Youth Theater for Peace Impact Update
Dear all,
I’d like to share a brief impact update from IREX’s Youth Theater for Peace programs, which are active in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Youth Theater for Peace (YTP) participants are proving that discussion can lead to positive action – and have a great impact on individual lives. The YTP theater group from Chorku, a conservative village in the remote, mountainous Isfara district of Tajikistan, has staged several interactive plays in their community about girls’ education and early marriage. Their work has opened up a space to talk about female empowerment: as girls involved say, the plays “make people think about these issues out loud.”
It’s not all talk. On September 1, another school year began in Chorku. Last year there weren’t any girls studying in the 11th grade at the school where Dilrabo Rajabova, a YTP theater group leader, teaches – most stayed home after 10th grade to care for family members or get married. This year, 20 girls have enrolled in the 11th grade, reports Ms. Rajabova. She believes the change is a result of YTP participants’ efforts to raise awareness.
There is more good news in Isfara for youth – Ms. Rajabova has permission from the Department of Education to open new school Drama Clubs in two more villages and the local government has invited her to work with additional cultural centers in the district.
If you have any questions about the programs please feel free to contact me or my colleagues Nasima Nazrieva at IREX/TJ and Ulugbek Nurumbetov at IREX/KG.
Best,
Susie
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Susan Armitage
Senior Program Officer
Susan Armitage
Senior Program Officer
Education Programs Division
IREX (www.irex.org
) IREX (www.irex.org
2121 K St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037
Tel: 202-628-8188 x 185 | Fax: 202-628-8189
E-mail: sarmitage@irex.org | Skype: susie.armitage
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