In my last post I mentioned I attended a youth forum yesterday. Now I will explain what the forum and title of this post are all about.
2009 is Russia's "year of the young people". In honor of this year, the Urals Federal District (Russia has 7 Federal Districts), which is comprised of 6 different regions (including the Tyumen Region), held a "Youth Forum of the Ural Region" at a camp (in the middle of a forest?) in the Tyumen Province, not far from the city. The forum was a three day event, the first of its kind, where young people, mainly students and representatives from NGOs, from these 6 regions met to discuss social problems, and to draft ideas of how our generation can tackle such issues.
Yesterday, the third and final day, there was an international panel on youth and alcohol. The purpose of this panel was to provide insight as to how prevalent drinking among youth is in different countries and why or why not, to share the laws of our respective countries, and measures that are used to help prevent alcohol abuse, so that young Russians might be able to come up with ideas for how to reduce alcohol related issues in Russia.
I heard about this forum from Pavel, a Russian Fulbrighter, who spent a year in NYC studying our legal system. Pavel is now a professor of international law at Tyumen State University (not my university). He worked with Katherine last year and we met at a cafe on Wednesday to talk about the forum and the panel, upcoming events, and opportunities for community involvement in the year ahead. For example, an event at the American Corner where a consulate representative will be in attendance (I will be in Moscow for that...oh well) and a model United Nations conference!
In cities across the world where there isn't a US Embassy or Consulate, there will often be "American Corners", basically a building where you can find American books, movies, and other information about the US. Once I find the American Corner...I know it is near my university...I plan on utilizing the space as a neutral ground and I'd like to plan various workshops, events, or lectures that will be open to the community. Also, for the first time in two years, there is a coordinator in the American Corner, and it just so happens to be one of his former students!
Community activity, in addition to my teaching duties and side research project, is also an important component to my year in Tyumen. This past month I have sort of just been in "survival mode" for the most part, becoming familiar with the city, getting settled, and figuring out teaching, so I haven't yet sought opportunities for community involvement, I haven't started my project, and I haven't really had time to focus on improving my Russian either. I was starting to get a bit concerned that I was a little behind, but after hearing things are moving pretty slow for mostly everyone, I relaxed a lot.
Also, Pavel told me that since one of Tyumen's strong points is in the field of ecology, that Tyumen State University had applied for some type of grant in this field and heard they won, coincidentally, on the same day I met with Pavel. I don't remember all of the details, but they will choose a professor from one of three US universities to come to Tyumen in either January or February of 2010. Since my research project is regarding international, specifically US/Russian, relations, with a focus on the environment and energy, Pavel said that whoever this professor might be, may be a great resource. I left our meeting sort of feeling that all signs are pointing to a really positive and productive year.
Attending the forum meant skipping out on my teaching duties for the day, which I felt really bad about, because I am associated with TyumGASU and not Tyumen State. Luckily, on short notice, Svetlana said it would be fine and I taught 1 1/2 lessons before boarding the bus to the forum.
The drive there was pretty insane. Not because I would call most Russian drivers "crazy" (I have heard Russians say the same), but because of a phone call Pavel's colleague received on the way. Pavel mentioned we would be speaking to a group of 300 people or so, and I wouldn't even have to speak Russian if I wasn't comfortable enough to do it (and I definitely wasn't). I thought, "300, that should be fine". Pavel had even sent me a list of questions they might ask the night before. Anyway, 300 people went to 143 million people in an instant. Apparently, this youth forum was going to be broadcast across Russia in millions of homes. I was warned at orientation we might be interviewed by the media or even be on TV, but I really didn't expect it to happen. I couldn't do anything but laugh and think "well, no turning around now! I wanted adventures, and this will certainly be one!". I was pretty shocked, a little excited, a little nervous, but I remained surprisingly calm, only wishing I had spent 15 extra minutes getting ready in the morning and worn something different for my first tv debut in general, let alone Russian national TV. I honestly don't know if I ever made it to TV, I tried watching this channel when I got home, but I didn't see anything. Grunya, a Russian journalist/economic observer, who helped translate after the panel, told me it was probably on several times, but I am sort of hoping this is not the case.
We arrived at the camp, which was a former Soviet summer camp that has been de-Sovietized, where the forum was held. Once we arrived we had maybe 15 minutes for tea, and then we were whisked away to our posts on the panel. There were maybe 12 of us on the panel in total. 2 from Mongolia, France, and Azerbaijan, and one from China, Ghana, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Germany, and me. We were all very warmly received. The organizer, a guy involved with the local government, thanked us profusely for coming, and gave us gifts for coming. We received photos of Tyumen and a keychain made from ivory. We were apparently among the group of distinguished guests for the evening. The students at the conference were also really interested in getting to know us and once we had a break I was approached by several people all very eager to ask me questions. More on the questions later, but I almost always am asked the following questions: Why did you want to come to Russia? Tyumen? Are you married? Who did you vote for? Some question about Russian politics. Can you help me with my English?
Following the panel, we were able to just relax and enjoy the remaining events of the forum. Immediately following the short break after the panel was the presentation of ideas and potential projects that 6 groups of students had come up with. There were two judges, and I was intrigued that they didn't hold judgment to the end, but instead questioned each group that presented, and these groups had to defend their work. The judge ripped into the first group voicing his extreme disappointment, as they had only put on a skit, and not formed any concrete ideas. The following groups received a better response. The whole concept of the forum was really interesting to me, and it was pretty incredible to see.
The evening concluded with a concert and overall celebration. First, three government representatives, the governors from the Urals, and from Tyumen, and a representative from the Federal government spoke. They were overall impressed with the forum and the young people and said "the government is ready to listen to the young people now and in years to come...we look forward to making this event an annual one". I thought that was pretty amazing, and I was told this was also a big deal, because the sister of one governor was in charge of the event. Next there was plenty of screaming and happiness as the the six groups were all recognized for their hard work. The awards were followed by several dance performances. The first was an ode to Russia, and the dancers used red, white, and blue pool noodles (I'm serious) to spell words and form designs, I couldn't get over the noodles, but it was entertaining. Next up was a group of breakdancers and BMX stunt riders, then and a group of girls, who put on a hip hop performance, including a tribute to Michael Jackson. After the performances there was a huge fireworks display, fourth of July style, and then we boarded the bus back home.
The ride back was amusing. It was like the United Nations meets Babel. I think we all had a good laugh out of trying to figure out how to communicate with each other. Luckily, we were pretty successful. Spending the day together at this forum was an incredible experience. Being able to be a part of something like this was rewarding in and of itself, but the chance to meet fellow foreigners living in Tyumen was exciting, as until now, I have interacted exclusively with Russians. We all exchanged numbers or e-mail addresses, and I even made a few connections with Russians at the forum, so after a bit of a slow and steady start to making friends, I think the pace will begin to pick up!
2009 is Russia's "year of the young people". In honor of this year, the Urals Federal District (Russia has 7 Federal Districts), which is comprised of 6 different regions (including the Tyumen Region), held a "Youth Forum of the Ural Region" at a camp (in the middle of a forest?) in the Tyumen Province, not far from the city. The forum was a three day event, the first of its kind, where young people, mainly students and representatives from NGOs, from these 6 regions met to discuss social problems, and to draft ideas of how our generation can tackle such issues.
Yesterday, the third and final day, there was an international panel on youth and alcohol. The purpose of this panel was to provide insight as to how prevalent drinking among youth is in different countries and why or why not, to share the laws of our respective countries, and measures that are used to help prevent alcohol abuse, so that young Russians might be able to come up with ideas for how to reduce alcohol related issues in Russia.
I heard about this forum from Pavel, a Russian Fulbrighter, who spent a year in NYC studying our legal system. Pavel is now a professor of international law at Tyumen State University (not my university). He worked with Katherine last year and we met at a cafe on Wednesday to talk about the forum and the panel, upcoming events, and opportunities for community involvement in the year ahead. For example, an event at the American Corner where a consulate representative will be in attendance (I will be in Moscow for that...oh well) and a model United Nations conference!
In cities across the world where there isn't a US Embassy or Consulate, there will often be "American Corners", basically a building where you can find American books, movies, and other information about the US. Once I find the American Corner...I know it is near my university...I plan on utilizing the space as a neutral ground and I'd like to plan various workshops, events, or lectures that will be open to the community. Also, for the first time in two years, there is a coordinator in the American Corner, and it just so happens to be one of his former students!
Community activity, in addition to my teaching duties and side research project, is also an important component to my year in Tyumen. This past month I have sort of just been in "survival mode" for the most part, becoming familiar with the city, getting settled, and figuring out teaching, so I haven't yet sought opportunities for community involvement, I haven't started my project, and I haven't really had time to focus on improving my Russian either. I was starting to get a bit concerned that I was a little behind, but after hearing things are moving pretty slow for mostly everyone, I relaxed a lot.
Also, Pavel told me that since one of Tyumen's strong points is in the field of ecology, that Tyumen State University had applied for some type of grant in this field and heard they won, coincidentally, on the same day I met with Pavel. I don't remember all of the details, but they will choose a professor from one of three US universities to come to Tyumen in either January or February of 2010. Since my research project is regarding international, specifically US/Russian, relations, with a focus on the environment and energy, Pavel said that whoever this professor might be, may be a great resource. I left our meeting sort of feeling that all signs are pointing to a really positive and productive year.
Attending the forum meant skipping out on my teaching duties for the day, which I felt really bad about, because I am associated with TyumGASU and not Tyumen State. Luckily, on short notice, Svetlana said it would be fine and I taught 1 1/2 lessons before boarding the bus to the forum.
The drive there was pretty insane. Not because I would call most Russian drivers "crazy" (I have heard Russians say the same), but because of a phone call Pavel's colleague received on the way. Pavel mentioned we would be speaking to a group of 300 people or so, and I wouldn't even have to speak Russian if I wasn't comfortable enough to do it (and I definitely wasn't). I thought, "300, that should be fine". Pavel had even sent me a list of questions they might ask the night before. Anyway, 300 people went to 143 million people in an instant. Apparently, this youth forum was going to be broadcast across Russia in millions of homes. I was warned at orientation we might be interviewed by the media or even be on TV, but I really didn't expect it to happen. I couldn't do anything but laugh and think "well, no turning around now! I wanted adventures, and this will certainly be one!". I was pretty shocked, a little excited, a little nervous, but I remained surprisingly calm, only wishing I had spent 15 extra minutes getting ready in the morning and worn something different for my first tv debut in general, let alone Russian national TV. I honestly don't know if I ever made it to TV, I tried watching this channel when I got home, but I didn't see anything. Grunya, a Russian journalist/economic observer, who helped translate after the panel, told me it was probably on several times, but I am sort of hoping this is not the case.
We arrived at the camp, which was a former Soviet summer camp that has been de-Sovietized, where the forum was held. Once we arrived we had maybe 15 minutes for tea, and then we were whisked away to our posts on the panel. There were maybe 12 of us on the panel in total. 2 from Mongolia, France, and Azerbaijan, and one from China, Ghana, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Germany, and me. We were all very warmly received. The organizer, a guy involved with the local government, thanked us profusely for coming, and gave us gifts for coming. We received photos of Tyumen and a keychain made from ivory. We were apparently among the group of distinguished guests for the evening. The students at the conference were also really interested in getting to know us and once we had a break I was approached by several people all very eager to ask me questions. More on the questions later, but I almost always am asked the following questions: Why did you want to come to Russia? Tyumen? Are you married? Who did you vote for? Some question about Russian politics. Can you help me with my English?
Following the panel, we were able to just relax and enjoy the remaining events of the forum. Immediately following the short break after the panel was the presentation of ideas and potential projects that 6 groups of students had come up with. There were two judges, and I was intrigued that they didn't hold judgment to the end, but instead questioned each group that presented, and these groups had to defend their work. The judge ripped into the first group voicing his extreme disappointment, as they had only put on a skit, and not formed any concrete ideas. The following groups received a better response. The whole concept of the forum was really interesting to me, and it was pretty incredible to see.
The evening concluded with a concert and overall celebration. First, three government representatives, the governors from the Urals, and from Tyumen, and a representative from the Federal government spoke. They were overall impressed with the forum and the young people and said "the government is ready to listen to the young people now and in years to come...we look forward to making this event an annual one". I thought that was pretty amazing, and I was told this was also a big deal, because the sister of one governor was in charge of the event. Next there was plenty of screaming and happiness as the the six groups were all recognized for their hard work. The awards were followed by several dance performances. The first was an ode to Russia, and the dancers used red, white, and blue pool noodles (I'm serious) to spell words and form designs, I couldn't get over the noodles, but it was entertaining. Next up was a group of breakdancers and BMX stunt riders, then and a group of girls, who put on a hip hop performance, including a tribute to Michael Jackson. After the performances there was a huge fireworks display, fourth of July style, and then we boarded the bus back home.
The ride back was amusing. It was like the United Nations meets Babel. I think we all had a good laugh out of trying to figure out how to communicate with each other. Luckily, we were pretty successful. Spending the day together at this forum was an incredible experience. Being able to be a part of something like this was rewarding in and of itself, but the chance to meet fellow foreigners living in Tyumen was exciting, as until now, I have interacted exclusively with Russians. We all exchanged numbers or e-mail addresses, and I even made a few connections with Russians at the forum, so after a bit of a slow and steady start to making friends, I think the pace will begin to pick up!
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