@IREX Kyrgyzstan / Completed Programs |

13 @IREX Kyrgyzstan / Completed Programs |

IREX Programs - Completed Programs

General Information

IREX Programs

Alumni Programming

Useful Resources

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The Contemporary Issues Fellowship Program, was a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State and implemented by IREX (the International Research & Exchanges Board), provides opportunities for experienced professionals and specialists in Eurasia to conduct policy-oriented research in the United States for four months. Fellowships are available to citizens of: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

All applications must contain developed and focused research projects that are policy-driven with practical application in Eurasia. Research proposals must address one of the following categories:

Business Administration
Civic Education
Educational Policy
Economics
Energy Policy
Environmental Policy
Human Rights
International Relations
Internet Journalism & Media
Law Enforcement
Military/Security Issues
NGO Development & Management
Political Science
Public Administration (Government)
Public Health Policy
Rule of Law
Social Welfare

The fellowship is fully funded and provides:

Round-trip travel from fellows home cities in Eurasia to their US host institutions;
Housing and monthly stipend for living expenses in the United States;
Professional development allowance; and
Accident and sickness medical coverage.

Applications for the FSA Contemporary Issues Fellowship Program are not currently being accepted.

REGIONAL SCHOLAR EXCHANGE PROGRAM (RSEP)

The Regional Scholar Exchange Program (RSEP) provides opportunities for junior and mid-level university faculty, researchers, and PhD candidates in the social sciences and humanities from Eurasia and the United States to conduct independent research overseas.

Since 1993, RSEP has given specialists in each region access to resources and opportunities for collaboration previously unavailable to them, in order to further the development of higher education and scholarship in their countries. RSEP offers four-month programs in the United States for scholars from Eurasia, and programs up to nine months in Eurasia for scholars from the US.

Applications for the RSEP program are not currently being accepted.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

The growth of civil society and the successful transition to a market economy in all the nations of Eurasia will continue to demand people with critical, specialized skills in many fields and professions. As a result, the Community Connections Program, sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), provides US based professional development internships and training to individuals working in fields such as small business development, educational administration, and conflict prevention.

In 2002-2003 International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) (www.irex.org) will be conducting an open, merit-based competition in Kyrgyzstan, which will send 40 community leaders to the United States. Community Connections also exists in such CIS countries as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. All finalists participate in three to five week professional development programs in US communities. Community Connections consists of two types of programs, one targeting entrepreneurs and the other targeting mid-level professionals from various fields. The Business program places entrepreneurs in internships with small and medium-sized businesses.

Participants gain expertise and business management skills specific to their own business activities in Kyrgyzstan. The professional participants take part in a group-oriented program that allows them to meet and work alongside their US counterparts.

More than 50 US cities serve as hosts for the Community Connections Program. Participants travel in groups of ten, live with US host families, and experience hands-on training in their professional fields to develop critical skills that can be transferred to their careers in Kyrgyzstan.

The Community Connections Program is a link between communities. The program is designed to build bridges of friendship between citizens of Kyrgyzstan and citizens of the United States.

The aims of the Community Connections Program in Kyrgyzstan are:

To build ties between host cities of the United States and different regions of Kyrgyzstan;
To demonstrate effective methods for business development designed by American specialists entrepreneurs;
To create a forum for exchange of ideas in education administration;
To facilitate dialogue between different interest groups in diverse communities within Kyrgyzstan;
To build skills in peaceful conflict prevention and resolution.

Specialists working in certain fields living in targeted regions in Kyrgyzstan are invited to take part in this program. Every year the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy and IREX establish recruitment themes and cities. The program is then publicized in the appropriate regions to provide information about the exact program offered in that area.

Applications for the Community Connections Program are not currently being accepted.

EDUCATION INFORMATION CENTER

For many years, the worldwide network of education advising/information centers (EICs) supported by the US Department of State"s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) helped international students gain access to information on studying in the United States. For many students and scholars in Europe and Eurasia, EICs are the only source of free, accurate, objective, and comprehensive information on educational opportunities in the United States. They are an important tool for promoting the self-funded study that is increasingly within reach for many students in Europe and Eurasia as well as US government-sponsored exchange and training programs.

The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) administered four ECA-sponsored centers in Moscow and Vladivostok, Russia; Yerevan, Armenia; and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan that served over 115,000 clients each year.

Education Information Center (IREX/Bishkek)

Services

Our services are but not limited to:

Advising students and scholars of different opportunities for study or research in the United States;
Teaching students and scholars about the application process (both for competition and entrance into a university) through private consultations and lectures such as If You Want to Study in the United States, How to Write a Statement of Purpose How to Write a Resume, How to Fill Out an Application (same as Statement).
Putting up weekly postings of educational/research programs and other events (i.e. seminars, conferences, calls for papers, etc.) available to students and scholars;
Loaning out materials on US educational institutions, preparation guides for the TOEFL, GRE and GMAT, and other books relevant to higher education in the US;
Providing space and audio/visual equipment for students to listen to tape cassettes or watch videos on US universities and the US education system;
Announcing and distributing information on IREX and other education programs (e.g. ACCELS, Soros, Fulbright, etc.);
Organizing lectures prior to all major educational programs;

Lectures
On a regular basis the Center delivers lectures on the following topics:

If you want to study in US
Overview of current programs
US educational system
Financial Aid Opportunities
How to Write a Statement of Purpose, etc.

The schedule of lectures is set up beforehand and hung on the Centers Bulletin Board. Interested universities and educational institutions are asked to check with the EIC about the following months lecture schedule.

Consultations
Bishkek-IREX EIC gives consultations to interested individuals about preparations to study in the US, about registering for the TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, SAT, and other standardized tests. The Center has two computers with CD-ROM for individual training for computer-based tests.

Internet and computer facilities
IREX-Bishkek EIC provides Internet public access. The purpose of the site is to allow persons to find information on the educational system, study and funding opportunities, program information, etc. We have 4 computers for Internet public access and interested individuals can use this service at the EIC.

Currently, the EIC is administered by Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan (www.soros.kg)

MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

Media Sustainability Index (MSI) provides in-depth analysis of the conditions for independent media in 20 countries across Europe and Eurasia. Since it was first conceived in 2000, in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the MSI has evolved into an important benchmark study to assess how media structures change over time and across borders.

The MSI is implemented in Southeast Europe and Eurasia by International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) with the cooperation and the support of USAID. The project creates a standardized method to measure the state of media in a given country. The MSI creates a baseline of indicators against which aspects of media development can be evaluated and monitored over time, as well as compared across many countries. The MSI also helps evaluate local and international efforts in order to improve aid coordination and activities in media development in the monitored countries.

The Media Sustainability Index report assesses the stages of development of media along the following criteria, presented as five objectives:

* Is freedom of speech/access to public information protected/promoted by legal and social norms?
* Are quality journalism standards met, and to what extent?
* Is objective/reliable information available from a plurality of sources, and to what extent?
* Are independent media well managed and do they allow editorial independence?
* Do supporting institutions function in the professional interests of independent media?

The most important findings of the media assessment are published in the MSI report available to all who are interested in media development and in democracy and economic development more broadly. More information you can find at http://www.irex.org/msi

THE INTERNET ACCESS AND TRAINING PROGRAM (IATP)

Overview
The Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the US Department of State. IATP consists of a network of Internet access sites located throughout 11 countries of Eurasia. Through these sites, thousands of individuals per month receive free-of-charge access to the Internet as well as to a wide variety of computer-related training programs. IREX-administered IATP access sites are located in the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

IATP began in the mid 1990s. At that time, the program was aimed at providing Internet access and training exclusively to scholars from Eurasia who had participated in US government-sponsored exchange programs. Through its services, IATP helped these exchange program alumni stay in contact with the professional colleagues they had made while in the United States, assisting them in the process of continuing their research and academic growth once back home. Over time, IATP gradually began to provide Internet access and training to other non-alumni groups such as journalists, lawyers, NGO representatives, and students. Providing the services of the program to new audiences has continued to this day. Today, IATP provides its services to the public at large in the countries in which it works.

Almost all IATP access sites are housed within local partner institutions. These institutions typically include public libraries, universities, and NGOs. An IATP access site usually occupies one room in the partner institution’s premises. This room houses all IATP equipment, computer-related books and manuals, and an IREX staff member who overseas the operations of the access site. In a limited number of cases, IATP sites are part of the larger IREX office in a given country.

Program Activities
IATP undertakes four primary activities—provided free of charge—through its network of sites:

Internet Access. Users can reserve time in increments of one hour to access e-mail and the Internet, or use the computers for other purposes such as word processing.
Training. Members of the public can enroll in a wide variety of training courses on information technology. These include basic courses in computer literacy to higher-end training on subjects such as Web programming and network administration.
Online Chats: Chats have evolved into a valuable medium for exchanging unrestricted information about events across borders, offering an alternative perspective to state-controlled media. For example, a series of chats beginning in February 2005 gave Central Asian journalists and NGO leaders an opportunity to learn about Ukraine’s so-called “Orange Revolution” directly from Ukrainian political scientists and journalists. Nationwide chats held in Ukraine in December gave librarians the opportunity to lobby the Ministry of Culture for simplification of the regulations regarding procurement. This lobbying effort was successful, and is being studied among librarians in other countries across Eurasia through additional online chats.
Web Hosting: IATP partners with users to create websites and other electronic media. The focus is on creating resources in local languages, making Internet usage more relevant and useful within each of the countries.

IREX works to run IATP less like a foreign technical assistance program and more like a community-based technology initiative. One way to do this is by attempting to create a sense of community at IATP sites that encourages users to share their knowledge and time for the benefit of others and the program as a whole. For example, users volunteer at IATP sites to assist with tasks such as routine computer maintenance and translation of materials for publication on the Web. In other cases, users donate their time to conduct Internet training that ties Internet usage with a specific theme such as journalism, environmental conservation, organizational networking, or language teaching. The institutions that house IATP access sites also contribute to community buy-in and support by providing a substantial amount of cost-share. Cost-share most often takes the form of a partner institution providing IATP with free rent, utilities, and security.

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