Staff Picnic

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

On Friday we had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time together as staff of the Taraz office.  Our employees and their families enjoyed a day by the river.  We got an early start (everyone actually wanted to get started before the normal workday began) and spent the entire day playing, visiting, and eating.  The men prepared Shashlik (chicken barbeque) for us and we enjoyed getting to know each other's families.  Children and adults alike had a wonderful time.  Several of the staff mentioned how nice it was to be able to spend time together building our relationships outside the office.  Here are some pictures from our time together.

Video Seminars

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

During the months of June and July, Interlink was able to provide three video training conferences for orphanage staff as well as youth in a local youth center.  They covered basic video knowledge (such as composition and lighting) as well as basic video editing.  Steve Mirer, a friend of IRI, currently living in Madrid and sponsoring two children through Kids Connection, provided the training.

The staff of Savva orphanage were exceptionally grateful for this training.  Two years ago, IRI (as a result of the Kids Conneciton program) was able to purchase a video camera for the orphanage.  Having someone train them in video techniques and editing was something they had desired for a while.  We are very thankful for Steve's willingness to come to Kazakhstan and build into their knowledge.

The youth from Inalien (a local youth center) were also very appreciative of the training they received.  Their organization recently received grant money to purchase a video camera, but had no knowledge of how to operate one.  This training came at the perfect time for them.  They are excited to be able to try out their new techniques on their new camera.

Thank You!

The staff at Interlink want to thank those of you that allowed/encouraged/supported friends and family that came to Kazakhstan on the Youth Impact Delegation.  We can not even begin to measure the impact they had on the students that they worked with.  Thank you for sharing them with us. 

We wanted to remind you of a few things as they return to the States today.  Every person processes a trip like this differently.  Some people need days or weeks to process before they feel like they can accurately express what happened to them.  Others will have hours of stories that they will be ready to tell as soon as they see you for the first time.  Be patient with them and allow them to express their thoughts as they have time to reflect.  It may take a while for you to be able to understand the changes that have happened in them during this time. 

Thanks again for letting them come and helping them to process as they return to the States. 

Delegation Update

The Delegation arrived safely in Almaty this morning.  Nate is feeling a bit better this morning.  He is planning on resting in the morning and then joining the delegation for activities in the afternoon.  They will go to Tsoom (for touristy shopping) and Kook Toobe (a hill overlooking the city).  

Delegation is Off

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

We saw the Youth Impact delegation off at the train tonight as they came through from Shymkent.  They all seemed to have had a good visit in Shymkent, although the guys actually complained because they were given too much to eat.  Yet another example for them of the wonderful hospitality here in Kazkahstan. 

Nate started feeling slightly nauseous yesterday and so the first part of the hot train ride today was somewhat difficult for him.  He was able to get out in Taraz and get some fresh air which seemed to help.  Hopefully, they will have the air conditioning on for the rest of the trip. 

The delegation will arrive in Almaty tomorrow morning at around 8:30 am.  They will go to Shymbolak (a ski resort in the mountains South of Almaty) and do some other touristy things.  We will try to keep you posted on how they are doing in Almaty. 

Delegation Update

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

The delegation went to the bazaar this morning, had some time with the American team in Taraz for lunch, and traveled to Shymkent this afternoon.  They arrived safely in Shymkent this evening.  Tomorrow they will see the Interlink Resources office in Shymkent and then leave on the evening train for Almaty.  We will hopefully have some blogs for you about their time in Shymkent over the next couple days.

Park Visit

Posted by Nate Clark, Delegate Hello everybody! What a great trip so far! Today (Saturday morning) we got to take young children from the orphanage to the park. The 20 or so kids varied greatly in personalities, energy levels, and response to unknown adults. Many were so wanting of love and affection. My deltoids are very sore from throwing kids up in the air so much. I did it once and instantly we had a line of kids wanting the same. We took them on several rides and hung out with ice cream. It was great seeing so many smiling little faces. It’s amazing to see how much a simple hug can affect someone’s mood! We have another program with elementary-aged orphans soon which we are all looking forward too. We look forward to sharing with you more later!

Park Visit

Posted by Elizabeth Jones, Delegate

This morning (Saturday) we took a group of 20 4-6-year-old orphans to a local park to ride rides and eat ice cream. As soon as the children arrived at the park, they ran right up to us and gave us hugs. We hope this activity (which was amazing fun for us as well!) helped these children feel special and loved. I spent most of my time this morning with a student who has a hearing impairment. Although we could not speak directly to one another, it is amazing how much a smile and hug can communicate. She especially enjoyed repeatedly (and I do mean repeatedly) pushing the buttons which made the helicopter ride we were riding together go up and down. At the end of the morning, we gave each child a small stuffed toy to take home, which delighted them. As you look at the pictures that accompany this post, it will be obvious why these kids stole our hearts.

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted By Rebekah Jaenicke, Delegate

Wow- where do I begin? This trip has been full of things we will never forget. Yesterday (Friday) we were able to take the PTL kids to a picnic. It was so awe-inspiring to see the change in the kids from just two days before. The kids who were hesitant and unsure of us had now become close friends. No longer did we have the wall between the Americans and the Kazakhs, and in some instances we were even able to communicate without the help of translators. My heart soared when the girl who on the first day would not speak, and whom we were informed usually does not participate in group activities, took me by the hand and led me to play in the river.

The day was full of games, food, talking, and laughter- How beautiful was their laughter! One of my favorite games of the day was played in the river. We stood in a circle in the water and passed a volleyball around, but if you caught the ball, hit the ball out, or did not hit the ball when it came to you the person on your right was allowed to splash you with one hand. The game was refreshing and we all had so much fun!

Ending the day was hard because it was our last day with the PTL kids, and we had already formed such great bonds with them.Later on in the evening the daughter in our host family, who speaks English well and was actually one of the translators for the picnic and today, helped Shannon and I write down the Kazak and Russian words we had learned. We wrote the translation, an English version to remember how to say it, and the Kazak/ Russian word. Her hospitality and patience are humbling. She constantly takes her time to teach me about her country, her language, and her culture.I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted by Erica Clark, Delegate

We are having a great time in Kazakhstan!! We are learning so much about the culture through the people we meet. Yesterday we spent our last day with the Youth Impact children. They are a group of students who have graduated from an orphanage and are now taking classes to learn daily living skills as well as specific job skills. Throughout the week I have worked with a group of 5-7 kids who are Russian speakers. We did many fun activities like painting, collages, a scavenger hunt, and games. We introduced them to Jenga and Connect 4 and they were both big hits!!! We also took time to have more serious discussions about important issues like teamwork, making decisions, and career choices.


Yesterday was all fun though! We went to an area outside the city where there was open land and water to play in. The kids had so much fun having free time to play board and card games, American football, Ladderball, swim in the water, throw a Frisbee, and have a picnic. It was a great way to end our time with them and really be able to help them have fun. It is amazing to see how often the students were smiling. I am thankful they can smile and laugh when you consider all the hard times they have had to endure in their short lives so far. We are sad to leave them, but an Interlink staff member said we have helped the staff build stronger relationships with the students for their future work here. We hope there is a lasting impression!!!

Youth Impact Picnic

Posted by Jeff Jones, Delegate

Yesterday, our team spent most of the day with the Youth Impact children. We brought a picnic and plenty of games and activities. We played ladderball, cards, lawn darts, soccer, and threw around the Frisbee and football. It was our last day with these children, and it was not easy to say goodbye. At dinner last night, one of the translators told us that the children had said that they really liked us and that we were really kind-hearted, which showed me that in only three days, we had made at least a small impact on them.

Night Life

Posted by Chris Flack, DelegateI tend to obsess over these things. Anything I post on my own blog has been in a notebook or on my desktop for about a week before it makes it online. All of that to say, I’m going to forgo my neurosis and just tell you about our “night life” for the past few days.I was a little disappointed to hear that my and Kenny’s host family backed out at the last minute, but now I can’t imagine a better situation. We’ve been put up at Ken’s big house (view from the balcony).

We had 1 night with Kiikzhan, 1 night on our own, and the 3rd night Ken was back with us. We’ve definitely not missed out on much. We went to the square with some kids from a sort-of-foster-care home. Music, roller-blading, and hours of tag filled the night.

With the kids at the Park

Sunset at the Square

The next night we got to visit Aben’s house for dinner with his family. The meal was amazing. Then we sat and traded stories over tea, cake, and watermelon for another few hours. I was afraid it was getting late (by American standards) and I really didn’t want to leave yet. Apparently the night was nowhere near over. Aben went to the closet and came back with a few pairs of rollerblades. We walked to a nearby park and played games with Matt, Sara, and Aben’s kids for another few hours. Our third night, we were invited to a party with the office staff. Peter, a former driver for Interlink had been in town and wanted to have everyone over for dinner. Beth, Sara, Olya, Ken Baskette, Kenny and I arrived and visited with the family while lamb, chicken, and fish shashleek (Kazakh BBQ) was prepared for us. Olya, Kenny, and I walked the kids to the store for candy and some toys. Right after we got back, Peter picked up two of his friends. Both of them were Peace Corps workers in the area. After introductions we all talked and ate till nearly midnight, when we finally parted ways and went home for the evening. All in all it’s been an incredible few nights. Not all parties and fun. The kids have been amazing, but I imagine you’ve heart those stories from others. I’ve just been really impressed with the staff here and the opportunities to get to know them and see some of the workings here behind the scenes.

Scavenger Hunt

Posted by Elizabeth Jones, Delegate

Yesterday afternoon our team had the opportunity to take our students on a photo scavenger hunt around the city. About four students, two Americans, and a translator made up each group. We had two hours to traipse around the town taking random and hilarious pictures – like our students on a ride at the park, on a bus, in a taxi, with people from the army, and many others. The scavenger hunt was a perfect opportunity for us to spend an extended amount of time with a small group of students, building relationships with them through this activity. All of the students were smiling and laughing and really seemed to enjoy our time together. They also were able to practice teamwork and communication through this scavenger hunt. After the scavenger hunt we returned to the Interlink office for dinner and an award ceremony with the students.

I was stretched (while having an amazing time) during this experience because things were out of my control. Not knowing the city, I had to trust our students and translator. And they didn’t let us down. Just for the record, Sarah and Elizabeth’s team won first place

Youth Impact Delegation

Posted by Sarah Cooper, Delegate (Thursday PM)

Today was another great day! I woke up to an egg, vegetables, and bread with home-made raspberry jam. The food here is awesome. I thought that I would lose weight on this trip, but I think I might come back heavier. Last night Jeff, Elizabeth, and I went to a park. We had ice cream and cotton candy. Then we stopped for some watermelon and another kind of honey-flavored melon that no one can name for me. It was all scrumptious!

Initially with the kids we had some questions that helped all of us get to know each other better. The first question involved their culture and what they like/dislike about it. Many of the kids said that they did not like the corruption in their culture; however, they enjoyed the community and hospitality of their culture. I said I enjoyed America because of its opportunity and disliked it because of its total focus on materialism. It is so enjoyable getting to know one another-in our group and with the kids.

We played some outside games that were pretty fun. I think the kids enjoyed themselves. We also did abstract art on canvasses. A lot of them did not understand the concept of abstract, but several surprised us with their artistic ability. There are some pictures displaying the kid’s art.

Later, we talked about conflict and conflict resolution with the kids. We played the game Connect Four and had them work in teams. It was neat to see how they progressed from hasty decision making initially to working together and thinking about decisions later in the process. We then had the kids discuss it and then make up a skit that would portray examples of good conflict resolution vs. bad conflict resolution. We all had a big laugh watching the kids act this out. After all this we ate another fantastic meal that the cooks in the dormitory prepared.

We are about to go on a scavenger hunt and I am sure someone else will describe in detail the amazing time!

I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say I miss my family terribly-but that this experience is something I will treasure forever. Who knows what kind of impact will be made here.

Youth Impact Delegation

Posted by Kenny, Delegate (Thursday AM)

The Youth Impact delegation safely arrived in Taraz on Tuesday ahead of schedule. A few of us can still feel the effects of jet lag, but generally everybody has adjusted well.

Yesterday we worked at PTL (Poly-Technical College) with the kids playing games and connecting the principles of fun with life and its hard decisions. Many of the kids responded well and the team had a lot of fun.


We are all getting accustomed to the delicious food here as well as the peculiar customs of this country. Several team members visited “the square” with host families last night to enjoy roller skating and the carnival-like atmosphere. Many Kazakhs come out in the evening to enjoy the festivities and relax after a hot day.


Today we visit PTL again to continue yesterday’s activities and lessons and finish the day out with a city-wide scavenger hunt. Sounds exciting! Well, don’t worry, there will be much more to write about later.

Youth Impact Delegation

Posted by Sara Coggins, Kids Connection Manager

Yesterday a delegation of ten arrived to work with Youth Impact. After a few minutes with the customs officials (who were curious about the number of boxes the group had) we left the airport in an air conditioned bus for the drive back to Taraz. The trip took about 8 hours. We stopped mid-way for some tea and bread. We were even given special seats at the roadside restaurant because we were guests from the USA. After a tour of the city and some time at the office, the delegation went to their host homes for the evening.

Today they had their first day of their program with Youth Impact. They seemed to have a great time getting to know them. Other than a few cuts and scrapes (delegates that were just a bit competitive) they all seem to be healthy and are enjoying their time. We will have more updates and some pictures in the next few days.