Kazakhstan Summer Leadership Camp - "Change for Tomorrow"

28 August 2010

BURGULUK, Kazakhstan

Summer, sun, heat, all the friends are away. Bored? No, not if you were among 53 young people who participated in the Summer Leadership Camp (SLC) in landscape Burguluk region, South Kazakhstan Oblast from 2-7 August, 2010 organized by Y-PEER Kazakhstan Network.

SLC was conducted the 13th consecutive year, this year Y-PEER partners in organizing SLC were the Business Women Association of South Kazkahstan, volunteers of the Youth Volunteer Center for Leadership "Dostar," and U.S. Peace Corps.  SLC participants were youth from close environment of HIV positive people, young people from orphanages and rural areas, active students of high schools and professional colleges, and Y-PEER peer educators and Focal Points.

This year SLC edutainment training topics were: sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, human rights, trafficking, youth acting in governance and development of the state, time management, and goal-setting.

On the first day all participants had the outstanding opportunity to meet with U.S. State Department  Special Representative, Ms. Farah Pendith, who was appointed by U.S. Secretary of State, Ms. Hillary Clinton, to strengthen relationships with Muslim countries. To learn more about the mentality of the inhabitants of southern Kazakhstan, Ms. Pendith arrived to SLC to talk with participants on such vital topics as leadership, youth and their problems, religion.  Most importantly, she also shared her valuable experiences with participants.

For five days, SLC participants followed an intense schedule and participated in a dynamic learning process.  Daily thematic trainings, English clubs, sports activities and evening theater performances provided an opportunity for every participant to develop his/her leadership skills.

The certification ceremony took place on the last day of camp.  The Y-PEER annual tradition of Summer Leadership Camp is expanding and becoming more interesting every year.

And as follow up, all the participants also attended the Annual Y-PEER Kazakhstan Conference on August 21st, 2010 to conduct sessions learned during SLC. 

See for yourself on TV News: http://www.otyrar-tv.kz/news/1117/