

Activity Goals

Jasa.kg aims to catalyze a generation of youth to actively engage in building a stable, prosperous, and democratic Kyrgyz Republic.  Young people have the potential to usher in positive political and civic change, and systems to realize that potential. The project has four primary objectives:

• Inspire active citizenship among Kyrgyzstani youth

• Prepare youth for the local job market

• Create a culture of positive youth development

• Provide critical life skills to youth living in residential facilities

Activity Major Focus Areas and Achievements

Civic Engagement

• 841 youth trained in the Passport to Success life skills program, with a focus on civic participation. Each cohort of the training program culminated in youth-led community service projects

• 24 youth volunteer clubs established at secondary schools in the southern Kyrgyz Republic. 344 youth club members obtained training in social project development, and 810 gained skills in conflict management

• 50 social projects carried out by youth clubs were featured on a TV series showcasing community service initiatives. Youth club members carried out more than 200 Global Youth Service Day initiatives

Workforce Development

• 900 youth completed a rigorous entrepreneurship training course focused on the practical development of original business plans

• 29 youth earned vouchers to launch their own businesses, and 21 received mentorship support from business leaders

• 28 new youth entrepreneurship clubs at secondary schools helped young people learn the basics of business development and establish their own mini-enterprises

• 882 youth trained in employability skills and 184 secured internship placements

• 200 youth accepted employment opportunities through four Jasa.kg-organized fairs

Positive Youth Development

• 150 youth participated in the Summer School of Democracy, an initiative that offered a leadership seminar series and the chance to meet with civic leaders

• Jasa.kg supported the newly formed Youth Policy Network to promote high-level initiatives by government agencies focused on youth development

Life Skills for Orphans

• 1,267 youth from 27 residential institutions trained in Passport to Success, with a focus on social adaption

• 313 youth from residential institutions participated in an arts program that included dance training and theatre classes, as a way to develop teambuilding and conflict management skills

• More than 80 youth who transitioned from residential institutions to independent living received direct support in securing documentation, education, employment, housing, and life skills. 95 youth at six institutions received similar transitional support during their final year

By the end of the program in 2015, Jasa.kg will accomplish the following goals:

• 4,000 youth trained in entrepreneurship and employability skills

• 4,000 youth trained in community engagement initiatives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasa.kg?fref=ts

Press Releases:

Publications in Russian