About us

iEARN in Belarus is a division of TRANSFORMATION OF HUMANITIES NGO which presents a virtual community with close ties to educational and youth institutions and involves approximately three hundred belarussian students annually in collaborative national and international project work...

IEARN-Belarus is a network community of teachers, schools, organizations and students who are involved with educational Internet-projects and live in various Belarusian regions ( Minsk , Minsk region, regions of Grodno , Gomel , Brest , Vitebsk , Mogilev ) and cities of Belarus .

Networking nature of our communications is based on our premise that each and every member of IEARN-Belarus community is an independent and active “network cell”. Such “cell” is a center for communication between other participants of the network, the initiator of ideas and the coordinator of activities of all people wishing to join the network in his/her region.

Such free and open structure of our internet community iEARN-Belarus was initiated and supported by the members.

What unites us

Various internet projects are the basis for the IEARN-Belarus community. Activities of these projects unite the “network cells” in joint space of communication.

It was defined by understanding that internet community must be an open organization able to implement values and mechanisms of civil society. From the other hand, all network activities of each “cell” are based on its independent choice and independent funding, which would allow them to have freedom in choosing the project ideas, forms of interaction with other network members, participation in international and national internet projects.

The common mailing list Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript and the web-site www.iearn4u.com are accessible by all the members of the community and serve as a backbone of IEARN-Belarus. These infrastructure resources support the activities of the network and were created with assistance of UNDP and IATP. All visitors of the web-site have an access to the information about community, news and information about forthcoming events. Subscription to the mailing list is managed by National Coordinator Ms. Ludmila Dementyeva who ensures interaction between community members, and communication with other structures and organizations (i.e. IATP, Republic Center of Internet Education, Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Education, state committees on education, school administrations, etc.).

Our Principles

Actually, participation in iEARN-Belarus network is the only chance for our teachers and students to acquire experience of independent activities on the basis of “self-managing principle”. Such organization of iEARN-Belarus is stipulated by the fact that system of education in Belarus consists of state institutions with virtually no private presence. As a result, all school activities are rigidly organized, formalized and governed by numerous state authorities. Since participants of iEARN-Belarus are looking for funding on theirs own, one of the major function of the national and local coordinators is rendering consultative and coaching assistance to “cells”. Such assistance is aimed at securing the social partnership and help in search for additional sources of funding.

Our activities

In the rather difficult circumstances of the post-totalitarian regime established in the country, our iEARN-Belarus community tries to implement the unique educational model and ideas of the iEARN-Global (International) in the Belarusian education. The latter educational model does not have analogies in the world and demonstrates openness, tolerance to other's opinion, mutual assistance and support, and the opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Not being an officially registered organization (which is troublesome in Belarusian situation where only limited number of NGOs are registered by the authorities), iEARN-Belarus does not have a banking account and independent financing. Actually, all the activities of the community are being organized according to the traditional Belarusian principle “all together” when the members combine forces and contributions. The national coordinator of iEARN-Belarus agrees with network members all crucial decisions regarding one or another action, division of functions, appointing the national projects coordinators, supports the “horizontal structure” of management and interactions of participants and informs teachers about iEARN events. National and local coordinators offer and organize various meetings and seminars for iEARN teachers and students, and trainings for those who are willing to master the Internet projects technologies and assist in search for new partners, create and disseminate the new ideas.

In 2003-2004 academic year iEARN teachers and coordinators organizied workshops, trainings, seminars, the Students Camp, iEARN meetings with EHU students ( Minsk , Jzdanovichi, Gomel, Dobrush, Stolin, Volojin, Slavgorod, Driben, Berezovka, Fanipol), 3 iEARN internet- conferences (with participation of the partners from Ukraine and Lithuania), national internet game “Our Belarus”, iEARN Projects Exhibitions (Art Miles), etc. In these events more than three hundred teachers and students participated.

Since 1998 Belarus students and teachers participated in most of ongoing iEARN projects . Belarus teachers coordinated such international projects as “Laws of Life”, “Children and Violence”, “Souvenir Shop”, “World We Live In”, “Politeness Can Change the World”, etc.

Students and teachers participation in various international iEARN is important, however, no less important is their activity on development of iEARN movement in Belarus and work in the national internet projects on native language: “Our Belarus”, “Millenium”, “Belmova”, “Our Land”- “ Tours Around Belarus”, “We Write a Fairy-tale”, “Another Side of Silence”, “Students Discussing Camps”….