www.euneighbours.eu BELARUS MOBILITY This project is funded by the European Union This project is funded by the European Union How MOST is building bridges An EU-funded programme offering unique exchange opportunities EU NEIGHBOURS south east EU NEIGHBOURS south EU NEIGHBOURS east www.euneighbours.eu | P. 1 This project is funded by the European Union Alexander Kushner obtained valuable experience from training academies in Berlin (Photo: Fair Play acedmy © EU/ EU Neighbours East) An EU-funded exchange programme is offering unique opportunities to professionals in Belarus, allowing them to share experiences with European partners. We spoke to beneficiaries of the MOST programme, who looked back on what they had learned, speaking of what had spurred them to look for ideas and experience in Europe, and what plans they have on their return. Text By Elena Daneiko Minsk, Belarus - What do Anna, a cloud computing specialist, Alexander, a football coach, and Yuri, the director of an ecological construction company, have in common? They have all been building bridges with partners in the European union, through the EU-funded MOST project. MOST (which means ‘bridge’ in Russian, but also stands for Mobility Scheme This publication has for Targeted People-to-People-Contacts) is a project developed exclusively for been produced with Belarus, funded by the EU and implemented by the Goethe-Institut (Minsk) the assistance of and British Council (Poland). The programme envisages various formats of the European Union. The contents of this professional exchange and mobility opportunities between Belarus and the 28 document are the sole EU member states, and applications are still being accepted until the end of responsibility of the 2017. Consortium led by Ecorys (UK) and can in no way be taken to Under the project, 1,500 Belarusians from private and public organisations, as reflect the views of the well as entrepreneurs in various fields, are given an opportunity to find partners European Union. and to share their experience with European colleagues. Candidates working in fields as varied as culture, education, youth, science and technology, EU NEIGHBOURS economy, health, energy, and public administration are welcome to submit south east their applications. This project is funded by theEU Eu rNEIGHBOURSopean Union south EU NEIGHBOURS east www.euneighbours.eu | P. 2 An indicator of the programme’s flexibility is the background of the three recent beneficiaries of the MOST programme that we spokeThis to,project who is workfunded in by the European Union “Under the project, fields as diverse as cloud computing, football management, and ecological 1,500 Belarusians construction. from private ‘Replacing last century’s technologies offers many advantages to Belarus’ and public organisations, Anna Pobol is emotional when she recounts her experience during a 10-day trip as well as to Germany: “Participation in the MOST project is all about communication with the leading European experts, an outstanding opportunity to develop unique entrepreneurs competences,” says the associate professor at the Department of Theoretical in various fields, and Institutional Economics of the Belarusian State University (BSU) in Minsk. are given an Her interests lie in the promotion and use of information technologies, in opportunity to particular, cloud computing, with the goal of increasing productivity and added find partners value in all sectors (industry, agriculture, education, and public administration). and to share After graduating from the BSU, Anna has been a visiting scholar at universities their experience in Austria, Poland, France, and Germany, and now she has many plans. with European Specific cooperation projects are at the development stage, while potential colleagues.” partners include colleagues from all the institutions that Anna visited during her trip, which was supported by the MOST programme: from German technical universities, from the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, the Ministry of Economy and Energy, the Federal Security Service in IT, consulting firms in the field of cloud industry, and enterprise-providers of cloud services. Replacing last century’s technologies with new ones will offer many advantages to Belarus. However, convincing people that this change is needed is a further step, and this, too, needs to be taught, says Anna. She is ready to teach and to learn: “I am 37 years old and this is a great age to move mountains – I have much knowledge, while the enthusiasm is still there. In this academic year, at least 142 students, who take the course on the knowledge economy and innovation policy, will benefit from my last study trip.” “I have seen a lot of useful techniques for my work” A founder of the ‘Fair Play’ private football academy, Alexander Kushner lives in Ashmyany. He moved to this town in the Grodno region of Belarus from Minsk four years ago. Alexander, who is now 34 years old, is mainly occupied with his coaching activity, and both in life and work he is guided by the ‘Fair Play’ principles – which give their name to the sports school he founded in 2012. Alexander participated in the MOST project to learn more about training methodologies, the organisation of competitions for children and EU NEIGHBOURS football marketing in Europe. south east The ‘Fair Play’ academy team with coach EU NEIGHBOURS Alexander Kushner south (Photo: Fair Play academy © EU/EU Neighbours East) EU NEIGHBOURS east www.euneighbours.eu | P. 3 Alexander believes that the Belarusian system of training young football players needs to be changed, because public schools are focusedThis solely project on isresults, funded “ A week in Germany while sport should create a feeling of joy and celebration. “Iby originally the European opted U fornion convinced me a European system of training at my school, and a week in Germany convinced that the German me that the German system of training young football players is effective, efficient and well-established. I have seen a lot of useful techniques for my work system of training and now I understand why football occupies such an important place in the life young football of Germans, and why there it is not only a sport, but a form of socialisation,” players is effective, says Alexander. efficient and well- During his trip, Alexander learned professional secrets from the representatives established. I have of the Berlin Football Association (BFV), the sports director of the FC Union seen a lot of useful Berlin and the head of a private football academy, Fussball Talentschmiede Berlin. Alexander is confident that in the near future his participation in the techniques for my MOST programme will benefit nearly 100 young footballers and their parents, work. ” who share his views on the role of sport in children’s lives. Alexander Kushner, In the future, Alexander wants to find like-minded people in Europe for a large- Football academy coach scale project: “I would like to build a sports complex – an indoor soccer field and a hotel. This will allow to make profit from the organisation of training camps for football teams and will boost the development of grassroots football in Belarus.” “A new centre will facilitate the lives of people with disabilities” Yury Suprinovich from Minsk is also interested in finding new European partners. He is 41 years old, and has devoted half his life to ecological construction. Now Yuri is an executive director of the International Charitable Public Association ‘EkoStroitel’. “We already have plans for three wind power installations with a capacity of 250 kW, 600 kW and 1 MW (the first one a pilot for Belarus) – including construction of a unit with higher power, corresponding to the latest European technology, to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of renewable energy sources and to improve facilities and equipment of our organisation, as well as the skills of the employees.” Yuri is interested in the MOST project, as his organisation is involved in construction of a centre of labour and social rehabilitation for persons with disabilities in Lepel. Together with German and Belarusian partners, ‘EkoStroitel’ is creating a fundamentally new space for people with disabilities. A one-week trip to Germany, organised for a group of nine Belarusian partner Yury Suprinovich is organisations in the framework of the MOST project, will help them take into hoping to use his account German experience in construction and arrangement of similar centres, European experience says Yuri. in the construction of a centre for the disabled Lepel’s department of day care for people with disabilities is currently housed (Photo: Elena Daneiko in small unequipped premises and can host a maximum of 10 people. The © EU/EU Neighbours new centre is designed for 50, and will offer facilities for various activities. A EUEast) NEIGHBOURS computer lab, and rooms for physical rehabilitation and recreation will also be south east constructed. The creation of a centre based on best European practices will help people with disabilities to socialise and make life easier for their families. EU NEIGHBOURS south EU NEIGHBOURS east www.euneighbours.eu | P. 4 The MOST programme envisages various formats of trips to Europe This project is funded “Participation in by the European Union The MOST programme envisages various formats of professional exchange the MOST project and mobility opportunities between Belarus and 28 EU member states, and is all about applications will be accepted till the end of 2017.