Cultural Events
U.S. Embassy Creative Writing Contest Rewards Great Thoughts on Diversity and Minority Issues (06/12/2007)
On June 12 the Embassy held an awards ceremony for their Second Annual Creative Writing Contest, which attracted over 100 students and teachers from 8 different regions. The event drew attention to the contest themes of diversity and minority and women’s rights and also highlighted the accomplishments of one of last year’s winners who used the laptop he won to excel in an online journalism contest and travel to a conference in the U.S. PAS staff also introduced participants to the wealth of resources that the Embassy’s Information Resource Center (IRC) offers and distributed IRC library cards to the majority of attendees. The day was a huge success and won the Embassy many new young supporters across the country.
The Chargé d’Affaires and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission kicked off the Creative Writing Contest Awards and awarded prizes, including laptop computers, MP3 players and English language books, to the top winners. A total of 108 students and teachers attended the event, and many utilized the travel grants that the Embassy offered to travel to Tashkent from Uzbekistan’s remote regions. The nine contest winners hailed from Tashkent, Andijan, Fergana, Bukhara, Urgench and Namangan. Following the ceremony, all participants received a book and a certificate acknowledging their outstanding contribution to the contest.
Two of last year’s winners were also present at the ceremony, and they explained to the audience how they had utilized the laptops they won the previous year. One of the winners was able to participate in the Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership (PEARL) project, which was created in tribute to Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan. By writing, editing, and publishing a story on a web-based news service, he won the chance to travel to New York City for the “Celebration of Teaching and Learning” Conference in March 2007. He published two articles about the conference, and as a result of the conference was also able to publish two articles in the online American magazine “CSI International School Insider” (www.csihighschool.org/internationalinsider.html). After his trip, he conducted presentations for his school community about his experiences. He stated that these experiences helped him find his calling in life – to become a journalist. He also encouraged this year’s participants to value the skills that they gained through their participation in the writing contest.
After the awards ceremony, PAS staff invited the participants to view a presentation about the Embassy’s IRC activities. The students crowded into the Embassy’s Multipurpose Room, where they were treated to an IIP papershow on Biodiversity and a presentation that explained the print and online resources that the IRC offers. The IRC also issued library cards to over 70 new students.
For the Creative Writing Contest, the Embassy invited high school and university students to submit essays, short stories and poems addressing several topics, including: The Contributions and Impact of Minorities in a Multiethnic Society; The Positive and Important Role Women Play in Advancing Society; The Benefits of a Multiethnic Society; and America as a Multiethnic, Diverse Society. A panel of judges selected from among nearly 180 submissions in three age categories. PAS then invited the finalists to orally defend their submissions prior to the awards ceremony.
Many of the students and parents who attended the ceremony shared their positive impressions of the day’s events. They commented on how honored they were simply to be at the American Embassy. Others said that they appreciated the fact that everyone had received a book and a certificate. One parent of a student from Bukhara expressed his gratitude to the Embassy for organizing the contest. He said that such events help the students to not only develop their English, but also to think critically and become more motivated and sociable in life.