Like the first project, piloted in 2007, this project was aimed at direct involvement of urban children in living cultural traditions, life of the village, learning about crafts, folklore, national horse games during staying in the village; learning about spiritual and moral values of people, cultural and informational exchange of knowledge and skills between urban and village children.

The program included trainings in Bishkek schools #6, 24, and 29; and trip to Korgondu-bulak village, Issyk-Kul region during the fall break. In total 50 school-students took part in the project. Almost all of them had opportunity to take part in the trainings and different activities.

Through collaboration with Mercy Corp Kyrgyzstan and support of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Kyrgyzstan participants of the school project were invited to take part in Apple Festival-2008 in Kyzyl-Tuu village, Issyk-Kul region.

The experienced instructors from universities and schools led the trainings with school-children. Among them were professional art-photographers, who worked in the project in 2007: Alimjon Jorobaev and Alexander Fedorov, operator-professional, trained PV facilitator Marat Ergeshev. The sessions were conducted each Sunday in October and included several topics:

• §Basics of photographing;
• §Participatory video techniques;
• §Place-based writing;
• §History and geography of the place;
• §Local culture and traditions

The program of trainings included informational (about local nature and culture) and educational (understanding of the value of nature, environment, and responsible human-nature relations) components. The most important thing that children had to learn during the trainings was to learn how see, observe, feel, sense, and reflect about things surrounding them in pictures, writings, and videos.

During the trip to rural area, children from Bishkek were staying in the families of their peers in Kogondu-Bulak village. The introduction and the concert were shown on the fist evening. Urban children were involved in the daily household chores, took care of the animals and visited At-Chabysh Festival of the national horse games. They were taking pictures, making video together with village children and wrote their notes. They became friends with village children and tried to learn from each other as much as they could. In turn village children visited their new friends in Bishkek.

In the result of the project, there were lots of pictures, essays, video- and computer presentations made by children. 60 pictures were presented on the exhibition in the G.Aitiev Fine Art Museum. Students were awarded with prizes for the best photographs and essays. The video was presented on the First Participatory Video Festival. The information about the project was covered by media through TV news, radio and newspapers.

Based on the best photographs and essays of school students participating in the school projects in 2007 and 2008, a photo-album “The Earth is in the Focus: The World through Children’ Eyes” was published in 2008. 

Photo: http://www.taalimforum.kg/index.php/en/galleries/photo/270-shkolnyj-proekt-zdravstvuj-rodnoj-kraj-2008-g