Vusal Guliyev’s interview to the newspaper “Kaspi”

“Finding a donor is closely related with confidence and industriousness”.

Vusal Guliyev, the founder of Educational Centre for Youth stated that they will create 5 more agencies in the regions.

Although Educational Centre for Youth is a young organization, it started to implement concrete projects and programs in the direction of solving social problems of youth in different regions. The Centre implementing more than 500 projects in different fields like efficiently organizing of youth’s free time, protecting of youth’s rights, technical assistance to educational institutions, developing vocational courses, preparing new literatures, youth clubs and libraries, organizing cultural programs and etc. is one of the most active organizations dealing with youth. A new educational year has already begun. Normally in these circumstances the NGOs have to be more active, present new projects dealing with work with youth, in a word, have to use from youth’s energy they accumulated during the holidays. We talked to Vusal Guliyev, the founder of Educational Centre for Youth about that. Vusal Guliyev stated that Educational Centre for Youth was created by a group of students study in Baku in 2000, December 12. The Centre of which main objective is to increase citizens participation in the development of civil society and to help solving their social problems has defined its activity directions like the development of youth, education, culture and civil society.

- The essence of the implemented projects is clear. But in order to implement these projects we need to find a donor. Donor is interested in who is his opponent. How could the youth establish these relations, or in other words, how did they find the donors?

In reality the donors of implemented projects have been enough well known international organizations that the other professional NGOs can even be jealous of them. As a leader of the organization I am very glad to cooperate with UNDP, ISAR, US Embassy, Great Britain Embassy, Japan Embassy, Open Society Institute, Assistance Foundation, Office of European Council in Azerbaijan, European Youth Foundation, OXFAM Humanitarian Organization, IFES, World Bank, Norway Refugees Council, British Council, Denmark Refugees Council, Global Foundation, International Medical Corps, International Migration Organization and the other international organizations. But this can not be easily realized. Finding donor is related with confidence and industriousness, and with a clean image. In implementation of the projects that are mentioned the Centre cooperate with Azerbaijan government, especially with State NGO Support Council under the President of Azerbaijan Republic, Cabinet of Ministries , Ministry of Youth and Sport , Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Health, different universities, regional executive governance, local municipalities, Mass Media and commercial organizations. I want to add that, Educational Centre for Youth has been elected as a member of 7 international networks in 3 years and began to take an active part in its activities. Imagine that, every year more than 2000 our members participate in different international trainings, seminars and conferences held in different countries of the world. Our centre has been awarded with different diplomas by different international and state organizations for its active role.

- What project do you work on at present? Due to my little practice in that field I know that implementation of the project demands a lot of time and labour. How do you cope with it?

The Centre currently implements different programs and projects. Thus “NGO School” is notable for its specialty among the mentioned programs. We should note that, the School creates opportunities for public representatives and youth to get information about NGOs. The Centre also supports the preparation process of professional NGO managers.
Along that, the Centre implements different programs, like municipality enlightenment among youth, efficiently organizing of youths’ free time, their integration to Europe, medical enlightenment and others. Our centre currently implements the project called “ Establishment of Student Development Committee in Fuzuli region” with the financial support of Assistance Foundation of Open Society Institute in Budapest office, “Development of vocational education” with the financial support of State Council for support to NGO under the President of Azerbaijan Republic, “Stimulation of Youth Structures in regions” with the financial support of The Ministry of Youth and Sport of Azerbaijan Republic, “ Development of ICT School for Youth” with financial support of Youth Program of Assistance Foundation of Open Society Institute and instructive project called “Youth against drug addiction and AIDS” and etc. As you see, we have a lot of work to do. However, I am sure that we shall do all of them fitting our name.

- What innovations do you intend for the students in the next educational year?

We have prepared several innovations for the students and schoolchildren this year like in the previous years. Thus the Centre will present the next issues of “Student” newspaper, the first and independent newspaper in Azerbaijan, “Educational Portal of Azerbaijan” that began to act recently, “Student Grant Program” to the students. Besides these, the Centre will organize different training courses, seminars, competitions, international study visits, actions and clubs of interest in order to develop schoolchildren’s and student’s initiatives and will prepare new publishing for their enlightening.

- I assume that you will not implement any project in the near future? It is not easy to cope with all of these things?

Why not? Generally, the Centre has acted mainly in the regions up-today. Today due to our tradition we also plan to open 5 more agencies and organize different services to the youth through these agencies. Besides that, the Centre has planned to establish “Free time Centre” in Baku organizing efficiently free time for youth, to hold International Conference of Student Organizations of Eastern Europe in Baku, to create national reference portal , to learn international practice in the field of work with youth, to create youth structures of municipalities and prepare different instructive publishing.

- But we must agree that PR campaign of the organization realizing a lot of projects has not been well created. You know, that there is an organization doing a few things forces the press to inform about it and these publishing are boring for readers. What do you do to deliver the information about the Center’s activity to the public?

The centre has created its own webpage (ww.gtm.az) to enlarge its PR activity and inform the youth. Besides that, the Centre has an electron network that includes the more than 2000 emails of the youth. In its turn, it helps the youth to transfer information to each other.
The “Azerbaijan Educational Portal” that the centre created and controlled and “Student” newspaper have contributed to the establishment of PR activity of the centre.
Along these in order to deliver its activity to the public the Centre organizes monthly press conferences.
By the way, I would like to inform the public that, we shall organize an action called “ Contract of The Century- the way leads to the social-economic development in the regions” related with 15th anniversary of the “Contract of the Century” in Baku Entertainment Centre in 2009, September 18. I invite all of you to the action.

Sanan Najafov