Fulbright Update:
Warm welcome extended by media center, Chisinau Rotary

Centrul Media pentru Tineri-Youth Media Center
As I’ve taught in 32 countries (face to face), most of my collaborators and partnering organizations have been very good. However, none surpasses the Centrul Media pentru Tineri (CMT) here in Moldova. It’s honestly one of the reasons I selected Moldova for my Fulbright.

The youthful, vibrant team 
from the Centrul Media
pentru Tineri, and an elderly
person (front and center)

CMT, a youth media center, is dedicated to “promoting the rights of children and young people to free expression, opinion, and participation” in society.

In this capacity, CMT sponsors a number of activities: media camps, roundtable discussions, a video program called Abraziv (abrasive), etc. It also sponsors media clubs in eight cities and villages around Moldova that provide outreach and programming for young people outside the capital Chisinau. These clubs “provide an opportunity (for students) to make their voices heard in their community and get involved in solving local challenges.”

I’ve worked with CMT 3-4 times in the past teaching media programs for youth. I had a blast doing this, and loved the kids’ energy, enthusiasm, and optimism.

This academic year, we’ll again be collaborating. I plan to visit each of the CMT’s Media Clubs outside of Chisinau—8 clubs in all. On our first stop in Ungheni, I’ll be leading a peace journalism session and taking part in other discussions with the local youth (15-18) there. I’m also going to be helping to launch new clubs, and teaching short courses here in Chisinau.

I can’t wait!

Rotary Club of Chisinau
Those who put service above self (the motto of Rotary International) are the same the world over.

A case in point is the Chisinau Rotary Club, which has taken me in as a member since my arrival here 5 weeks ago. As an honorary member of the Parkville (MO) Rotary Club, I was already familiar with Rotary and Rotarians, so I shouldn’t have been surprised with the reaction here when the Chisinau club met with tragedy.

A valued and much-loved middle-aged member of the Chisinau club passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last week. Our meeting that week was sad and poignant yet somehow uplifting, and featured toasts and short speeches singing the praises of what sounded to me like an extraordinary woman. Then, these Moldovan Rotarians do what Rotarians anywhere would do: honor their colleague by planning, fundraising for, and launching a project to honor the deceased member. In this case, the project is to buy orchestra uniforms for school kids who can’t afford them. Without these uniforms, young musicians can’t perform with their peers. In just a week, the club raised over $1700, with more donations on the way—enough at this stage to pay for 40 uniforms.

Overall, I’ve been impressed with the commitment of these Rotarians to assist their community, reflected in their projects to bring updated technology to schools, including smart boards for use in a local school for children with autism. Bravo, Chisinau Rotary Club.

Chisinau Rotary Club meeting