Oleg%20Smirnov,

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The Role of NGOs in Education Reform Effective
Conflict Prevention and Tolerance Building
Oleg Smirnov, Iryna Brunova-Kalisetska
Ukraine Integration and Development Center for
Information and Research Second
International Summit on Conflict Resolution
Education (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
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Geographical Location
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Autonomous Republic of Crimea Context/Challenges

• uneasy process of adaptation of mainly
  Russian-speaking population of Crimea to new
  Ukrainian reality
• the return of a big amount of the former
  deportees (Crimean Tatars , Armenians,
  Bulgarians, Germans, Greeks) during a short
  period of time about 300 thousand
• the incapability of the state to meet the
  deportees economical, social and cultural needs
  to the full extend - a factor of tension in the
  region
• the necessity for development of education,
  culture, civic activities of the deportees as
  elements of social equality and prevention of the
  feeling of being discriminated in the
  social-cultural area
• raise of Muslim population during last 15 years
  up to 13 - raise of islamophobia (society
  doesnt have an experience of joint coexistence)
• high level of migration and lack of experience of
  joint co-existence in poly-ethnic and
  poly-confessional environment
• lack of joint vision and manipulation in ethnic
  area by political elites, struggle for resources
  

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The Most Numerous Ethnic Groups in Crimea
(according to the national census)
1897 1921 1939 1989 2001
The whole population 546592 719531 1126429 2455900 2024056
Russians 45,3 51,5 49,6 68,7 58,3
Ukrainians - - 13,7 29,3 24,3
Byelorussians - - 6,0 2,1 1,4
Tatars - - - 0,05 0,5
Crimean Tatars 34,1 25,7 19,4 1,8 12,0
Germans 5,8 5,9 4,6 0,1 0,1
Jews 5,3 7,0 5,8 0,8 0,2
Greeks 3,1 3,3 1,8 0,1 0,1
Armenians 1,5 1,6 1,1 0,4 0,4
Bulgarians 1,1 1,7 1,4 0,1 0,1
Karaites 1,0 0,7 0,4 0,04 0,03
Deported groups are marked with bold type
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Crimean NGOs strategic approach (1997-2002)

• Creating a climate of socially and culturally
  "equal opportunities.
• Taking into account state and regional factors.
• Contributing to the maintenance of the peace,
  mutual understanding, and democratic principles
  of societal development in Ukraine.
• Involving the general public in the development
  of the strategy and management of initiatives.
• Stimulating by donor organizations numerous local
  initiatives, resolving common global problems by
  way of local transformation.

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Education for repatriates (minorities) 1997-2002

• Development and publication of textbooks and
  teaching manuals for secondary schools, Sunday
  schools and higher educational institutions (88
  publications)
• Technical and informational support of
  educational institutions (schools with the
  Crimean Tatar language of instruction, Sunday
  schools of other ethnic groups)
• Teacher training and retraining
• Promoting dissemination of the native language in
  every-day life (Home Library books, bilingual
  magazines, etc.)
• (25 publications)
• Development of non-traditional childrens
  educational-leisure centers and schools at home

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Main areas of NGOs activities (1997-2002)
rebirth of primary and secondary education for
repatriates

• development
• of education
• on native languages

• popularization
• of ethnic cultures
• as a means to set up dialogue
• between them

• promotion
• of the multicultural
• education in Crimea

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CR IN UKRAINE (1997-2005)

• Odessa mediation group one of the leading
  organizations in Ukraine (jointly realizes
  projects with Tavrida Mediation group,
  Integration and Development Center, Search for
  Common Ground (Crimean office) and other)
• Activities
• Trainings for trainers in CR, PM and mediation
• CR and PM as parts of the facultative course on
  Civic Education for higher grades of Ukrainian
  schools
• 3 hour course on CR and SM in oblast teacher
  training institutes for school psychologists and
  other
• Experiment in Odessa and Nikolaev oblast schools
  on PM
• Implementation of restorative justice and
  reconciliation programs
• Courses on CR and PM in police schools

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CHANGES IN ACTIVITIES OF NGOs (2003)

• Shift from education for ethnic minorities to
  multicultural initiatives
• Need for a systemic approach

State involvement
Joint activities of NGOs, teachers, scholars,
public
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Stimulation of the state policy
transformation ways of NGOs influence

• Involvement of representatives of the local
  authorities (Ministry of Education) from the
  early stages of any initiative (contacts,
  letters, round tables, personal participation).
• Activities should be based on the results of
  monitoring, research, analysis of a situation.
• Coalition building (the more NGOs involved the
  more any initiative is trusted).
• Raising broader public awareness.
• Special training courses for representatives of
  authorities.
• NGOs demonstrate readiness to be responsible.
• NGOs demonstrate that they can attract additional
  money from different sources.

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Integrated Course Culture of Neighborhood (35
hours per year in primary, secondary and high
school (1-12) Main purpose

• Forming of socially competent, critically
  thinking and tolerant citizens of Crimea and
  Ukraine

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State Support

• Approval of the courses program for schools in a
  complete set (27.12.2006, Board of Ministry of
  Education and Science of AR Crimea)
• Approval of the courses program for the students
  of republic colleges and universities
  (25.04.2006, Board of MES of AR Crimea)
• Approval of the courses program of the subject
  commissions of Ministry of Education and Science
  of Ukraine (course is recommended for the usage
  in the institutions of general education
  throughout the Ukraine (the Letter of Institute
  of Innovation Technologies and Content of
  Education MES of Ukraine 1.4/18-1306 from
  12.06.2007)
• Insertion of the article 134 Elaborate and
  prepare for publication textbooks on course
  Culture of Neighborhood (was not financed) into
  the Program of Economical and Social Development
  of AR Crimea 2007 (the Decree of the Parliament
  of AR Crimea 386-5/07 from 22 of March 2007)

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Project 2007 2008 Systemic Approach

• Civic Education
• Trainings for Trainers for 64 teachers aimed at
  the training work with the representatives of
  local communities (parents, school staff etc.)
• Certification on a Mediation and Facilitation for
  25 students of Crimean colleges and universities
  (Student Center of Intercultural Education) for
  work in a student communities
• Broadening of the activity directions of the
  Informational Methodological Center for
  Multicultural Education and Tolerance

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Trainings for Trainers for Teachers
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Project 2007 2008 Systemic Approach

• Sharing of experience
• International Conference Culture of peace and
  tolerance promotion in poly-ethnic society
  (18-20 October 2007, Simferopol, AR Crimea)
• Web-site (www.ciet.org.ua) three languages,
  audio and video, international experience, news
  page etc.

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Web-site www.ciet.org.ua
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Project 2007 2008 Systemic Approach

• Level of Authorities
• Project Toward a peaceful and tolerant society
  in Ukraine. Interethnic relations in AR Crimea
  enlightenment and education (joint project
  Ukrainian Center of Independent Political
  Research (Kiev) and Center Integration and
  Development(Crimea)) under support of the Higher
  Commissioner on National Minorities OSCE
• The set of seminar-trainings Management of
  interethnic relations in polyethnic society the
  problems of tolerance and partnership of
  authorities and communities".

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Authorities and Communities Figures

• 14 educational seminar-trainings were conducted
• Total amount of participants 350 village heads,
  community leaders, representative of a local
  executive power.
• Among participants officials of Simferopol,
  Djankoy, Kerch town councils, the heads of the
  villages from 14 regions of AR Crimea,
  staff-members of executive committees of local
  government.

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Authorities and Communities Content

• During the seminar-trainings were familiarized
  with
• Basic concepts of ethnic policy (national
  minorities, indigenous people, citizenship,
  Ukrainian people, discrimination, positive
  discrimination etc.) in Ukrainian legislation,
  international documents that were ratified by
  Ukraine.
• Concepts of stereotype, ethnic stereotype, their
  role and functions, the ways of their
  translations and origins.
• Information that concerns main laws of Ukraine in
  the sphere of ethnic policy.
• Theoretical and practical information about the
  opportunities for advancement of effectiveness in
  a field of policy implementation by the way of
  involving of target groups into policy forming
  and realization. Main ways, methods and
  mechanisms of the work with the community were
  delivered.

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Authorities and Communities visualization
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Authorities and Communities Recommendations of
working groups
International experience of multiculturalism
policy realization Positive and negative
aspects for Ukraine
Means of intensive support Ukrainian and
international experience
Development of a tolerance in society and
conflict prevention
Management of interethnic relations in
poly-ethnic society tolerance and partnership
between authorities and communities
Educational policy in Ukraine and the questions
of tolerance widening
Conflict prevention and settlement theoretical
and practical aspects
Issues of communication and interaction between
authority agencies and communities Methods
of participative democracy
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Authorities and Communities recommendations
Resolution of legal and political
issues, Improvement of a legal basis
Means of an employment policy optimization
Means of national minorities involvement into
the process of decision making
Realization of positive action policy concerning
to national minorities and ethnic groups
Solution of economical and social
issues, improvement of a legal basis
Means of optimization of policy in the land
relations sphere
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Authorities and Communities recommendations
Recommendations for local administration
institutions in the field of conflict prevention
and settlement
Recommendations for political parties and NGOs,
in the field of conflict prevention and
settlement
Recommendations for the Parliament of AR Crimea
in the field of conflict prevention and
settlement
Promotion of conflict prevention and settlement
Recommendations for mass-media in the field of
conflict prevention and settlement
Recommendations for police (militia) in the
field of conflict prevention and settlement
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Authorities and Communities recommendations
Formation of the educational institutions
network that implement multicultural practices
Improvement of a legal basis In the field of
multicultural education
New policy concerning to the staff training
Educational Policy in Ukraine and the Widening
of a Tolerance
Civic Activity in the Realization of the
Principles of Tolerant Up-bringing
Improvement of educational curricula and
textbooks
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Our partners in Ukraine

• Ministry of Education and Science of AR Crimea
• Institute of the Innovative Technologies and
  Content of Education of the Ministry of Education
  and Science of Ukraine (Crimean branch)
• A.E. Krymsky Oriental Studies Institute of the
  National Ukrainian Science Academy (Crimean
  branch)
• Tavrida National Vernadskiy University
• Crimean Repunlican Institute of the Postgraduate
  Pedagogic Education
• Educational institutions of AR Crimea
• International Renaissance Foundation
• Crimean Ethnographical Museum
• Crimean ethnic and cultural associations
• Odessa Mediation Group
• Ukrainian Center for Common Ground (Crimean
  branch)
• Our Foreign Partners
• International Network on Conflict Resolution
  Education and Peace Education (INCREPE)
• Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed
  Conflict (GPPAC)
• Office of OSCE High Commissioner on National
  Minorities
• UNITED for Intercultural Action (Netherlands)
• Open Society Institute (Hungary)

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Contacts
www.ciet.org.ua Informational Methodological Center for Multicultural Education and Tolerance
www.integration.org.ua (380652) 505812, 255223 Integration and Development Center for Information and Research
osmirnov_at_inbox.ru Oleg Smirnov
kalisira_at_gmail.com Iryna Brunova-Kalisetska