"Umid" Support to Social Development Public Union ("Umid" SSD PU), with financial support from the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has initiated the implementation of the project titled "Enhancing Public and Social Engagement Among Students through the Improvement of Social Welfare Environments." The project is set to be executed over a 4-month period, from August 1 to November 30, 2023. The targeted project locations are secondary schools No. 280, named after M. Mehdiyev, in Hovsan settlement, Baku, and No. 262, located in Turkan settlement, Khazar district.
This project aims to establish student groups and clubs with shared interests, challenges, and objectives within secondary schools. These groups will identify and prioritize their problems, forming around areas such as economics, employment, art, creativity, culture, sports, environmental health, and other "common" interests. They will mobilize resources to tackle these problems, involving local authorities, NGOs, associations, and businesses.
The overarching goal of the project is to increase the public and social involvement of students by creating groups/clubs that empower them to recognize and resolve their own issues. The project tasks include: 1) identifying student groups/clubs based on common interests, and 2) facilitating collaboration among these groups/clubs to address problems and enhance their skills.
The project is designed to create a minimum of 4 groups/clubs, such as "Filmmakers and Photography," "Art and Culture," "Literature and Poetry," "Eco Club," "Music and Drama (Theatre)," etc. Each group/club will consist of 10-12 members, who will refine their domain-specific skills and improve their overall life skills (behavior and public presentation) through training sessions on "Group Formation and Development" and "Event Organization."
The primary target demographic for this project is the designated pilot schools chosen by the Ministry of Science and Education, aimed at fostering teacher-parent-community relationships. Alternatively, at least 2 schools, as agreed with the Ministry of Science and Education, along with the communities where these schools are situated, will be involved. The project beneficiaries will include students (40 individuals), teaching staff, and parents (at least 110 individuals) from these schools.
The project also envisions collaboration with the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education and the Baku City Education Department. We are confident that this project model will be successfully tested, which further instills confidence that it can have a multifaceted impact in the future, supported by the Ministry of Science and Education, the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations, foreign donor resources, and its potential implementation in other educational institutions.