GLOW/TOBE Moldova Blog is Moving

(April 29, 2014)

GLOW/TOBE Moldova’s blog is moving to http://glowtobe.pcmoldova.org/.  We have decided to do this so that we can better inform you about news and upcoming events.   We would like to thank everyone who has followed us on this blog and look forward to sharing even more with you on our new website. 

GLOW/TOBE 2014 Partner Conference

GLOW/TOBE Moldova is back!!!  After a recess for the winter holidays, GLOW/TOBE is back in action with the 2014 Partner Conference.  On Sunday (02/22/2014) GLOW/TOBE directors hosted a collaborative meeting between representatives from 7 local NGOs working in youth development, the GLOW/TOBE Action Network, and ATIP Moldova (a Peace Corps anti-human trafficking organization).  Over the course of the 2 hour meeting, representatives introduced the goals and mission of their respective organizations and discussed the various initiatives their organizations will be undertaking this year to equip Moldovan youth for healthy and successful futures.  The conference concluded with a cooperation exercise in which the representatives formed teams and developed inter organizational projects that could be achievable in the coming year. 

GLOW/TOBE‘s goal for this conference was twofold.   The first was to strengthen the community of “doers” working with Moldovan youth.  GLOW/TOBE hopes that events like these will become more common place in Moldova.  Secondly, the event introduced the new acting directors of GLOW/TOBE to our partner organizations.  The new directors are:

            

            Director of Communication: Tommy Laferriere

Director of Public Relations: Paden Chang

Director of Resources: Alyssa Hope

            Director of Trainings: Sarah Hysong

These new directors have been in Moldova for 8 months now and are extremely excited at the opportunities for partnership that were demonstrated at the 2014 Partner Conference.  Certainly, through mutual cooperation to improve Moldova by investing in youth, no task will be too great for us to overcome.      

Youth from Ceadîr-Lunga Organize a Series of "True Masculinity" Seminars Across Moldova

On November 19 and December 12 and 13, Gagauzian youth Nikolay Manev and Igor Popov organized and facilitated seminars in the cities of Ceadîr-Lunga, Cahul, and Soroca on the subject "What it Means to Be a Real Man.” Taking up the motto "Let’s become who we were born to be!", these two high school students brought together their peers in each city to open a discussion on such topics as, "the qualities of a real man" and "the role of men in society." The primary goal of the seminars was to inspire young men to aspire and commit to positively changing their conversations, relationships, and service toward others. A total of 77 participants attended the seminars (Ceadîr-Lunga – 30, Cahul – 35, Soroca – 12). Because participants were similar in age and interests, an open and friendly atmosphere was created in each seminar, which allowed for deep and honest conversations to take place regarding the shortcomings of men in society and the potential that exists for the next generation of men to be known as “servant leaders” in their homes, communities, and workplaces.

With wonderful insights, participants came to conclusions such as, “if you want make a change in the world, you must first make a change within your own heart and mind,” and “real men are those who work hard to care for their relatives and take responsibility for their words and actions.”

As participants engaged in the conversations about the qualities of honorable masculinity, they began to decide which changes they would like to make in their own lives. One individual chose to work on reducing his level of fear and anxiety when leading. Others chose to commit to becoming more responsible in the way they think about and interact with women and girls.

In order to empower this change, the third portion of the seminar was focused on motivation – seeking to convince participants that a life of serving the needs of one’s family, community, and colleagues is the most fulfilling and exciting life possible. These individuals came to the conclusion that if they are to become true men, they must live not only for themselves, but first for the good of their family and community. To close the seminars, each participant was invited to sign a declaration, committing to live a life focused on serving their wife, children, and community. All participants were in agreement, signing and keeping their declaration as a reminder of their aspirations toward “true masculinity.”

"I would like to give a special word of thanks to the Turkish Lyceum "Orizont" and Winrock Moldova for financial support, and to "Dacia" in Soroca for donating their space. Also, many thanks to Vladimir Ormanzhi, who helped develop the materials and lectures for the seminars," said Nikolay Manev. Igor Popov added, "We hope more and more youth will discuss these important topics in the future within their circle of friends. Learning how to lead well and be a man is one of the most important subjects in life, and we are very appreciative of the great effort our mentor, Matt Rutter, has given to help us grow and realize our purposes." These young men are hopeful that these ideas starting from Gagauzia will continue to spread to communities all across Moldova, sparking a rejuvenation of loving husbands, fathers, and community members.

Written by Nikolay Manev

 

Молодежь Чадыр-Лунги организовала серию семинаров «Настоящий Мужчина» по Молдове

19 ноября, а так же 12 и 13 декабря, под руководством Манева Николая и Попова Игоря в городах Чадыр-Лунга, Кагул и Сорока были проведены семинары на тему «Что значит быть настоящим мужчиной». Вооружившись девизом «Давайте быть теми, кем мы рождены быть!» эти гагаузские парни преследовали цель собрать парней в названных городах и раскрыть такие темы как «Каковы качества настоящего мужчины», «Какова его роль в обществе» и одна из важнейших задач – воодушевить молодых парней, возраста 16-19 лет, на стремление к положительным изменениям в их жизнях. Общее количество участников, которое присутствовало на семинарах – 77 человек  (Чадыр-Лунга – 30, Кагул – 35, Сорока – 12). Во время семинаров между парнями образовалась отличная, дружеская атмосфера, чему поспособствовало сходство в возрасте и открытость ребят. Именно это позволило им действительно свободно общаться даже на такие серьезные темы.

  

Участниками были высказаны очень серьезные мнения, например, если ты хочешь изменений, прежде всего измениться следует тебе, всегда нужно начинать с себя; что всем настоящим мужчинам следует прилагать максимум усилий, чтобы проявлять заботу о близких, брать ответственность за свои слова и действия, а еще прозвучала мысль о том что мужчина должен быть стремительным и решительным, но в то же время заботиться чтобы люди которые его окружают не страдали. Это было интересно услышать, так как это была одна из идей семинаров.

Парням, которые участвовали в семинарах, понравилось общаться на тему редких качеств и понравились мысли озвученные их товарищами, что помогло им принять решение о ближайших изменениях в себе. Кто-то решил избавиться от страха перед принятием решений, кто-то решил стать более ответственным за свои действия и поступки, кто-то решил не делиться своими мыслями. Для мотивации участников была специально выделена третья часть семинара, в которой все обсуждали  например, то,  для чего стоит жить, о важности каждого из нас в обществе и семье и влияние на окружающих. Парни пришли к выводу, что только если быть настоящим мужчиной, жить не только для себя, но любить и заботиться об окружающих, жизнь станет по-настоящему увлекательной, интересной и наполнится смыслом. Как память обо всем обсужденном и мотивация к дальнейшему саморазвитию, они подписали сертификаты, в которых говорилось, что они согласны становиться лучше каждый момент их жизни: лучше в дружбе, лучше в семье, лучше во всем. 77 человек добровольно подписали согласие о стремлении к званию «Настоящего мужчины».

«Хотелось бы выразить отдельную благодарность Турецкому лицею «Оризонт»,  «Winrock Moldova» за финансовую поддержку, без которой реализация проекта вряд ли была бы возможна, и офису «Dacia» в Сороке, за предоставление помещения. Так же огромное спасибо Орманжи Владимиру за то, что помог с разработкой материала и активно участвовал как один из лидеров в Чадыр-Лунге и Кагуле», - сказал Манев Николай, к чему Игорь Попов добавил: «Надеемся, что в будущем все больше молодежи будет обсуждать в своих кругах реально важные темы в жизни и поэтому мы, во главе с нашим наставником Мэттом Руттером, будем прилагать максимум усилий для достижения этой цели.» Эти молодые парни надеются, что начиная с Гагаузии им удастся поспособствовать тому, чтобы больше мужчин по всей Молдове начали заботиться о своих семьях, коллегах и окружении в общем.

GLOW и TOBE являются инициативами по развитию молодёжи, организованными локально Волонтёрами Корпуса Мира и обладающие филиалами в десятках стран по всему миру. GLOW/TOBE Молдова, совместно с сетью волонтёров и их партнёров, работает над обучением жителей Молдовы проводить мероприятия по развитию лидерских способностей и здоровому образу жизни во всех регионах страны.

Миссия:

GLOW

Поощрение молодых женщин Молдовы в их стремление стать креативными, уверенными и нацеленными на успех лидерами своего рабочего коллектива, сообщества и дома.

TOBE

Поощрение молодых мужчин Молдовы в их стремлении стать эффективными, уважающими и сочувствующими лидерами своего рабочего коллектива, сообщества и дома.

Контактная информация: glowtobe.moldova@gmail.com, +(373) 60 735 102

Знаете, всегда страшно, когда тебе нужно сделать что-то такое, чего ты никогда в жизни не делал. Например, на велосипеде первый раз прокатиться или сдать свою первую в жизни сессию в университете. Я ведь человек, у меня ведь есть право чего-то бояться. Ну так вот, когда меня пригласили поучаствовать в Weekend-ul Inovatiei в качестве волонтера, ситуация была аналогичная «первой сессии». У меня даже коленки немного тряслись. А знаете, что самое смешное? Напрасно все это волнение. Радоваться надо новой возможности, если шанс такой выдался, а не поджимать уши с хвостом и говорить, что у тебя ничего не получится. Получится! Не смейте в себе сомневаться!

Я часто слышу от своих знакомых, мол, хочу открыть свое дело и зарабатывать миллионы. Ребят, вы сначала разберитесь, что к чему. Вы хоть представляете насколько проблематично сейчас открыть бизнес? И я не о том, что у людей нет денег. Деньги есть, да еще какие. Я о том, что вы погорите через две недели после открытия, потому как ваше предприятие бесполезное, люди в нем не нуждаются. Если вы не понимаете, о чем я, то мой совет: «Начните с азов экономики». За эти выходные мне пришлось этим самым азам обучить лицеистов из города Комрата. Было непривычно быть у них в качестве «главнокомандующего». Если честно, я никогда не думала, что так сложно кем-то управлять. Мало того, не думайте, что в этой роли ты раздаешь приказы и все бегают на задних лапках. Нет тут то было.  Ты должен завоевать доверие. Ты должен быть уверенным в своих знаниях, чтобы быть в состоянии ответить на любой вопрос. Ты – тот самый человек, который должен поддерживать дух команды, ведь бывают моменты, когда кому-то что-то не нравится, начинаются споры, обиды. Помимо того, Weekend-ul Inovatiei стал возможностью объединить не только жителей Молдовы, но и посотрудничать с иностранными гостями нашей страны. Для меня это были два дня бесценной практики трех языков: русского, румынского и английского. Да, под вечер воскресенья сил уже не оставалось, держались на эмоциях. Но два дня были проведены не только с пользой образовательной, но и я очень рада всем своим новым знакомствам. Это было очень и очень круто.

За эти выходные, лично я научилась лучше владеть своими эмоциями, потому как нужно было оставаться серьезной гораздо дольше, чем я обычно была способна. Во-вторых, исчез барьер к общению на румынском (если честно, это была одной из моих больших проблем и я рада, что она решилась). В-третьих, ко мне даже поступило предложение об открытии совместного бизнесса, так что, можно сказать, у меня есть "пути отхода", если выучившись на программиста мне захочется чего-то новенького. Возможно, это было не столь серьезным предложением, но мне понравилась эта искра у детей, которые хотят творить, хотят развиваться. Это и меня заставило задуматься о том, что чем старше становишься, тем нереализуемее тебе кажутся какие-то вещи и это неправильно, поэтому я для себя решила, что буду относится к жизни немного играючи. Так интереснее.

Юлия Мурашева

Первый год, Государственный Университет Молдовы

Un Weekend al Inovației și Antreprenoriatului pentru tinerii din Moldova

Pentru a celebra inaugurarea Săptămînii Globale a Antreprenoriatului în Republica Moldova, Junior Achievement Moldova și GLOW-TOBE a organizat un atelier de lucru pentru elevi ”Weekend-ul Inovației”, în incinta Academiei de Studii Economice a Moldovei, Chișinău.

Evenimentul a oferit la 60 de elevi de liceu din Republica Moldova oportunitatea de a învăța și practica procesul de înțelegere a problemelor consumatorilor și de crearea a unui model de afaceri în dependență de necesitațile reale ale acestora. Ca eveniment final al Săptămînii Globale a Antreprenoriatului în Republica Moldova, fiecare din cele zece echipe participante la ”Weekend-ul Inovației” a prezentat modelele de afaceri și feedback-ul clienților la un grup de antreprenori locali.

Iana Basarab, participantă la eveniment a vorbit în numele colegilor ei aprecind impactul evenimentului, afirmînd: "Vă mulțumesc foarte mult pentru că dați generației noastre posibilitatea de a învăța.  Cu cît mai mult înțelegem inovația acum, cu atît mai multe lucruri mari, vom face în viitor, pentru a contribui la dezvoltarea țării noastre.”

Evenimentul a început dimineața la 8.30 în ziua de 23 noiembrie 2013, unde elevi din toată țara au fost întâmpinați la ASEM în mod oficial de către organizatori, înainte de audierea prezentării invitatului Anton Perkin, co-fondator și CEO al FusionWorks. Domnul Perkin a împărtășit istoria sa cum a devenit un antreprenor în Republica Moldova și a încurajat elevii să privească imaginația lor ca singură limită în calea potențialul lor. Mai tîrziu, elevii au fost împărțiți pe echipe și au făcut cunoștință cu coordonatorii echipelor, voluntarii JA Moldova și GLOW-TOBE. Aceștia au instruit participanții în utilizarea metodologiei Lean Canvas, un instrument modern de afaceri care poate să îi ajute pe antreprenori să schițeze rapid aspectele critice ale unei idei de afaceri, doar pe o singură pagină.

Lucrînd în primele ore ale duminicii, echipele au identificat problemele specifice cu care se confruntă anumite grupuri de persoane și au utlizat cele nouă celule ale modelului Lean Canvas pentru a construi în mod eficient o soluție inovatoare și profitabilă. După un dejun rapid la ASEM, echipele s-au întors la muncă. De data aceasta, echipele au fost încurajați să "iasă din clădire" și să meargă pe străzile din Chișinău pentru a vorbi cu oamenii despre ideea identificată și pentru a aduna feedback cu privire la ipotezele setate. Întorcîndu-se la ASEM, pe baza informațiilor acumulate, au adus unele îmbunătățiri la modelul lor de afaceri, înainte de a-l prezenta juriului. Fiecare echipă a avut 7 minute pentru a prezenta ideea dezvoltată și a răspunde la întrebările juriului, consituit din reprezentanți ai companiilor ”Moldova Agroindbank”, ”Entrase”, ”StarNet” și AdAstra.

De la unități de filtrare de carbon la un nou site de social media pentru tinerii din mediul rural, în cadrul evenimentului ”Weekend-ul Inovației” au fost discutate și dezvoltate o mare varietate de produse și servicii viabile. La sfârșitul zilei, chiar dacă erau obosiți, participanții încă discutau despre posibilități de dezvoltare a ideilor după eveniment. Cele două zile ale evenimentului au trecut rapid și au fost doar un pas în călătoria participanților către antreprenoriat.

Pentru a vedea poze de la eveniment, accesați link-ul: http://on.fb.me/1hL3hgU

A Weekend of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Moldovan Youth

In celebration of Moldova’s inaugural participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week, GLOW/TOBE and Junior Achievement organized the first “Innovation Weekend” at the economic university Academia de Studii Economice a Moldovei (ASEM) in Chisinau.  The event offered 60 Moldovan high school students the opportunity to learn and practice the process of understanding the problems of a customer segment and creating a business model around desirable solutions.  Trained and coached by Moldovan Junior Achievement volunteers all-day Saturday (24.11.2013), the teams of high school students then rushed to test and refine their products before Sunday afternoon’s final pitch competition. As the final event of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Moldova, each of the ten Innovation Weekend teams presented their business models and customer feedback to a panel of local entrepreneurs and professionals. Participant Iana Basarab spoke on behalf of her peers in appreciation of Innovation Weekend’s impact, saying, “thank you very much for giving our generation the possibility to learn, because the better we understand innovation now, the greater things we will do in the future to improve our country.”

Kicking off the event at 8:30 on Saturday morning, students from all over Moldova gathered at ASEM and were formally welcomed by the organizers before hearing from engaging guest speaker Anton Perkin, the Co-Founder and CEO of FusionWorks. Perkin shared his story of becoming an entrepreneur in Moldova and encouraged the student teams to see their imaginations as the only limit to their potential.  Following this, the students split into teams and met with their Junior Achievement (JA) and GLOW/TOBE (G/T) volunteer leaders.  These Moldovan JA leaders, supported by American G/T volunteers, then trained their teams in the Lean Startup methodology using the Lean Canvas, a modern business tool designed to enable entrepreneurs to quickly sketch the most critical aspects of a new venture into a one-page model.  Working into the early hours of Sunday morning, these teams identified specific problems faced by particular groups of individuals and used the nine boxes of the Lean Canvas to effectively construct an innovative and profitable solution using a new product or service.

After a quick breakfast in the ASEM Cafeteria, the teams were back to work on Sunday morning.  This time, teams were encouraged to “get out of the building” and walk the streets of Chisinau to speak with Moldovans fitting their proposed business’s target customer profile in order to gather feedback regarding the team’s problem assumptions and proposed solution.  Reconvening at ASEM, the teams then compared notes and made changes (“iterations”) to improve their business models before presenting to the judges.  Each team was provided seven minutes to pitch their idea and respond to questions from the judging panel, which was composed of representatives from Moldova Agroindbank, Entranse, StarNet, ACED, and AdAstra.  From carbon filtration units to a new social media site for rural youth, a wide variety of locally-viable products and services were proposed.  At the end of the day, there were many tired smiles as teams discussed how to continue developing their ideas in the weeks to come.  The two days passed by quickly and were only the first step in the participants’ journey toward entrepreneurship.  However, these 60 students proved that an innovative spirit thrives in them, and in Moldova.

To view photos of Innovation Weekend 2013, please see the following link: http://on.fb.me/1hL3hgU

Voluntarii Centrului de Drept Causeni in actiune!

La data de 6 si 7 iulie 2013 echipa voluntarilor Centrului de Drept Causeni in frunte cu  Nelu Oboroceanu a participat la Camp Empower, unde a fost instruita de Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) єi Teaching Our Boys To Excel (TOBE) in parteneriat cu Forul Organizatiilor de Femei din Moldova.

Acest training s-a desfasurat la Chisinau in Centrul ,,Casa Marioarei". Timp de 2 zile am colaborat cu 6 echipe din 6 localitati, a cite 4 tineri pe echipe. Liderul de echipa din orasul Causeni a fost Elena Blidari. Temele taberei au fost grupate in subiecte de atelier precum: rolurile de gen; stereotipuri de gen; violenta in familie; traficul de fiinte umane; discriminarea; sanatatea sexuala/ prevenirea HIV/SIDA. Pentru a realiza in practica cele invatate la training la data de 21 iulie 2013 voluntarii Centrului de Drept Causeni au realizat un flash-mob cu genericul: ,,STOP Violenta in Familie!!!” Activitatea publica s-a bucurat de succes. Am iesit cu placate, am distribuit materiale informative si am luat semnaturi de la cei care sunt impotriva violentei in familie, astfel sensibilizind populatia.

Echipa de voluntari a Centrului de Drept Causeni va indeamna sa nu fiti indiferenti la ceia ce se petrece in jurul nostru pentru ca daca dorim sa ne modificam viata ca sa traim mai  bine, trebuie sa ne implicam personal si sa luam atitudine! In aceasta ordine de idei invitam si alte persoane sa se alature voluntarilor Centrului de Drept Causeni pentru a organiza si desfasura diferite activitati de informare si sensibilizare in scopul promovarii comportamentului non-violent in familie si societate!

Ion Oboroceanu

Echipa de la Causeni la Casa Marioarei

Flash-mob: STOP Violenta in Familie, 21.07.2013

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-261-011

Camp Empower a big success!

On July 6th and 7th, GLOW/TOBE Moldova hosted “Camp Empower,” which brought together 6 teams from across the country to spend a weekend planning an event to improve each of their communities. Committed to the notion of developing oneself in order to develop one’s community, the slogan for Camp Empower was, “Be the change you wish to see in your community, nation, and world.”

On the first day, a Moldovan leader from each team facilitated a one-hour seminar on one of the six camp topics (Gender Roles, Gender Stereotypes, Domestic Violence, Discrimination, Human Trafficking, and HIV/AIDS). During the second day, each team of Moldovans used GLOW/TOBE Moldova’s Training Guide to plan an event in their respective communities, incorporating the information they gathered during the first day of presentations.

Examples of the planned events include writing a short theatrical play to educate their town on the existence and seriousness of domestic violence and human trafficking, a roundtable debate hosted at the local mayors office to discuss cases of gender inequality and discrimination in the town, and an “improvisational theater” hosted at the town’s house of culture to display and critique gender roles and gender stereotypes. 

When asked what capacities were developed from the camp, one participant responded saying, “I exercised my ability to present on a specific topic in front of a room full of people, defeating fear, timidity, and a range of other emotions. After this training, I’m more informed about the subjects we discussed and know how to build an engaging conversation with my peers on these difficult topics.”

Supported by GLOW/TOBE trained Peace Corps Volunteers in each of their communities, the teams are now finalizing logistics in order to implement the events they planned by September 30th.

The Directors of GLOW/TOBE Moldova would like to thank their partnering organization, Forul Organizatiilor de Femei din Republica Moldova, for their support in the planning and implementation of Camp Empower 2013. Additionally, the camp could not have been successful without the work of the regional Peace Corps Volunteers who trained and coached their teams in preparation for day one of the camp – thank you Romy Solomon, Walter Diller, and Elsa Leal!

If you have any questions about what GLOW/TOBE Moldova does or are interested in participating in future events, please contact us by email at glowtobe.moldova@gmail.com.

GLOW/TOBE Directors Meet with Anti-Violence Specialist

On April 26, 2013, GLOW/TOBE Moldova Directors Laura Demmel and Matt Rutter met with Mr. Ion Oboroceanu of the Centru de Drept (Causeni Law Center) to discuss strategies for encouraging boys and men to properly care for the women in their lives. Mr. Oboroceanu leads the initiative Bărbați împotriva violenței (Men Against Violence), for which the goal is to encourage an open and constructive dialogue between males regarding their proper role in society and the positive and negative effects of their actions.

Currently serving as the head District Attorney for the Causeni raion, Oboroceanu has been using his legal abilities to serve a wide variety of clients ever since he opened the Centru de Drept in 2005. Oboroceanu’s primary focus of work at the Centru de Drept has been the prosecution of domestic violence or human trafficking offenders. Additionally, Oboroceanu has been a leader in the reform of Moldovan legal policy regarding domestic violence and human trafficking, creating a comprehensive legal guide on the topics in both Romanian and Russian.
This center was the focus of discussion when GLOW/TOBE Moldova Directors Lindsay McDaniel and Laura Demmel as well as Peace Corps Volunteer Lindsey Repshas visited Oboroceanu in February of 2013. From this meeting, connections between GLOW/TOBE and Moldova ATIP were established for future partnerships on seminars and trainings.

When Demmel and Rutter met with Oboroceanu on April 26th, their conversation primarily focused on the year-old Bărbați împotriva violenței (Men Against Violence) initiative. The goal of this initiative is to increase the number of boys and men active in improving their community – first and foremost by speaking out against destructive relationships or violence towards women. The rate of human trafficking and domestic abuse is far too high in Moldova, according to Oboroceanu, and men should be boldly standing alongside women in the fight to end this epidemic.
Oboroceanu believes the foundational problem causing the high level of trafficking and abuse is the mentality for many Moldovan boys and men to believe it is “normal” to physically abuse women, discriminate against them verbally, or harass them sexually. Oboroceanu is convinced there is a better way – the way of honorable manhood. It is his passion to show males this better approach and encourage them to spread the message to others.

In order to encourage this change in mentality of the boys and men of Moldova, Oboroceanu is working with a team of 23 male volunteers (including 7 high school students) to educate and train leaders in the school system, police department, local administration, and partnering working groups such as GLOW/TOBE. For these educational events, Oboroceanu organizes a group of people (males and females) and intricately describes the problem of domestic violence and human trafficking. Then, the conversation is opened up to the room and the discussion is focused on how to practically work toward solving the problem. Oboroceanu noted those in attendance at the event nearly always want to help fight the problem, but are often lost when determining a plan of action. With support from Oboroceanu, the group will then come to a decision about actions they can individually take in order to fight violence and trafficking in their communities. Then, to provide ongoing support and accountability, the group appoints a leader and makes plans to meet to discuss their progress on a regular basis.

During the early years when working on this initiative, Oboroceanu says approximately 30% of males in the community were willing to admit human trafficking and domestic violence are problems in Moldova. Now, Oboroceanu is proud to say over 50% of men in his community are willing to identify these as problems – and this number continues to grow every day. As more men become interested in this topic and choose to volunteer their time to the initiative, these individuals are starting new projects or activities on their own. Excited to see his shift from leader to facilitator, Oboroceanu is confident in this initial group’s ability to educate and inspire males throughout Moldova. In time, he believes all youth will recognize violence and trafficking as a problem and have the energy to do something about it – ultimately creating an environment in which women do not have to live in fear of violence against them.

Moving forward, Oboroceanu encouraged GLOW/TOBE Moldova to partner with his legal center to help facilitate seminars for 15-20 Moldovans interested in learning about the problems of violence and trafficking. The most active young people from these seminars will then be invited to participate in a summer camp, then a full summer school.
When asked what is the overall theme of his work in Moldova, Oboroceanu replied, “Где есть плохо, делать хорошо” (Where there is bad, do good). This phrase accurately sums up the numerous initiatives and projects Oboroceanu has worked on during his professional career and is a sentiment GLOW/TOBE Moldova hopes to pass along to its beneficiaries. There is bad in the world, but it’s our responsibility to identify it as such and choose to do good.

Women's Day 2013 Video!

This video was created by the Peace Corps volunteers and our host country partners here in Moldova, celebrating women in a unique way on International Women's Day on March 8, 2013. Special thanks to Julie Carter for editing. 

A New Structure for GLOW/TOBE

In the last couple of years, GLOW/TOBE Moldova has significantly changed its training program.   The new model is for Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) to train a Moldovan adult/older youth leader to facilitate GLOW/TOBE events (rather than the PCVs being the leaders).  We recognize Moldovans are the best people to understand the areas of need for youth in their respective communities, and we know Moldovans are the ones who will lead their youth, communities, and country to success in the years to come.  I think of the words of Lilla Watson who said, "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting our time.  But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."  I long to give as many opportunities for personal growth and leadership opportunities to youth as possible and so does the GLOW/TOBE Leader with whom I've been working.  Because we share this goal and we want youth to be as free and empowered as possible, we can work together toward this goal. 

Planning Process

I feel so lucky to have found Elena in my community.  She's a teacher of English, a passionate leader, and fully capable and focused in all she does.  Last fall, I introduced her to the idea of GLOW/TOBE and asked if she would like to go through the training program with me.  She responded, "Yes, anything to help the youth in our community!" The GLOW/TOBE Training Program consists of ten meetings all focused on preparing for a specific event, such as a workshop, camp, seminar, or round table discussion.  The training covers these particular areas:

·         Introduction to GLOW/TOBE

·         Needs Assessment

·         Development of agenda with goals, objectives, and theme

·         Development of activities within the event

·         Logistics

·         Fundraising and publicity

·         Modeling and simulation of event

·         Final check-in

·         Evaluation

I can honestly say the process has been rewarding, and I think we have both learned about ourselves.  I learned that time flies with this training and that although the program seems to be long, it's actually very short.  Additionally, the planning process is simply there to assist you in covering everything you need to do to facilitate a quality event.  

The Workshop

After a few months of planning (more or less one hour a week or less), Elena led a workshop for ten 10th grade girls, focused on self-esteem and self-confidence.   At the start of the workshop, the girls were less than thrilled to be there, but by the end, they were talkative, engaged, and wondering when the next event would be.  When we told them we wished to have a GLOW Leadership Camp this summer and that we needed junior counselors with high self-esteem, many of them jumped in to volunteer! 

During the workshop, we introduced them to GLOW/TOBE.  We utilized this activity, which required them to work and communicate in pairs, develop a strategy as a team, and improve as a whole.  They then met in the middle, representing a central meeting point and target.  

GLOW's mission is to empower Moldovan young women to become creative, confident, and action-oriented leaders in the workplace, community, and home.  We focused most on creating confident leaders during this workshop.  Through interactive activities, Elena discussed with the girls the definition of self-esteem, real-world circumstances which impact self-esteem positively or negatively, and how to improve one's self-esteem.  This video was presented, indicating how mass media may falsely portray the image of feminine beauty:

Additionally, the workshop emphasized the importance of recognizing one's own health and beauty, encouraging participants to focus on one's unique strengths and abilities.

By Laura Demmel