Issue No.2

December 2013

This is the second issue of the Young Football Volunteers (YFV) newsletter covering our activities from June to November 2013. While preparing this issue, several youth lead initiatives sup-ported by the YFV within MDGs were underway in three oblasts. We hope you will enjoy this issue.

You can find… :

Project news- P1-P7

Next year plan– P8

Voices from participants– P9

Live map project- P10

Meet project members– P11

About YFV– P12

“Youth are a transform

ative force... The time

has come to integrate

youth voices more mean-

ingfully into

decision-making

processes

at all levels” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

2

The "Young Football Volunteers" (YFV) project conducted a vol-

unteer camp «VCamp» in Evpatoria from June 19 to 23. The

camp was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Youth

and Sports of Ukraine, the Evpatoria City Council and the Foot-

ball Federation of Ukraine.

Forty-eight (48) young people and 15 teachers from 45 schools

were trained in MDG, volunteering, leadership, project develop-

ment and communication skills. This will enable them to be more

competitive in the modern world. The participants also took part

in morning energizers, team competitions, sport games, sightseeing tours, and received gifts and colorful

prizes. Young boys and girls bravely overcame all the obstacles and puzzles of the adventure quest and

showed real team spirit of "Pirates", "Indians", "Royal Navy", and

"Guardsmen". Following the camp, the participants finalized their

youth projects and applied for the YFV mini-grants competition.

The winners have already received funding for their projects’

implementation.

Darina Mishchenko, a camp participant from the Mykolayiv re-

gion, explains: "In order to overcome poverty I would do more of such camps as VCamp, so that children can understand the im-portance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We have been working on the projects, and now we have an oppor-

tunity to implement them in our villages. Here I’ve learned a lot of new and interesting things, for exam-ple, how to develop projects. The camp volunteers gave me a big push and I feel even more confident. As soon as I return to our village, together with one other camp participant, we will develop an action plan, go to the head of the Village Council, and involve the School Principal in our project implementation".

Youth and volunteer camps are a popular in-

ternational practice for youth development

and empowerment. This camp is truly

“volunteer” because it is a joint effort of

UN Volunteers of the YFV project and NGO

activists. Representatives of the Ministry of

Youth and Sports of the Crimea, the UNDP

Crimea Programme Analyst, Kurtmolla Ab-

dulganiyev, and representatives of the Foot-

ball Federation of Ukraine attended the

VCamp’s opening and award ceremony.

3

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Headquarter Portfolio Manager for CIS and Eastern Europe, Olga

Devyatkin, visited us from September 19 to 20. She met with active young people and representa-

tives of local communities through the “fair play classes” in the pilot project areas in the Kherson ob-

last (Chernopolye, Chaplinka and Kahovskogo areas) and in the AR Crimea ( Chernyanka and Belogorsky

areas).

"I'm glad to see the happy faces of the participants. The results of the project are high for a rela-

tively short period of time. Also, regional coordinators are working directly with young people and

teachers at the local level on a volunteer basis and that is the main value “, explains Ms. Devjatkin.

During the meeting with the Minister of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of the ARC, Natalia

Goncharova, aspects of the project and new partnership opportunities for the future were discussed.

4

The Young Football Volunteers (YFV) project team members also took part in the youth forum

“Tavricheskiy Briz” which took place from September 30 to October 2, 2013 at the National Sport Cen-

ter in Evpatoriya. The youth forum was organized by the Crimean government with the support of the

German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

The forum served as a platform for representatives of youth serving organizations to exchange best

practices and learn from one another. The forum organizers put an emphasis on strengthening capacity

of youth leaders to develop and implement local community based projects led by young people.

Our YFV team, which consists of project coordinator Davron Mirsagatov, project assistant Anna Zakh-

arova, and regional project coordinator of AR Crimea, Esma Umerova, were invited to moderate work-

shops on “Development of Youth Initiatives”. Oleksandra Tselishcheva, chairwoman of the Regional De-

velopment Center “Top Kaya” and a longtime ally of the project, also assisted the YFV team. Five-

hundred (500) young people from Crimea

and ten CIS countries, learned the basics of

project design such as mission statement

and goal setting, needs assessment and for-

mulation of objectives. During the forum,

seven new youth action plans and projects

were designed and presented at a plenary

sessions to the Crimean Government. Pro-

jects focused on topics such as youth em-

ployment, youth leadership and develop-

ment, and health initiatives.

5

A three-day International Conference on youth health promotion, jointly orga-

nized by the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine and the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), took place on October 8 to 10 in Kyiv.

The conference brought together 100 participants (government officials, youth

health promotion experts, NGO representatives and business) from all 27 re-

gions of Ukraine and representatives from about 10 countries of Central Asia

and Eastern Europe.

The conference served as a platform for:

discussing critical issues in the area of youth health promotion

sharing experiences and best practices

analyzing existing approaches and developing effective solutions.

The Young Football Volunteers project was selected as a unique and innovative

example for best practices in promoting healthy life styles in Ukraine. Project

coordinator Davron Mirsagatov and the regional coordinator of the Kherson ob-

last, Kateryna Handziyuk, participated in the conference on behalf of the pro-

ject and presented the Youth Development through Football approach by

demonstrating one of the “Fair play” lessons.

All conference participants were invited based on recommendations by regional

departments of youth affairs, which

demonstrates trust in and recognition

of the YFV project by our government

partners.

6

The inter-regional football tournament

among schoolboys and schoolgirls from My-

kolaiv and Kherson oblasts and the Autono-

mous Republic of Crimea was held at the SK

“Arena” in Simferopol on October 24 to 26.

Seventy-two (72) young people and coaches

participated. The tournament aimed to pro-

mote the “Fair Play” methodology and to

strengthen the knowledge of young people in

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The

event was sup-

ported by the

UN Volunteers Programme, UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace,

UN Development Programme, Ukraine’s Football Federation, Ukraine’s Ministry

of Youth and Sports, and the German Agency for International Cooperation

(GIZ). The Ministry of Education and Science, Sports and Youth of Crimea

and the Crimean Football Federation were instrumental in organizing the inter

-regional football tournament.

Only the winning football teams from regional tournaments were invited to

participate in the tournament. Rural girls and boys aged 13 to 15 competed in

their respective categories. The boys’ team from Kherson demonstrated great

teamwork and skill from the first game on and won the tournament in their

category. The girls team from AR Crimea had to fight hard to beat in the last

minutes the team from Mykolaiv.

All participants of the tournament were awarded medals, diplomas of

the YFV project and football equipment. The main prize was to visit

the football facilities and the stadium of the Crimean Premier League

team “Tavriya”. The young participants had a chance to meet their

sport idols and get some tips on how to become first class athletes.

The Tavriya team members visibly enjoyed the joint photo session

and the individual autography signing ceremony with the tournament

participants at the “Lokomotiv” sta-

dium.

In addition to the football competition, the young people participated in

a study session on MDGs. An interactive “MDG tic – tac – toe” game was

introduced which allowed participants to learn about MDGs in a partici-

patory way and to express their creativity and enthusiasm.

7

On October 24th, the United Nations Day has tradi-

tionally been marked throughout the world with meet-

ings, discussions and exhibits about the achievements

and goals of the organization. Secretary General Ban

Kimoon said: “We continue to show what collective ac-tion can do. We can do even more. In a world that is more connected, we must be more united”.

On October 29th, two international United Nations

Volunteers assigned to Simferopol, AR Crimea, also

marked this date by giving a presentation to thirty 7th

grade school students at the Children’s Public Library.

Davron Mirsagatov, UN volunteer from Uzbekistan and

Young Football Volunteers project coordinator, de-

scribed the unique role of the United Nations in global

affairs. He talked in particular about the organizations’

mission related to human and civil rights.

Ayaka Kurehara from Japan shared her own experi-

ences of volunteer activities in different countries and

how she became a United Nations Volunteer: “As a little girl I listened to a lecture about poverty in Africa. I realized then that I wanted to change this situation and be part of a solution and I hope that kids today feel the same way”.

Students were inspired by the presentation and were

eager to learn more about the United Nations. They

asked a lot of questions related to peace building and

development missions. A few kids were interested in

how the United Nations are addressing the Syria con-

flict. After the presentation, the students and their

teachers committed to conduct Model United Nations

games at their schools in the near future.

8

This art object will be on display

in educational and public institu-

tions in the city.

A “Memory Corner” was launched at the

“Ivanovka” village school in Saki region. This

project idea was perceived to establish a me-

morial for a lost classmate. This area will

serve as a place of remembrance for everyone.

“Give me a cigarette” was

implemented in the Vez-

nesenk area between Oc-

tober and November.

About 8000 citizens were

informed about the

harmful effects of smok-

ing through leaflets and

an informational art ob-

ject created with 3,000

cigarette filters, which

were collected by 250

volunteers from local

schools and colleges.

"We dance football!" is a social action aimed at promoting healthy

lifestyles, football as a sport and dance as an art form among

young people. It includes a number of events that give young people

opportunities to express their ideas. For example a cheerleader

group for football and handball teams was created. The group

performed during several local sports events and in various villages

during the informational campaign “Day of Sport”, involving 480

young people.

“Pine Sich - Forest School of Volunteers” was implemented in

the Kakhovka District on September 8 to 9 in a forest camp.

Two-hundred participants were trained in MDGs, volunteer-

ism and leadership. In addition, participants cooked their

own meals, obtained survival skills and fostered peer-to-peer

exchange.

Y outh initiative projects aim to show local insti-

tutions the work of pro-active young people and

how they can be useful in developing their com-

munities.

9

1. Regional tournaments

which will lead to the

Inter-regional tournament 2. Regional youth forums to train young people on MDG,

volunteering, leadership, pro-ject development and communication skills

3. V-camp which wel-comes young people,

coaches and NGOs from 3 different project regions

We received more than 50 proposals for

We received more than 50 proposals for

We received more than 50 proposals for mini grants projects in 2013.

mini grants projects in 2013.

mini grants projects in 2013. Stay tuned! Calls for more proposals will be

Stay tuned! Calls for more proposals will be

Stay tuned! Calls for more proposals will be announced in Spring 2014.

announced in Spring 2014.

announced in Spring 2014.

4. Train more coaches and

young people on

“Fair Play methodology” 5. Youth initiative projects to support community

development.

It’s all about youth!!!!!

10

Gulak Olga, a football tournament participant from Mykolaiv region: “It was interesting for me to learn about MDGs today through such an inter-active game. Now I feel more responsible towards my own health and know how to prevent myself and my friends from HIV/AIDS infection.”

Andrey Uvarov, a youth camp participant from Mykolaiv region: “I enjoyed eve-rything; I wish only one thing - to attend such events more often! I learned how to conduct a campaign in my native village. I have met very interesting people like the UN volunteers and students from other schools; I have learned that people from other villages face similar problems as we do... and I am happy to hear that there are ways to solve them. All this has really affected me, and in the future I'm going to try to hold a clean-up campaign in my village ".

Suleyman Baranov, trainer of Belogorskaya Youth Physical Training School in the

AR Crimea, about Fair Play methodology: "When the theory is presented through a game, a child of any character and behavior, including, difficult children, learns the material excellently. In my practice, a child from a large family, who used to be ad-dicted to many bad habits, not to mention the poor performance at school, has changed his behavior to the positive after joining our football club and Fair Play classes. Now he plays the key role in the team; moreover, he encourages his siblings to do the same."

Kovalenko Tetyana Vasilіvna, Principal of Pochetnenskiy educational complex

"School-Lyceum" of Krasnoperekopska District Council of Autonomous Republic

of Crimea: I am very pleased that our students won the YFV Project micro-grant for the school. Dasha Kravchenko, participated in Youth Volunteer Camp where she learned necessary skills to become a leader and how to implement projects. Upon her return from the Camp, she decided to establish a green corner in our school. Dasha did a great job! She motivated all her class mates, inspired par-ents and teachers. We are happy to see that youth activism is getting popular, and we are always ready to support youth initiatives.

“The uniqueness of the YFV Project is commitment of coaches who are volun-teering their time in order to integrate and apply “Fair Play” educational method-ology into school curriculum. We have seen coaches together with young people already leading small scale development projects in line with MDGs at local com-munity level. We are confident that by seeing their coaches’ commitment, more and more young people will become more active in the development of their com-munities.“ Davron Mirsagatov, Coordinator of the Project.

11

“Live Map of Simferopol” is a map of youth activities, interesting places and non-standard leisure activities

in Simferopol. The project aims to increase the level of civic activism of young people in Simferopol and Cri-

mea, promotion of volunteering and creating of comfortable space for young people and visitors of the city.

This project is a voluntary initiative undertaken within the framework of UNV micro-grants programme.

Within the micro-grant 1,000 hard copies of the map will be printed and distributed among university and

public libraries and places where young people gather. In addition, anyone can download and print the map

out, as well as supplement the map with new interesting places to the interactive map on the website.

In near future the following tours around the city will be conducted by pro-

ject volunteer-guides on regular bases: The Downtown Walk, The Royal

Trail, The Medical Tour, Stories of Salgir. Also the trips to museums, and

interesting lectures on local history to be organized.

Project Partners: Crimean Ethnographic Museum, Taurida Central Museum,

"Research Center of Cultural Heritage of Crimea", Youth newspaper "Pod

Pritselom", Crimean Youth NGO "New People", Human Rights Center

"Deystvie", Art Studio "Clouds".

With support of the Ministry of Culture of Crimea, Simferopol Department

of Culture of the City Council, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

of the ARC, Ministry of resorts and tourism of the ARC.

12

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Dmy-

tro Say, our own UNV YFV coordinator from the

Mykolayiv oblast, has received the “Volunteering

Award for 2013” by His Highness Sheikh Isa Bin

Ali Al-Khalifa from the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dmy-

tro was selected as one of the two best examples

for outstanding international volunteer work. We

are very proud to have him in our team and we

know that our youth participants will be inspired

by his great work.

Davron Mirsagatov (Uzbekistan)

UNV Youth and Sport Specialist/

Project Coordinator

dmirsagatov@undp.crimea.ua

Esma Umerova (Ukraine)

UNV Regional coordinator in the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea

eumerova@undp.crimea.ua

Kateryna Handziuk (Ukraine)

UNV Regional coordinator in

Kherson oblast

khandziuk@undp.crimea.ua

Dmytro Say (Ukraine)

UNV Regional coordinator in

Mykolaiv oblast

dsay@undp.crimea.ua

Anna Zakharova (Ukraine)

UNV Project Development and In-

ternational Research Assistant

azakharova@undp.crimea.ua

Ayaka Kurehara (Japan)

UNV Youth Volunteering Spe-

cialist / Project Assistant

akurehara@undp.crimea.ua

13

You can find us here

Newsletter: mfv2012group@googlegroups.com

Website: www.mfv.org.ua

Blog: yfvolunteer.blogpost.com

vk.com/yfv2012

https://www.facebook.com/UNDPinCrimea

The primary focus of the “Young Football Vol-

unteers: Sport and Volunteering for Millennium

Development Goals”, implemented in the Kher-

son / Mykolayiv oblasts and the AR Crimea, is

on HIV/AIDS prevention by using volunteering

and sport to promote social cohesion, strength-

en civil society, and improve physical and social

health of young people aged 12 to 20.

The project is executed in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Football Fed-

eration of Ukraine (FFU), and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) to promote youth

development methodology through sport and healthy life styles. The project is financed by the United Na-

tions Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine

(UNDP), and the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV).

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to

support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development,

and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and develop-

ment by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into develop-

ment programming, and mobilizing volunteers.

For more information please visit: http://ukraine.unv.org

Contact us here

UNDP Sub-office in Crimea

13 a, Turetska St, 6th floor, Simferopol

95011, Crimea, Ukraine

Phone: +380 (652) 248-002

Fax: +380 (652) 248-011

E-mail: info@undp.crimea.ua

Results by November 2013 Expected results in 2014 Category

✔ 345 coaches 300 coaches Coaches trained on Fair Play methodology

Young people learnt Fair Play methodology 3086 young people 6000 young people

Youth initiative mini-grants projects 47 projects 75 projects

Youth action Plans ✔ 54 youth action plans 50 youth action plans

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