OSCE Office in Tajikistan

Bolstering skills and co-operation

In Kayrakkum, Tajikistan, for example, the young participants in an OSCE summer camp experienced life in a model transition economy, said Dr. Ayubjon Yusupov, Head of Junior Achievement Tajikistan, which helped organize the camp. They privatized mock state-run companies and set up their own enterprises.

At a second OSCE-supported camp in Kayrakkum, participants from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, together with trainers from Kazakhstan, cleaned up part of a beach and discussed with local beach goers how tourism could economically benefit the area.

Like all other OSCE summer camps, the Kayrakkum camps - with their focus on economic, environment and sustainable development - further the Organization's overall goal of promoting security by helping young people gain skills and learn from each other.

"Summer camps can be an important vehicle to empower young people with the skills and understanding to function in our global society," said Helen Santiago Fink, a Senior Officer with the Office of the Co-ordinator on OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

Learning about environment, economy and politics

This year's OSCE camps also included one in Kazakhstan where children living in villages near a former nuclear test site learned how to live safely in radiation-contaminated areas. In Turkmenistan, school children learned how the Caspian Sea can be protected from environmental danger at a camp that also featured music, sports, and arts and crafts competitions.

For the children and young people, most of whom have no other such opportunities, it's a fun way to learn. Participants in a summer camp supported by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, for example, raved about having learned about economy and politics - and each other.

The camp brought together young people from the country's different ethnic groups, and for many, it was the first in-depth encounters with people of other backgrounds. "We learned about business and democracy. But we also learned from each other," 15-year-old Kire said after the camp.

Another participant was 18-year old Borislav: "This was the best experience ever! I learned not only something about economy and politics in my own country, but I also made new friends from different cultures and ethnic groups."

Spreading OSCE goals

Aside from good memories and new-found friendships, participants also take with them a greater understanding of issues that affect their countries' development. By sharing their experiences with people at home and by using their new skills, the participants help spread the goals of the OSCE.

At the sustainable development camp in Kayrakkum, participants wanted help to stay in touch even after the camp closed and they had travelled home to their different countries - proof that the regional co-operation promoted by OSCE is a popular idea among those who will lead communities in the future.

"An alumni association for camp participants would be great," said Aidai, a student at the Central Asian University of Bishkek. "That way we could stay in touch with our friends from the other states over the years, exchange ideas and meet up again."