PCV Heather Houston, submitted a Computer Network Training Project to the SPA for funding in September 1998
Computer Training Network
Center for Youth Activities and Initiatives
Background: Nowadays, the need for computer specialists is continually on the uprise, the need for permanent access to interesting and current information is growing. Unfortunately, Bulgarian schools, and to a great extent Bulgarian universities as well, do not provide training on how to use the "smart" machines. Bulgarian children and young people frequently fail to find suitable jobs simply because they cannot operate a computer, do not have access to useful information that they could use in school, or information about grants and other opportunities, and no access to electronic mail.
The Center for Youth Activities and Initiatives, under the auspices of Turgovishte Municipality (CYAI), is aware of the urgent need to set up a computer center where young people could be trained to use a computer and be provided free access to Internet.
Practice: After investigating possibilities for finding financial support for such a project, the CYAI was informed by Mrs. Heather Houston, a Peace Corps volunteer in Turgovishte, that through the Peace Corps, which is under contract with Small Projects Assistance (SPA), the CYIA could submit a project to the SPA for funding. The club already has a computer club. The club possesses facilities and computer equipment and has attracted a natural customer base. Unfortunately, the equipment of the club is quite obsolete. The students who visit the club would like to use more up-to-date equipment, to have access to Internet, their own electronic mail addresses. Taking into account all these circumstances, the Turgovishte CYAI, jointly with Mrs. Houston, submitted a Computer Network Training Project to the SPA for funding in September 1998. The project was approved by the Peace Corps, Bulgaria and the USA, as well as by the SPA and subsequently a contract was signed between the CYAI, the Peace Corps and the SPA and the committed ($4000) funding was used to purchase the necessary equipment in November 1998: five computers, one printer, one modem and the local network fee and free access to Internet charges.
The system became genuinely operational as of December, when the computer literacy courses for school students, youths and working young people were launched with two trainers. One of them was a computer systems specialist and an employee of the CYAI and the other a teacher at the Turgovishte Economic Information Technical School. The courses curriculum includes as subjects DOS, Windows 95-98, Microsoft Office, Internet which vary in duration, depending on the wishes of the course participants - 40, 50 or 80 hours. So far, 21 persons have been trained. It must be said that the courses are not free of charge and 75 per cent of the fees go against the remuneration of the trainers.
In addition to course participants, the CYAI is visited by young people who prefer to work on their own. In the past two months alone 170 people have visited the Center, primarily to use Internet and e-mail. Young people who would like to receive personal tutoring in Internet use are granted that wish. They are provided the chance of operating their own e-mail addresses of certain free Internet servers such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Excite and others of their own choice.
Results: An important output is the exceptional popularity of the club among the young in Turgovishte. This popularity is due to the good advertising campaign at the opening of the club: commercials were broadcast over radio and cable TV, they appeared in papers, school notices. The whole campaign would have been in vain if the product that CYAI, Turgovishte offers is not so valuable and essential for today?s young people. This is evidenced by the fact that the courses continue and there is an increasing number of young people working on their own. For the time being, the absence of official monitoring of the actual benefits for the course participants who have completed their training is assessed as a weakness. A weakness too, for now, is the inability to issue participants certificates for lack of authorization. This successful innovative practice of the Turgovishte CYAI may be easily transferred and the CYAI in Turgovishte is willing to share its current experience.
