UNICEF: How to build your own business in the village - children of Suzak district present their ideas

The iTalk is a platform in the format of public speaking for young people to discuss the importance of involvement of young people in decision-making processes at the local and regional levels, as well as issues of youth participation in localization of the Sustainable Development Goals. The event has been facilitated by Ermekbai Omoshev, akim of Suzak district, and Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

Speakers of the event were members of the school parliaments from high schools of Suzak district, teachers and representatives of local self-government bodies. Each speaker was given 6 minutes to present his/her topic and 3 minutes to answer questions from the audience. Themes of speeches were: the role of youth in conflict resolution; how the state can involve youth in decision-making processes; safety on the roads and schoolchildren; school - as a bridge between the youth and the village; how to prevent conflicts in schools; how a young person can build a business in the village? 

“This event was important for students of Suzak district, as it helped them to realize their greater role in the society. I am very pleased with the knowledge they acquired through the project. They learned how to identify the needs of their community and held public hearings in their districts engaging representatives of ayil okmots. I consider this to be a good progress and indicator of their active position and dedication to problems in our community. It is also important that we, ayil okmots, go to the meeting and listen to the young, giving them the opportunity to be involved, "- shared his opinion Ermekbai Omoshev, akim of the Suzak region.

"A peculiarity of this iTalk was that the speakers were schoolchildren demonstrating themselves as leaders and civil activists. They were able to set an example of how young people can bring changes and make positive influence on community development. We are happy that active young people emerge in the regions and care about development in both their community and country as a whole, "said the project coordinator Beksultan Rustamov.

The iTalk has been organized by the International Educational Association of Debates in Central Asia (IDEA CA) within the project “Kyrgyzstan - friendly to children and youth” in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with the support of the UK Government.