This closure report is for the following Open Forum:
Открытый форум TIG "Российские молодежные инициативы и ЦРТ" / Youth Initiatives and MDGs in Russia
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Click here to view photos from this event!
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OUTCOMES |
What were the major issues that were expressed in the group? Please provide a summary of all the key points that were shared at the forum.
One could hear thoughts stirring loudly in the heads of those guys sitting in complete silence pondering about the mass of the facts about the MDG process they had just learnt. This silence was not for long, however. It burst into a storm of ideas and hectic movements across the room as the participants started sharing their opinions on the situation around MDGs in Russia. It appeared that many of them had implemented projects connected with at least one of the Goals, so they were excited to tell everyone present about their experiences.
Coming from different regions of Russia, these ladies and young men found 4 Goals more relevant to their communities: Goal 5 (Improving maternal health), Goal 6 (Combating HIV/AIDS), Goal 7 (Ensuring environmental sustainability), Goal 8 (Developing global partnership for development). After a short brainstorming session each group that worked on the recommendations for one of these goals presented their ideas for broad discussion. The Goal 5 group drew attention to the importance of educating young parents and establishing volunteer day care services at universities and colleges. The next group was convincing in their proposal to include comprehensible sexual and health education courses into high school curricula. The Goal 7 group stated the importance of both environmental education at schools and promotion of transparent licensing process for industrial businesses. The group that worked with Goal 8 concentrated in particular on the importance of building “global partnerships at local levels,” i.e. promoting cooperation between the government, business, and the private sector.
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Do you think the Open Forum was effective in terms of inspiring and helping participants take positive action locally, nationally and/or globally? What specific actions did you agree to take individually or as a group in the future?
Raising awareness about MDGs among youth in Russia and connecting it to the experiences they bring from their local communities was the major objective achieved by the forum. Very few participants appeared to be knowledgeable about MDGs, so the information they received they will pass on, and the vibrant storming for the ideas will bring forth new suggestions for possible projects.
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What do you feel were the positive outcomes resulting from this forum that may help create change in your community?
The OF itself was unfortunately too short to hear all the ideas and let everybody share. However, the discussion kept on outside the room – and I hope that these young people will bring the ideas they came up with back to their home communities and will start new volunteer projects. This time – connecting them to the global initiative on MDGs.
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How many youth were in attendance? 32
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How many of the youth in attendance were TIG members? 0
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LESSONS AND INSIGHTS
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Were there any major struggles that you faced while coordinating this forum, before and during the actual event? How did you overcome these obstacles?
Yes, very bad timing and logistical assistance on the side of event organizers. Setting up the room took too much time, so we had to stay more to make up for the loss. Useful links were given to the participants so that they could do more detailed research on the questions that we left behind.
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Were there any major factors that helped you coordinate this forum more easily than expected?
The participants themselves were very supporting. This was the best OF I've ran ever - I could phisically sense the welcoming atmosphere and the thirst for knowledge and opportunity in the room! That was very supporting.
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