Seventeen Tech Age Teens participants were selected to participate in the 2011 Summer Finalists’ Conference due to their dedication during training sessions, IT skill building activities, and performance during a number of community service opportunities, including Global Youth Service Day. The conference, which took place between August 22 and 30 at the G. Slanov Library in Atyrau, focused on increasing and combining the knowledge TAT participants gained over the course of the program in leadership and information and communication technology (ICT), to develop their fall community service projects. For eight hours each day during the conference, working individually and in groups, the finalists learned to conduct community research and needs assessment, brainstormed solu
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Sixteen-year-old Gaukhar Isabekova from Abai School had not volunteered a day in her life before the Tech Age Teens program came to her school. Now nearly a day passes without a visit to the Ak Bota orphanage, whereshe has been help-ing children with disab
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On July 1, Atyrau Oblast officials, journalists, and school representatives gathered to recognize the Tech Age Teens project, which is funded by Tengizchevroil and implemented by IREX. The event allowed student participants to present their summer projects and media to cover the stories.
Local TV channel Kazakhstan-Atyrau aired coverage in its news program twice and two local well-known publications Ak Zhaiyk and Atyrau ran stories on the event. The media coverage was positive and recognized the c
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In a recent focus group in Atyrau, eighth graders were asked if they would use an internet center in their school open daily to everyone from 8am to 8pm, and the responses shed light on the low internet penetration in the region. The first child didn’t get it, "No, I wouldn’t use it, because the director would lock it.” After reassurance that the center would be open, another child said, "No, I wouldn’t, because it would be chaos with all the kids there.” Ever since computers were introduced to schools more than 12 years ago, computer classrooms have mostly remained locked throughout Kazakhstan outside the teaching hours of computer science (informatika, a dated name and approach which includes everything information-related). When the government provided internet to all schools over fou
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Seventeen Tech Age Teens participants were selected to participate in the 2011 Summer Finalists’ Conference due to their dedication during training sessions, IT skill building activities, and performance during a number of community service opportunities, including Global Youth Service Day. 
Sixteen-year-old Gaukhar Isabekova from Abai School had not volunteered a day in her life before the Tech Age Teens program came to her school. Now nearly a da
n internet center in their school open daily to everyone from 8am to 8pm, and the responses shed light on the low internet penetration in the region. The first child didn’t get it, "No, I wouldn’t use it, because the director would lock it.” After reassurance that the center would be open, another child said, "No, I wouldn’t, because it would be chaos with all the kids there.” Ever since computers were introduced to schools more than 12 years ago, computer classrooms have mostly remained locked throughout Kazakhstan outside the teaching hours of computer science (informatika, a dated name and approach which includes everything information-related). When the government provided internet to all schools over fou