Project Updates

After confronting and successfully overcoming her own medical issues associated with an eating disorder, Halyna Kurylo, an alumna of the Global Undergraduate Program (UGRAD), was determined to share her experiences and personal triumphs with others. In fall 2007, she successfully won a 10-month Alumni Small Grant  to develop and implement a public awareness campaign that would educate youth in Ukraine about eating disorders through a series of trainings, workshops, and information distribution.

At first glance, the University of California, Davis and Telavi State University, in the Republic of Georgia don’t appear to have much in common. However, it is some of their differences as well as their commonalities that make UC Davis an ideal host for Sophio (Sopo) Arsenishvili, Deputy Head of the International Office at Telavi State University.

The recently released second edition of the Jordan Media Survey includes significant findings on Internet usage—including a 100 percent increase in Internet use over last year’s figures—as well as on the most popular online news sources. The survey, prepared by IREX’s Jordan Media Strengthening Program, is much-anticipated in a media environment where independent and scientific market research has long been an unaffordable luxury for scores of independent radio stations, newspapers, and new media outlets.

As the Red River rises to record levels this week, Muskie and Global UGRAD program fellows who live and study at North Dakota State University in Fargo have joined the fight to prevent massive flooding. With classes cancelled for the remainder of the week, Muskie and UGRAD fellows mobilized alongside thousands of community members to fill sandbags to hold back the Red River.

Alumni of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship (Muskie) Program and the Global Undergraduate Exchange (UGrad) Program in Russia recently participated in a Virtual Career Fair organized by IREX. The fair was the final component of a Career Progression Training program led by IREX and held in Moscow last fall.

In recent years, the Republic of Buryatiya has seen a sharp increase in the number of at-risk families and children without parental support. 

In preparation for Romania’s parliamentary elections, community members at two pilot site libraries in Salaj County came together to learn about Romania’s new national voting system and discuss the upcoming elections. IREX helped coordinate these meetings with librarians at the Cehu Silvaniei and Bobota public libraries, introducing new library services to the communities and demonstrating the role of modern libraries in serving their communities.

In recent years, Ukraine has seen the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe and Eurasia, with an estimated 440,000 Ukrainians currently living with HIV/AIDS. While general awareness of HIV is common among the Ukrainian population, stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive individuals remains pervasive, as do behaviors that put individuals at greater risk of transmitting the virus.

IREX's Jordan Media Strengthening Program on May 3 will launch the Jordan News Media Stylebook. The comprehensive style guide--it covers print, broadcast, and online media--was produced for the Get Out the Vote Campaign ahead of the 2007 parliamentary elections and for a parliamentary TV show.

Over 400,000 young people participate in Model United Nations simulations each year, but students in Turkmenistan weren’t among them—until Global Undergraduate Exchange (Global UGRAD) Program alumnus Dayanch Hojagyeldiyev (2004-2005) got involved. After experiencing firsthand as an exchange student the influence that youth can have in shaping their local communities, Dayanch teamed up with fellow US Department of State exchange alumni, Peace Corps volunteers, professional trainers, and international organizations to launch Turkmenistan’s first ever Model United Nations (MUN) club.