>> TECH AGE GIRLS 2011 REPORT

The Tech Age Girls (TAG) project address-

es the lack of skilled women in the field

of information technology (IT) by encour-

aging and training the most promising

young female computer specialists.

Through a process in which they have the

opportunity to further develop IT skills,

learn from successful female leaders,

and design their own community pro-

jects, participants take their first steps

toward entering one of the most promis-

ing and dynamic fields in the global econ-

omy. IREX started the Tech Age Girls pro-

ject in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 and adminis-

tered its second round in 2011.

From June 27 to July 9, 2011 the ef-

forts of the Tech Age Girls (TAG) project

culminated in a two-week conference for

34 outstanding young women throughout

Kyrgyzstan who developed their IT and

leadership skills. These talented, driven

girls have returned to their homes, where

they are using their new skills and expe-

riences to implement projects that will

benefit their communities. Together, the

TAG implementing partners have laid the

foundation for a talented group of young

women to shape their country’s future.

ABOUT TAG

TECH AGE GIRLS 2011

1

From 460 applications, Tech Age Girls

selected 175 quarter-finalists to at-

tend basic IT training. The quarter-

finalists then implemented their very

first community service projects, ded-

icated to Global Youth Service Day

which affected 2,700 people.

Based on their commitment and per-

formance during the quarter-final

round, 88 participants moved on to

the semi-final round to take part in

intermediate IT and leadership train-

ing, and created their own blogs

about women leaders in their commu-

nity.

34 most promising and hard-working

participants were then selected as

TAG finalists, and attended a two-

week leadership and intensive IT

training conference held in Bishkek,

Kyrgyzstan.

TAG finalists returned to their com-

munities, remaining linked in to a

network of young women leaders who

are implementing local projects and

training their peers in key IT skills. 2

www.irex.org

TAG 2011 JOURNEY...

34 finalists selected for conference

s

88 semi-finalists:

intermediate IT, blogging

blog!

460 Applicants

Application

175 Quarter-finalists

receive basic IT training

Global Youth

Service Day

www.irex.org

It all began with 460 applicants...

The Tech Age Girls 2011 project started in Febru-

ary, receiving 460 applications from candidates all

across Kyrgyzstan. One hundred and seventy-five

quarterfinalists were selected and trained in com-

puter basics and social networking where they

built relationships virtually with their fellow par-

ticipants. On April 15-17, the TAG project quar-

terfinalists planned and implemented community

service projects as part of Global Youth Service

Day, a global event founded in 1988 to mobilize

youth throughout the world in service projects

and service learning.

This year, the Tech Age Girls’ community projects

focused on leadership and IT training, health edu-

cation, and aiding those in need. The 2,700 bene-

ficiaries ranged from parents of local students to

low income families with ill children; from the

elderly to kindergarteners. In stepping forward to

lead and promote a change in their communities,

their work served not only those directly impact-

ed, but anyone who was inspired by their exam-

ple. Following one quarterfinalist’s service pro-

ject at a local hospital, one of the facility’s nurs-

es expressed how impressed she was: “This is the

first time that I have seen students visiting our

elderly patients who aren’t their own family…

it is great,” she shared.

In addition to creating their own community ser-

vice projects, the TAG quarterfinalists worked to

recruit their peers in conducting service-related

activities to create lasting change in their

hometowns, and connected online to share their

work with each other and a High School club in

the United States.

Of the 175 quarterfinalists, 88 candidates who

demonstrated the most IT and leadership experi-

ence, superior communication skills, and the

strongest plans for their community projects were

chosen to begin the semifinal round of training in

photo and video editing, blogging, and sessions in

leadership, teambuilding and conflict mitigation.

4

www.irex.org

TAG Survey Results:

165 quarterfinalists took survey and answered the follow-ing question: Did you participate in community projects?

www.irex.org

And then there were 88, developing new online

resources

At the beginning of May, the TAG semi-finalists

had completed training conducted by bloggers

of Kyrgyzstan and created 81 blogs at kloop.kg.

The blogs were dedicated to female leaders in

Kyrgyzstan. To gather information for them,

TAG semi-finalists conducted research online,

and interviewed prominent women leaders in

their communities from the public, private and

non-profit sectors.

The semifinalists appreciated the opportunity

to talk more closely with women whom they

have admired, and develop vital new confi-

dence and skills in professional exchange. As

Nazgul Abdykerimova of Naryn shared, “My in-

terview with Narynkul Chorobaeva, Dean of

Foreign Faculty at Naryn State University,

was very beneficial for me; after the conver-

sation, I understood that there are always

6

www.irex.org

88 Semi-finalists...

“Your dreams become plans only if you work hard.”

-- Health care worker Olesya Ivanchenko, during her interview with Darya Azina

Nazgul Abdykerimova interviewed

Naryn State University Dean Naryn-

kul Chorobaeva for her semifinal

blogging project

TAG Rukiya Isakova had an oppor-

tunity to sit down for an interview

with Jeanne Saraleva, the founder

of “Women’s Association of Jalal-

Abad,” a local women’s rights

organization

good and bad things happening on the way to

success. Therefore, no matter what the circum-

stances we face, we should never give up”.

Each semifinalist worked tirelessly to produce a

creative and moving blog, and the TAG selection

committee identified 34 finalists to move to the

next round – the Tech Age Girls Conference.

After participating in TAG training events, 26% more respondents believed that lead-ership is gained through experience, ra-

ther than genetics alone.

Are Leaders Born or Made? Before participation

Made

69%

Don’t

Know

19%Born

12%

After participation

Born: 3%

Both: 2%

Made

95%

www.irex.org

Summer Conference 2011

After months of hard work, 34 distinguished final-

ists gathered for the two-week TAG Conference in

Bishkek from June 27 – July 9. TAG finalists un-

derwent advanced training in IT skills, developed

their knowledge in gender issues and HIV/AIDS,

and participated in workshops on planning small

community projects, applying for grants, and

budgeting. Throughout their coursework, they not

only learned key skills in running a successful pro-

ject, but also gained real-life knowledge for their

future professional lives. Aigerim Jyrgalbekova

of Talas shared, “This project helped me to be-

come wiser. Before TAG I didn’t know how to

work with the computer, but now I know how to

do it and I’ve improved my English as well.”

The advanced IT training gave TAG finalists an in-timate understanding of the computers they use so frequently at school, serving to demystify the devices: the girls learned about computer hard-ware, operating systems, equipment mainte-nance, and learned computer security. In rural Kyrgyzstan particularly, this knowledge is essen-tial: giving the TAGs an understanding of comput-

er repair and maintenance empowers them, their communities, and their schools, where IT profes-sionals may be lacking. The IT training also included sessions on recording and producing videos, podcasting, digital photog-raphy and photo editing, adding Kyrgyz-language content to Wikipedia, and leveraging the power of social media.

Several guests were invited to the conference – successful leaders in politics, art, IT, and busi-ness. They shared not only their memories and sto-ries of success, but also described how they overcame difficulties in their lives and in their careers. Meeting with Elnura Osmon-alieva, a FLEX alumna and independent film mak-er, helped the finalists to understand the im-portance of giving back to their communities. Os-monalieva underscored how many institutions she owes her thanks to for her success: “I feel respon-sibility to stay in Kyrgyzstan and develop my country, she shared with the girls.

8

www.irex.org

Finalists Attend Summer Conference

Under guidance of Peace Corps volunteers,

the TAGs discuss time management, interview

tips, and writing resumes and cover letters.

TAGs explore the inner workings of the com-

puters they use at the conference

TAGs Meet Young Successful Leaders

www.irex.org

9

GUEST SPEAKERS: Elnura Osmanalieva, Young actress & film producer

Shirin Aitmatova, Deputy of Parliament of Kyrgyzstan

Elvira Sarieva, Media consultant, Chairman of Supervisory Board, Public Television & Radio Corporation

Tolondu Toichubaev, Social worker

Daniyar Abdykerimov, Film producer

During the second week of the conference, the

TAG finalists participated in their first real-world,

professional internships at international organiza-

tions, businesses, and local NGOs. During their

four-day internships, the Tech Age Girls applied

their newly acquired skills to perform professional

work and conduct presentations while teaching

others how to use technological tools, answer

phone calls, and communicate with visitors.

At the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society,

Guliza Almazbek kyzy created a Facebook page

and a Twitter account for the organization. Fol-

lowing Almazbek kyzy’s hard work and the initia-

tive she demonstrated during her internship, her

supervisor invited her to continue working for

the summer, to gain experience and further de-

velop the organization’s social media presence.

The Soros Foundation in Kyrgyzstan invited Asel

Rayimbekova as a trainer for their event dedicat-

ed to students, to teach social media tools.

Taking Part in Internships “Asel was very enthusiastic in informing stu-

dents about new tools like Facebook, Movie

Maker, Twitter, and Storify,” shared Aida Ab-

dullaeva, Assistant at the Soros Foundation’s Bish-

kek Resource Center. “What I liked the most is

that she was not only telling them about these

tools, but also showing how to use them in

practice.”

During their Summer Conference Internships, sever-

al Tech Age Girls established social media presences

for their host companies and organizations on

Twitter and Facebook

At the confer-

ence’s closing cer-

emony, partici-

pants set up a

Tech Expo where

they showed dif-

ferent tools such

as Storify, Twit-

ter, Facebook, QR

codes, and Google

Earth to guests including Pamela Spratlen, Am-

bassador of the United States, officials from the

Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, the

Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth, and

several representatives of international organiza-

tions.

Seven of

these girls

were invited

and recreat-

ed this Tech

Expo for the

international

participants

of the Cen-

tral Asia and

Afghanistan

Women’s Economic Symposium held in Bishkek

where again they showcased different ICT tools,

demonstrating a key element in TAG’s program

model in which youth train and inspire other

youth and community members, and thus deepen

the impact and sustainability of the work.

TAG Participant Dariya Azina realized during the

project that her desire to help her community was

much greater than she had thought before,

“Thanks to TAG I got to know myself better. I

have always known that I want to be useful for

the society, but I haven’t realized how much I

wanted it.”

The conference has wrapped up, but the TAG pro-ject will continue as three finalists will travel to

the United States this October to represent Kyr-

gyzstan. The participants now have the

responsibility to not only lead their local

community but also serve as global

ambassadors. The youth will return to their com-

munities with a worldly perspective and under-

standing that they can apply to their lives and

those around them. In preparation for their return

to their communities, conference participants

drafted ideas and project proposals about what

they will do after returning their home towns.

Project implementation will begin in late August.

Two weeks of conference may be a short time for

career development, but it was the start of a long

journey for their future, to become leaders in

their societies and promoting ICT among the youth

of Kyrgyzstan. For months, these girls began a

journey, struggled, learned, shared their

knowledge with peers, practiced their skills, and

made it to the end, and their perseverance will

take them far.

TAG is part of the Global Connections and Ex-

change Program, funded by the United States

Department of State and Digital Youth Dialogue

project, funded by the United States Embassy in

Bishkek, administered by IREX with support of

the English language teachers’ association FO-

RUM. The TAG conference was partly funded

through a grant from Soros Foundation in Kyr-

gyzstan and assisted by FORUM and Peace Corps

Volunteers in Kyrgyzstan.

12

www.irex.org

Ambassador Spratlen hears about

what new IT tools the TAGs discov-

ered during their training

Seven TAGs gave IT presentations at the Central Asia and Afghanistan Women’s

Economic Symposium

Next Steps for New Leaders

www.irex.org

Darya Azina, Finalist

10th grader at School No. 2, Karakol

Following the conference: Plans to host IT and video pro-duction training courses

“After my high school graduation I

want to apply to Journalism and

Mass Communications department

in Kyrgyz-Slavic University. I really

want to become a good journalist

and in addition to my professional

column in the newspaper, I want

to lead my own blogs in the inter-

net, create useful websites and

promote them.”

Amanda Japarova, Finalist

9th grader at School No. 8, Naryn

Following the conference: Going to make a three day con-ference for more than 20 8th and 9th grade girls in Naryn on IT skills, business etiquette, resume writing, and time man-agement – like a preparatory camp for TAG hopefuls.

“In the future I really want to

be employed in the interna-

tional organizations, and pro-

vide assistance to my country

through various useful pro-

jects”

Guliza Almazbek kyzy, Finalist

9th grader at National Comput-er Gymnasium No. 5, Bishkek

Following the conference: Plans to form a club to hold IT training, seminars on gender equality, and art classes for girls in her community.

“When I’ll finish the school I

want to study International

and Comparative Politics in

USA, and become one of the

leading politicians in Kyrgyz

Republic”

11