Recent Youth Activities

On a positive note -- it's been another busy season work-wise!  We had three big back-to-back events in May with our youth volunteer leadership group -- a Youth Volunteer Action Service Week "Free Hugs Day" activity, a peer-to-peer sexual and reproductive health training in Kazygurt village, and a tree-planting day in Shymkent's Dendropark.  I love our group of volunteers and am so proud and inspired to be working with them and seeing their leadership and service in action.  These photos have also been requested by the Youth Development specialist from Peace Corps Washington that came to visit us, and will also be featured in national PC media.  Enjoy!

[Face-painting for the "Free Hugs Day" youth action. We were nervous about importing this event to Shymkent, but it went better than we could have hoped!]

[US & KZ represent]

[My favorite picture of the day. A wedding party joins in on our hugging festivities!]

["I hug for free"]

[We even hugged the police/militia.  For serious.]

[On our way to peer-to-peer village training at Kazygurt!]

[Introducing our volunteer trainer team]

[The village youth were so motivated - everyone actively participated!]

[All trainings were held in the Kazakh language]

[Tree planting activity in Dendropark - that soil was rocky!]

[Planting a sapling]

[Our volunteer team :)]