New IT project brings computer literacy to Ukraine's youth (06/15/03)

New IT project brings computer literacy to Ukraine's youth

by Miriam Bates

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation (USUF) has introduced ClickUkraine, a hi-tech initiative that seeks to connect Ukraine's youth to the world through computer literacy.

ClickUkraine, a collaborative effort of USUF, the Kobzar Society, Dan River Region Rotaract Club and the Capitol City Rotaract Club, will promote the technological development of Ukraine through three project components: supply of second-hand refurbished computers to Ukrainian educational institutions; launch of Internet-connected computer labs across Ukraine; and establishment of a free educational IT program at labs for Ukrainian youth in themes such as Introduction to Computers and Win95, MS Word, Excel, computer troubleshooting and the Internet.

The project will first send much-needed refurbished hardware to educational institutions in Ukraine through the assistance of the Kobzar Society, a non-profit organization based in Lehighton, Pa. Since 2000, the Kobzar Society's Computers for Ukraine program has maintained a database of educational institutions, including high schools, universities and libraries, in need of computers. To date, the society has collected over 500 computers - 200 of which have already been shipped to Ukraine. The cost of upgrading and shipping a single unit to Ukraine is approximately $250. The USUF met with Kobzar Society President Orest Hanas and Vice-President Daniel King in February and has secured their full support and participation in ClickUkraine.

Rotarians support project

Several U.S. Rotaract clubs have selected ClickUkraine as their international service project for the year and will provide initial funds for the refurbishing and shipment of the second-hand computers and for the first steps toward the establishment of computer centers.

Rotaract, a worldwide Rotary-sponsored young adult organization committed to service and international peace and understanding, will facilitate volunteer recruitment that is so essential to the program's development. From over 350 chapters in the United States and nine in Ukraine, Rotaract members will volunteer at recipient schools and educational institutions as IT trainers, will secure and maintain computer centers, and will encourage further volunteer involvement.

Program Coordinator, Vadim Ostrovksy (see below), will attend a national Rotaract meeting in Little Rock, Ark., where he will solicit the support of Rotaract clubs from around the nation.

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation will head project and financial administration, marketing, networking and computer placement. ClickUkraine will benefit from the foundation's wide base of resources and experience through its Community Partnership Project (CPP), a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development that partners 14 Ukrainian local governments with 14 U.S. cities for public administration education, training and internship exchanges.

CPP also operates five regional training centers (RTCs) in Cherkasy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Lviv, which offer additional training to partner communities and other local governments (more than 925 cities and villages) across Ukraine. CPP has also created a network of forward-thinking cities through the publication of its monthly, Partners, and quarterly, Aspekty Samovriaduvannia.

USUF contacts are key

With a wide network of contacts in Ukraine and the United States and years of experience in project administration, the USUF will be key to ClickUkraine's success. The USUF will attend the upcoming Sister Cities International Annual Conference in July 2003 where foundation staff will present ClickUkraine to a number of sister city representatives in Ukraine. The foundation has already met with Timothy Honey, executive director of Sister Cities International (SCI), to discuss SCI's future collaboration with ClickUkraine.

Designed by students from Ukraine

Two Ukrainian students studying in the United States and serving as interns at the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, Mr. Ostrovsky and Lesya Chernohuz, designed and launched the project in spring 2003. Mr. Ostrovsky, USUF intern and project coordinator, created the project with the vision that Ukraine's technological development is "the future of Ukraine - helping Ukraine turn from an agricultural and manufacturing based economy and towards an IT service driven economy."

Mr. Ostrovsky hails originally from Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, and will complete his undergraduate degree at Averett University in Danville, Va., in December 2003. He was also a participant in the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation first annual Youth Leadership Program (2002) and is the newly elected director of Rotaract International's Northern Virginia District. He plans to attend law and business school in the United States and to pursue a career involved in U.S.-Ukraine relations.

Ms. Chornohuz, originally from Kyiv and a former student at National Agricultural University, moved to Washington in November 2002. She hopes to continue her undergraduate studies in the fall of 2003 at Georgetown University or at The George Washington University.

The USUF is inviting individuals and institutions to join the ClickUkraine alliance and to help connect Ukraine's youth with the world. The foundation is grateful for the support of the Kobzar Society and Rotaract International, which will make the initial progress of this project possible. Sustained and expanded project activities, however, will require the support of volunteers, private donors, and institutions.

To donate to ClickUkraine, please send a check to the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation with a note indicating ClickUkraine in the memo line. Interested volunteers may contact Mr. Ostrovsky at vostrovs@averett.edu or call the USUF at (202) 347-4264.

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