UGRAD Alumnus Launches Model United Nations in Turkmenistan

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.

While studying sociology at Washington State University, Dayanch volunteered at the Whitman County Community Action Center, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing poverty, strengthening families, and improving the local community. This community service—an integral component of the Global UGRAD fellowship—exposed Dayanch to new ideas and experiences that ignited his desire and determination to invest in youth in his own country. Dayanch received an Alumni Small Grant through IREX in May 2008 to create the MUN club as a forum for Turkmenistan’s secondary-school students and graduates to harvest a greater understanding of contemporary global issues.

Dayanch, who works on an environmental project at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ashgabat, invited guest speakers from various UN agencies, the World Bank, and other international organizations to explain their current mandates to MUN club members. Ultimately, through frequent meetings, debates, and discussions, the club provided over 25 participants with 70 hours of training in leadership, critical thinking, and public speaking. By September 2008, they were prepared for Turkmenistan’s first ever MUN conference, where delegates represented 11 countries’ positions on the global financial crisis.

Dayanch’s MUN involvement connects him to a global network of young leaders striving to improve their communities. In October 2008, he and two of the MUN club members won a US Embassy Democracy Commission grant to participate in an international MUN conference in Ukraine, and in November 2008, Dayanch was featured as State Alumnus of the Month for his achievements. Turkmenistan’s MUN may even have an impact in North Africa; a Fulbright alumnus who read the article online recently contacted Dayanch for advice on how to start a MUN club in his native Tunisia.

As part of his Alumni Small Grant, Dayanch produced a project management and grant-writing handbook called Exploring the World of Opportunities, which he hopes will inspire Turkmenistan’s youth to put their ideas into action. Says Dayanch, “My exchange year in the United States gave me a great a chance to learn and witness how people could make a change and improve things around them. As an alumnus of the Global UGRAD program and as the person who’s been delegated to bring the world back to my home country, I tried to do my best conducting various community development and youth education projects.”

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and is administered by IREX.