POST'S VIRTUAL EMBASSIES DRIVE OUTREACH IN A BUSY FEBRUARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000342

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY)
INFO SCA/PPD (VAN DE VATE),IIP/G/NEA-SA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PREL TX
SUBJECT: POST'S VIRTUAL EMBASSIES DRIVE OUTREACH IN A BUSY FEBRUARY

REFERENCE: Ashgabat 00216

SUMMARY
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1. (U) While post was busy hosting visitors, including Assistant
Secretary for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher (reftel),the

SIPDIS
Turkmenistan American Corners and Internet Access and Training
Program sites continued to provide the venue for educational and
cultural programs on the themes of Black History Month, women's
issues, and journalism. The sites were also the staging ground for
Model United Nations tournament preparations and outreach to
marginalized groups in the community. End Summary.

Journalism Club Established in Turkmenbashy
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2. (U) On February 2, a Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program
alumna and a local health Peace Corps volunteer started a Journalism
Club for nine local high school students at the Turkmenbashy City
polyclinic. At the first meeting, the volunteer provided an
overview of the value of journalism to a democratic society, and the
theme of the first class was "the importance of mass media during
elections." The theme bore particular importance for local youth
because of the impending national election -- Turkmenistan's
first-ever multi-candidate presidential election -- on February 11.


Peace Corps Prepares Youth for Model United Nations
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3. (U) Peace Corps volunteers in several provinces began preparing
young American Corner visitors to participate in a Peace
Corps-organized Model United Nations Conference to be held in
Ashgabat in April. In Turkmenabat, two Peace Corps volunteers
organized a Model United Nations meeting on February 14 for 20
American Corner visitors, including several FLEX alumni. The
volunteers explained the rules of Model United Nations debates and
divided up the group by country topic assignments; the overarching
theme of the preparatory research is how different countries cope
with HIV/AIDS. For several years, volunteers have organized Model
United Nations Conferences and conducted year-round preparation for
American Corner visitors on current events, debate and research
skills -- all training conducted in English.

Turkmenistan Youth Celebrate Black History Month
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4. (U) The American Corners served as the venue for a number of
events related to Black History Month during February, including
presentations by alumni of U.S. Government exchange programs on the
history of black people in the United States and on black women, and
debates -- topics that are not taught in Turkmenistan's state
schools and receive virtually no coverage in state media. In
Turkmenabat on February 20, a FLEX alumna taught 16 Corner visitors
about the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks,
Malcolm X and segregation. She then led a debate on the topic
"There should be separate schools for white and black students" --
the "negative" team won the debate. In Turkmenbashy, the American
Corner representative conducted a presentation on February 21 at the
city polyclinic for 10 visitors. The session explored early
immigration and slavery, revolution and rebellions, the Civil War
and Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. A FLEX alumnus
at the Mary American Corner gave a similar presentation for 15
Corner visitors on February 12; two more Mary FLEX alumni conducted
a presentation on the Civil Rights Movement on February 22 for 25
Corner visitors. The two played a tape recording of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and moderated a debate on
the different theories of resistance espoused by Dr. King and
Malcolm X. Such discussions, which require both a basic grasp of
civics and U.S. history, challenge the participants' critical
thinking and communications skills and help them improve their
English language skills.

American Corner Girls Teach U.S. Women's History to Peers
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5. (U) On February 15, two FLEX alumni conducted a presentation on
successful African-American women for 20 Turkmenabat American Corner
visitors. They prepared handouts about Harriett Tubman, Condoleezza
Rice, Whitney Houston and Beyonce Knowles, gave brief biographies of
each woman and described their influence on U.S. history and
culture. In the process they described the road from slavery to the
Civil Rights Movement, and the current status of blacks in the
United States.


6. (U) On February 15, a Dashoguz teenager who frequents the
American Corner hosted the first of her weekly Girls Club sessions.
Ten local youth attended this first session. The club highlights

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famous 20th century women and involves a weekly discussion, in
English, of the legacy of these women. The young woman also
incorporated English vocabulary and grammar points into the
discussion. In both sessions, participants learned about U.S.
history, the potential for female leaders -- by example as well as
by the content of the class -- and practiced their English speaking
skills.

Marginalized Youth Learn Computer Skills, English in Mary
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7. (U) On February 12, two female Mary FLEX alumni helped teach a
computer basics class for five children of the disabled at the local
vocational center for the disabled. The two also led an in-house
basic English class for six center children. Community Connections
alumna Olga Byashimova and International Visitors Leadership Program
alumnus Murad Byashimov organized the classes and helped recruit the
children involved, while the FLEX alumni imparted basic computer
skills to the children, such how to use Microsoft Windows software
to create and find files. The English class began with the alphabet
and pronunciation and some vocabulary. The participants in these
classes, some of whom have already graduated from high school, do
not have the funds to attend computer and English courses at a
private educational center. The vast majority of state schools do
not have computers or teach computer skills, and have only recently
begun to teach English. These free classes also help establish a
connection between these marginalized youth and the resources of the
American Corner.

Mary Corner Youth Discuss Qualities of U.S. Presidents
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8. (U) On February 20, a FLEX alumnus held a movie night for 15
American Corner visitors during which he screened a film and
moderated a follow-up discussion. Participants watched a
documentary about U.S. presidents George Washington, John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Roosevelt and then discussed
the personal qualities each president had and what qualities a
person must have to be a leader. All discussion took place in
English, thus participants both learned about U.S. history and
values, and developed their language skills. This alumnus hosts his
own club on U.S. history and politics at the American Corner, often
using International Information Program-developed videos and books
the embassy orders for the Corners.

Mary Advanced Book Club Takes On "Life of Pi"
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9. (U) On February 21, six Mary American Corner Visitors met with
the resident Peace Corps volunteer for a second time to discuss
their progress with the book, "Life of Pi," by Yann Martel.
Students discussed the plot in the segment they had been assigned,
and about topics that arose in the reading, such as animal rights,
religion, and survival in times of distress. The three-month club
teaches students reading comprehension skills, and helps improve
their critical thinking and English conversation skills through the
weekly discussions.

Turkmenistan Students Webchat about Water and Land Usage
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10. (U) On February 14, more than 30 high school and college
students and teachers from Ashgabat, Turkmenabat, Mary and Dashoguz
joined a live forum discussion at Turkmenistan's Educational Portal
on local and global environmental issues. Guest speaker Oleg
Guchgeldiyev, United Nations Development Program Caspian Sea Fund
Coordinator, responded to 14 questions on water quality, land
degradation, desertification, logging, and other issues.
Participants logged 83 entries in all, and Guchgeldiyev provided
facts and references via links, encouraging participants to think of
ways to protect the environment. The forum also explored students'
involvement through the Global Connections and Exchange (GCE)
program on the World Water Monitoring Day project in Turkmenistan
and shared their results of testing water in Turkmenistan. Given
the absence of educational programming on such topics on Turkmen
State Television and in state schools, such educational web fora
both educate the public and allow an unfettered exchange of ideas on
state development priorities.

FLEX Alumna Increases Impact of Global Connections Project
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11. (U) In February, a FLEX alumna finished a busy month of
participating in GCE activities by becoming one of 35 semifinalists
of the Tech Age Girls (TAG) program administered by embassy partner
the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). No ordinary
applicant, the alumna took the initiative to organize two TAG
presentations, one at the American Corner and one in her school, to
recruit the very girls against whom she would be competing for the
TAG semifinalist spots. IREX chose the semifinalists (from a pool

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of 135) based on the applicants' creativity and innovation,
leadership experience, interest in community service, and
communication skills. On March 7, TAG semifinalists will start
three months of intensive training on computer and Internet basics,
text and graphic editing, Web design, blogs, leadership, and
academic research skills. Girls will advance their skills, share
their opinions, learn from successful female leaders and role
models, create blogs and websites, and develop and lead their own
projects.

Mutual Understanding through Online Exchange
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12. (U) In February, students from Turkmenistan and U.S. schools
participated in several dialogue projects online at the Turkmenistan
Educational Portal to foster mutual understanding. Exchanges on the
two countries' culture, nature, geography, state structure,
economics, and many other topics helped participants get a better
sense of what the other culture was like. Students also posted
photographs and answered questions on their submissions. "Ashgabat
sounds like a really nice place to visit!" a student from a U.S.
school offered after learning about Ashgabat from her Turkmenistani
peer. "Our sixth grade teachers and students are excited about the
opportunity to learn about another culture and country. Some of the
students have done a little research on their own about Turkmenistan
because they were so curious," a teacher of New Bedford Global
Learning Charter School said. Turkmenistani children, largely
exposed to U.S. culture through popular television shows and U.S.
music, have few opportunities to interact directly with their U.S.
peers. Most U.S. students -- and adults for that matter, know
little about Turkmenistan. Online exchanges such as these help
dispel misperceptions held by either side about the other.


13. (U) Dushanbe minimize considered

HOAGLAND