WORKSHOPS: OneMinutesJr workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk - Day 5

Final day of the blog from Kazakhstan is here

UST-KAMENOGORSK, Kazakhstan, 7 September 2012 - The last day of the video workshop in East Kazakhstan has arrived and we are working with the 16 teenagers on the finalization of their OneMinutesJr films.

It always seems like things are done when you have filmed the material and edited it, but then you have to do all the "little things" like titles, subtitles, video and audio transitions and so on. Multiply this by 16 and you know how long the to-do list is - deadline 2 PM today...

WORKSHOPS: OneMinutesJr workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk - Day 3

UST-KAMENOGORSK, Kazakhstan, 5 September 2012 - Day 3 of the OneMinutesJr workshop in East Kazakhstan and today we spend the whole day out "in the field" with the teenagers, filming at least six to eight stories so we can meet all the deadlines for the final presentation on Friday.

Filming in Ust-Kamenogorsk near the UMW factory - UNICEF / Chris Schuepp / 2012

For the first two films of the day, we go out into a small forest near the city. Since there are many wild fires in the summer in the East of Kazakhstan, this is one of the issues the participants of the workshop have first-hand experience on. Additionally, it has been a topic of the DRR training they have received in their school and is part of a board game on disaster risk reduction called "Riskland". Both Tamerlan (16) and Daryn (14) have chosen this as there stories and Daryn even shows us how children who are "in the know" can successfully educate their parents.

The next stop is the top of a mountain overlooking Ust-Kamenogorsk. It shows us that while there is a lot of natural beauty around with the river Irtysh at its center. However, we really came up here to see the extent of heavy industry that is part of the city's skyline. The Ulba Metal Works (UMW) is one of the biggest employers in Ust-Kamenogorsk and has been actively putting out uranium products since the Soviet times. As we can see from the top of the mountain, UMW is also responsible for a high amount of air pollution in the city.

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WORKSHOPS / VIDEO: OneMinutesJr workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk

UST-KAMENOGORSK, Kazakhstan, 3 September 2012 - 16 teenagers from East Kazakhstan are meeting this week to participate in a OneMinutesJr video workshop. They will write, film and edit short movies around the topic "disaster risk reduction".

East Kazakhstan is prone to natural disasters. While the earthquake danger in the country is higher in the Almaty region in the South, the border-region with Russia, China and Mongolia frequently witnesses extreme temperatures in the winter, flooding, landslides and wild fires in the summer. In addition to that, Semipalatinsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk were closed cities during the Soviet times and testing grounds for nuclear materials. Kazakhstan remains one of most prolific uranium providers in the world with the East of the country being the center of the heavy industry.

Against this backdrop, we start the workshop with eight boys and eight girls aged 14 to 17 in School No. 45 in Ust-Kamenogorsk. Half of the participants are local children from Ust-Kamenogorsk, the others have arrived from Semipalatinsk, a three hour drive from here.

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January 2010 - Regional Consultation in Kazakhstan - Youth video 3

January 2010 - Regional Consultation in Kazakhstan - Youth video 2

January 2010 - Regional Consultation in Kazakhstan - Youth video 1

Life line - OneMinutesJr video from Kazakhstan

BLOG: OneMinutesJr workshop in Astana

OneMinutesJr workshop in Astana - Day 1

Young people from all over Kazakhstan have gathered in the capital Astana this week to participate in a OneMinutesJr video workshop. They all were selected by UNICEF Kazakhstan to be part of an exciting project that will take place in the Central Asian country throughout the summer.

UNICEF is conducting a regional consultation with children and adolescents to find out more about the issues of the young generation, their dreams and their problems. A group of teenagers - the VJs - will follow the process with cameras while another group will work as facilitators. The results will be shown during a conference later in the year that will round up the consultation and give recommendations for the Kazakh government on how to address the young people's issues.

The OneMinutesJr workshop this week will train the VJs in video-making and will at the same time show the facilitators what is needed to organize the shooting of a proper film. The first step, as always, is developing good story ideas. On the first day of the training, this is the main priority and most of the participants already have interesting ideas after the first brainstorming session.

Full article and the rest of the blog from the workshop in Astana

PHOTO / COMPETITIONS: "Kazakhstan, take with you only the best"

Photographers in Kazakhstan can now submit photos to a contest that is a part of an effort to create a positive image of modern Kazakhstan. Deadline to submit photos: June 30.

The contest, under the theme "Kazakhstan, take with you only the best," is accepting submissions that depict topics such as equal rights and opportunities, national traditions, women, Kazakh oil, native land and humor.

Prizes include a camera, software and computer hardware. The minimum age of participants is 14 years old. Both journalists and the public are welcome to apply.

The contest is being run by the Soros Foundation - Kazakhstan.

For more information (in Russian), go to http://www.soros.kz/424.html. Photos should be submitted to photo@soros.kz.