Oxus Society Launches a New Fellowship Program

The Oxus Society launched the second stage of its fellowship program “Promoting Knowledge-Driven Solutions By Strengthening Partnerships between Academics and Activists in Central Asia” between February 24 and 26 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event brought together 16 academics, experts and civil society representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The event included a keynote address by Karlygash Ezhenova, director of publishing house Exclusive.kz. Ms. Ezhenova discussed key developments in Central Asia. The fellows also received training on research design, stakeholder mapping and researcher safety from the program’s mentors, Aijan Sharshenova (OSCE Academy Bishkek), Berikbol Dukeyev (Suleyman Demirel University) and Aigul Beimisheva (Narxoz University).

During the two-day workshop, the fellows worked in groups of two or three to plan research projects on topics including media literacy, access to education, gender-based violence and migration. Over the coming months they will receive additional training and work in their teams to produce policy briefs or advocacy campaigns on their chosen topics. Many of the groups contain fellows from more than one country and combine academics and activists. The goal is to enhance research and dialogue between academia and civil society, as well as build networks between different countries in Central Asia.