Ganja YLP with Azerbaijan Finalist Teach Children to Love and Take Care of Nature

Raifa Valiyeva speaks to the students
about the importance of recycling

On April 21, in celebration of Global Youth Service Day, eight Youth Leadership Program with Azerbaijan (YLP) participants from Ganja organized and participated in an event to teach youth in the community the value of caring for nature.  The event started with presentations about the importance of plants, saving trees and taking care of trees, recycling, reusing, and reducing. YLP adult finalist Rafia Valiyeva and Vusal Mammedov, a local professional in gardening and landscaping who works as a journalist for media center, led the interactive presentations, which included question and answer times for the children.  Additionally two students from the Agrarian University made presentations for the children.

Following the presentations, the children, YLP student finalists, and YLP adult finalists from Ganja planting trees and seeds in the yard of the Young Leaders Association.  Joining in on the event was local Peace Corps volunteer Elaine Vukov, who interviewed the volunteers to put together an article about the project. 

Above and below
Students and YLP with Azerbaijan
finalists plant trees and seeds during
the GYSD event 

This project, which started with the Lofty Tree play and ending with presentations and a hands-on project, taught the children involved about the importance of protecting the environment and how they can pitch in with their little hands! 

  

Quotes from the event include: 

Elaine Vukov Peace Corps volunteer in Ganja.  “The combination of having the kids do the Lofty Trees, environmental play, and the planting seeds activity is very instructional.  The children are learning to appreciate nature, put on a play and have fun all in one.”

Farida Sultanova YLP finalist said “ We can show how to keep clean our surrounding environment, how to fight against pollution of water of air. In our planet there are a lot of problems. But if we can unite in such organizations we can overcome.”

Halima Fatullayeva another YLP adult finalist says: ”They need just one step  from us adult to share or give them opportunity. Later they will be very good example. We need more initiatives people to do such events.”