VZCZCXRO2766
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0342/01 0930955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030955Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8589
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

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 
------- 
 
¶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 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶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 
 
ASHGABAT 00000342  002 OF 003 
 
 
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 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶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" 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶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 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶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 
 
ASHGABAT 00000342  003 OF 003 
 
 
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 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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