On the news...

Just for fun, unless you understand Ukrainian, here is a link to the news report about the trade school that they were filming here on Thursday afternoon. Garry is called a Canadian farmer selected for the honor to teach the students- I think someone told us who does speak Ukrainian. You can see the students in the classroom, barn and even having lunch at the girls house.


http://podrobnosti.ua/video/morning/2012/09/21/859377.html


We have made the newspapers also! I have used google translate to translate this web page version for you. It's a little stiff, due to the differences in the way the two languages use word order among other things, but you can get the idea. It totally doesn't come up with Garry Verhoog or the name of our village - Nikoli Polia (which means Nickolas' field) or John and Ev Wiens though!

 Basically, it gives the story of the why and how's of the trade school. It is an experimental trade school, licenced by the government for 20 new students each year, and there are 7 this year, so far. The students are learning English because we hope to send some of them to Canada for a work experience there.

 If you read Russian here is where you can find the original text online. http://www.mig.com.ua/chapter/3582.html

Zaporozhye orphans learn from Canadian farmers
Have you ever wondered where to go orphans discharged from the boarding schools? Where do they learn? Do the normal paid work? Where to live, after all? Who needs them?Statistics disappointing: Many of the children have alreadyin youth drink too much and fallin prison, and the girls go to the bar ...Appeared, some people still care about these issues.And, furthermore, these people find a way out.
In the village of Nikolai Paul Zaporozhye region in Ukraine opened the first non-profit vocational school - training center [UPC] "A New Hope." Project for our country unique. It aims at training and socialization of orphans, graduates of boarding schools. Here they will be able not only to get licensed by the Ministry of Education Special "Dairy farming" [not only in theory but also in practice at working farm], but also to learn the English language, computer literacy, social ethics, psychology, relationships.How good ideas are bornWas initiated by the Canadian Centre made a couple, John and Evelyn Vince, who lives in Ukraine for five years. Two years ago, John and Evelyn met in Kiev with Maxim Oliferovskim, now director of the center. Nothing happens - people from different countries come together in unexpected views. Not only that, three years ago in the village there was one Canadian - farmer Harry Verhuk [he is now just and teaches at the center, and on the basis of his farm, students will practice], opened a dairy farm in the determination to teach the villagers, as in our case You can build a successful livestock farming. Coincidence? Rather, fate.Maxim and his Canadian friends were able to find sponsors in Canada, whose contributions and funded "New Hope," and brought to the work of young American volunteers living in Kiev. Representatives of regional services for families and young people, as well as the regional department of vocational education and training have helped to overcome bureaucratic delays in registration documents.Who are they, future farmers?Ministry of Education of the quota of students in a course UOC - 20. For the first year until the typed seven. Home [and so far only] a criterion for admission is the desire of the two-year study of the child. To dial the students conducted interviews among the graduates of professional orientation in five orphanages: Gulyai-Pole, Tokmak, Molochansk, Volnyansk and former Zaporozhye boarding school № 3 [now KP "Zaporizhia training rehab boarding"], were taken to a farm Verhuka.Graduates of boarding center managers are not limited to - learn here can and so-called "social orphans" of Nicholas Paul and surrounding villages: children from single-parent, low-income families or families with many children.17-year-old Max, a graduate Molochansk boarding school, a little embarrassed, tells of the reasons to go to his farmers. He thinks, in our country, such a business can be profitable if approached correctly to his organization. Maxim is aware that the path of Ukrainian farmers may be arduous, but what to do? We must break through. That's very grown-up boy says.Job - well,and the family - even betterThe second part of the project - the housing program for the students and orphans. The child has passed the social adaptation and was able to adapt to independent adult life, he needs to grow, if not in the family, at least to see the model of a complete family. And growing up in a boarding school kids do not have a clue about the basic things: planning a family budget, distribution of domestic tasks, girls often do not even know how to cook. Therefore, students of the "New Hope" live with mentors, who replaced their adoptive parents [of them were volunteers from Zaporozhye and Odessa regions], in private homes in Nicholas Paul. Girls - in the same house, the boys - in the other. Good thing: close and caring adults, and housekeeping boys learn to lead themselves.Mentor and now the mother of girls Ludmila money itself has recently experienced a real life drama. Ludmila - believer, raising two daughters and has long wanted to adopt children from the orphanage. Husband strongly opposed, added religious differences - and was followed by a divorce. Ludmila was a whole year with children forced to live under the same roof with her became stranger and quietly bury their dreams about a huge happy family. The woman says that she prayed for the whole year, and asked God to give her a hint of what to do next. When I heard about the upcoming opening of the center, she realized: her prayers answered. Now the woman doted in their ward of [daughter Ludmila also live under the same roof with a new family] and rejoicing - the girls are learning to bake pies willingly under her strict guidance.Life after "Hope"The essence of the program - not just to educate, but also to employ in the future. At the former farm complex in Nicholas Paul, who is now in a dilapidated state, leaders of the "New Hope" plans to open an updated farm [in 200 cows], which can apply their skills graduates. Some graduates are ready "with his hands and feet" to take our farm and neighboring regions [farmers professionals and young people in general are now in farms starved]. The best students go for internships in Canada - on farm Verhuka Harry and his friends. The guys who want to work on themselves, the center will facilitate the acquisition of several cows to open the individual economy and housing? [Rent a house or an interest-free loan].
Settlement Nicholas Paul have created over a hundred years ago, German colonists invited to our lands by Catherine the Great.Parents, John and Evelyn - come to the very German-Mennonite, so Canadian family is a special place, historical, you might say.
  Anastasia Pisarev

Practicum - or working on the farm

AS part of the trade school course we are following from the Ukrainian government the students have hours of practicum- practical experience.

the boys forking wheelbarrows full of corn silage

Every school day we have two students come in the mornings and two in the afternoon, they feed the cows with Andrei's help and supervision- Andrei is above facing the camera. Andrei was a little unsure of the girls ability to push wheelbarrows around before they started, Garry told him I used to do it all the time. Garry says it takes the girls a little longer as they can't fill the wheelbarrows as full, but they will get faster (and stronger) with practice.

Garry tells me the other students are wondering why Andrei is taking the classes at school when he already knows what to do! I said it is because he wants to be a boss not a worker!

That is the aim of Garry's courses to teach them not just to be qualified to work on a farm, like the diploma they are working toward, but manage one. They will learn to balance feed rations, breed cows artificially, select better animals (dairy judging) and treat illnesses, not just better milking procedures and cow care, but the reasons why things are done the way the are, so they can make good decisions as managers, or even owners of dairy farms.

More television---class time

Tuesday and Thursday are the days that Garry teaches (and I do my English class- I hear from the translator that they told her that there are so many words to learn in English that one hour is tiring- today we did articles of clothing) He has lectures in the morning on cow care - they are talking about what to feed a milking cow, and dairy cattle judging (turns out someone else is teaching the anatomy class) and then labs with experiments or practice at the barn. Garry was on the dairy cattle judging team back in his university days, thirty years ago, traveling to the World Dairy Expo and other contests around the US and Canada with four other students and the professor.

One of the Maxims is being interviewed for television

Masha, who is translating this week, helps some students

Students judging while the crew is filming

 The students couldn`t come to the barn until the school  bought rubber boots and coveralls for them. However the coveralls weren`t quite what Garry was picturing as they  don`t really cover all- as you can see they are more like lab coats in blue. Professional looking but they would stay cleaner in real coveralls!

Jenia is wearing a labcoat while she is milking cows  in the middle of all the activity

Andrei in his boots and lab coat for class

Today it was dairy cattle judging practice in the afternoon at the farm with Garry (until there is enough money to finish remodelling and outfit the big barn with equipment and cows, everything happens in our little barn this year. To add to the fun, the ladies were still milking the cows, and a television crew were here to to film at the school. I understand that they taped at the house while the students ate lunch there,(sorry I still haven`t been there to take photos, but it has been nicknamed the palace) and then here at the barn, interviewing some of the students while they judged some of the cows Garry selected,  deciding which have more ideal physical traits for a good cow.

Next week Thursday the students are going on a field trip to a bigger farm- the one we have visited, there are photos on the moo-oosings blog, I think September of October 2011.

Official Opening day for the trade school

you can see the cameraman videotaping

 Today was the big day with speeches, television coverage, ribbon cutting, food and even classes.













Here is a photo montage of this morning's events.

John and Evelyn Wiens with Maxim who was the emcee

the view from the front (I was standing next to Garry who was speaking)

cutting the ribbon (it was red and satin)

The students then went into school, Garry and his translator followed them, and then the guests and officials

There were lots of decorations - even helium balloons

Garry (and Olya his translator) and the students went to class

A display of farming stuff inside the class

.....while the guests had refreshments (see the posters of farming)

Maxim, John and some officials who spoke before the ribbon was cut

The trade school official even came to the barn with the camera crew- 

I even went along to the barn and handed out some nice good milk to drink from the tank, before John took them off to tour the girls' house in the village-







 I hope to get some pictures of that soon, and the other one they are working hard on renovating now for the boys.

I had a short English class after Garry finished, and this afternoon the students had their first lab at the farm, they counted bales of straw and hay and measured the corn silage to calculate how much feed there is for the winter.

Classes begin

It's true, school began on Wednesday, although the official opening, with government officials, and TV and newspaper coverage from the city of Zaporosia will happen on Tuesday. So far, I have taught an English class, but Garry has yet to teach his classes (yeah, that makes sense, huh?) There were six students when I taught on Thursday, but there may be a dozen soon. Watch for photos next week.

Ready for next week

Garry and Maxim talking in the classroom today

It's September, time for school! The classroom is ready, desks, computers, whiteboard. 

Ready to start 

It is almost time to start school, students from the villages will be talking to the director on Monday. On Tuesday the girls move into the house in the village, furniture is bought. The boys are moving inot an apartment in Zaporosia until the house is remodelled here (they start next week- as soon as the girls is done)  I think they will officially start on Wednesday with entrance testing, and Garry will be teaching next week Monday. I may be teaching English to the students.