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ABOUT ACCESS Program in UKRAINE

 

Project Harmony, Inc. Ukraine (PH International Ukraine) implements the
English Access Microscholarship (Access) programs,
funded by the U.S. Embassy  in Ukraine, since 2015.

 

 

 

The Access Program in Ukraine provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged 13-15 year-olds through two years of After School Instruction and Intensive Sessions. Access students also gain an appreciation for U.S. culture and democratic values through enhancement activities. A greater sensitivity to cultural differences, coupled with the acquired English language skills, enables the participants to take advantage of opportunities that had previously been unavailable to them.

 

The  Access Program helps students with a minimal knowledge of English develop fluency and communication strategies in English through meaningful interaction, cooperative learning strategies, and age and interest-appropriate activities. The Program seeks to expose students to the target language in real contexts to prepare students for effective communication with native and non-native speakers of English.

 

One key element of the Access Program is to familiarize students with important features of U.S. and Western culture and values. Students are encouraged to develop respect for and interest in other cultures, customs, and beliefs. Access Program is designed to provide hands-on and interactive opportunities for students to engage in discussions, games, community service, and other activities relating to U.S. and Western culture and values.

 

The four main objectives of the Access program are to:

  • Provide students from socially disadvantaged families with English language classes at no cost.
  • Enable students to develop leadership and interpersonal skills through various enhancement activities.
  • Increase students’ understanding of U.S. culture and values through enrichment activities.
  • Enable students with improved English language skills to successfully participate in U.S. government-funded academic exchange programs and other public diplomacy initiatives.

The curriculum includes the following modules: Communicative English, American Culture, English through Computers, English through Video and Movies, Communicative Grammar, English through Songs and Games, American History through Visual Arts, English through Sports, English through Arts and Crafts, Leadership training and community service projects. Access curriculum also includes topics of interest related to the subjects taught at school, such as Geography, History, Biology, Art, etc.

As a rule, Access consists of 360 hours of afterschool instruction over two school years (20 - 21 students per site), including 80 hours of intensive sessions ('summer camps') in each location. The criteria for students in the Access program:

•        Age: 13 – 15 years old (students entering their last year of school are excluded)

•        Entry requirement: Basic knowledge of English

•        Socio-economic status: Lower to lower-middle class

•        Academic performance: Average grades for the previous year – 8 (on 1-12 scale)

•        Behavior report: Acceptable

Completed Access programs:

  • The 1st two year Access Program (Aug.2015 - Aug.2017), ECA/FHI360 funded: 166 students in 6 locations: Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsya (2 groups), Odesa (2 groups), and Tokmak and Chernihivka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast).
  • The 2nd two year Access Program (Sep.2016 - Sep.2018), ECA/FHI360 funded: 120 students in 6 locations: Poltava, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolayiv, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk. Officially, this program ends in the end of September 2018.
  • Access Alumni Technology (Sep.2017 - Sep.2019) in 3 locations: 46 students in Vinnytsya, Poltava, and Chernihivka (Zaporizhzhya Oblast). Officially, this program ends in the end of September 2018.
  • July 2017 Access Students and Alumni Summit ’25th Anniversary of US – Ukraine Diplomatic  Relations’: 150 Access students, Alumni and teachers.
  • July 2018 Access Alumni Summit ‘Youth Employability’: 60 Access Alumni and teachers.
  • The 3rd two year Access Program (Sep. 2017 – Sep. 2019), Embassy PD funded: 100 students in 5 locations (Mykolayiv, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro).
  • The 4th two year Access Program (Aug. 2017 – Aug. 2019), ECA/FHI360 funded: 165 students in 8 locations (Kyiv, Slovyansk, Berdiansk, Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Starobilsk, Kharkiv, Bakhmut).
  • Access Alumni Leadership (Aug.2018 – July 2019) 50 students in 3 locations: one combined group of 24 Access Alumni in Slovyanks/Kramatorsk, and one group of 26 Alumni in Odesa.
  • October 2019 Access Alumni Summit ‘10th Anniversary of Access Program in Ukraine’: 110 Access Alumni and teachers.

Total, PH alumni from the above 2-year programs since 2015: 551 

 

On-going Access programs: 265 students in 13 cities, including:

  • The 5th two year Access Program (Sep.01, 2018 - Aug.31, 2020), ECA/FHI360 funded: 165 students in 8 locations: Severodonetsk and Lysychansk (both Luhansk Oblast); Uzhhorod and Berehove (both Zakarpattia Oblast); Kyiv; Sumy; Izmayil (Odesa Oblast); and Kramatorsk (Donetsk Oblast).
  • The 6th two year Access Program (Sep.01, 2018 - Aug.31, 2020), Embassy/PD funded: 100 students in 5 locations: Slovyansk, Bakhmut, Kharkiv, Starobilsk, and Dnipro.
  • Access Alumni Civic Engagement (Aug.2018 – July 2019) 60 students in 4 locations: Slovyansk, Mariupol, Berdiansk, and Zaporizhzhia.