The overall purpose of the Internet Access and Training
Program is to foster continued information sharing,
network building, communication, and collaboration among
alumni of ECA academic and professional exchange programs
and other audiences identified by the Public Affairs
Section of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, their American
counterparts, US host institutions, and each other.
The IATP provides a unique opportunity for alumni of
ECA and US government sponsored exchange and training
programs to obtain access to Internet resources and
the information tools that will allow them to maintain
dialogues with each other, host institutions and colleagues
in the US, and partners in the US, Europe, and Eurasia.
The program also provides extensive training and opportunities
in Internet usage to the local audiences as identified
by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in
Ukraine. Working with alumni and a variety of local
partners, IATP aims to build and provide a comprehensive
listing of targeted and community electronic resources.
Through the IATP, alumni, targeted audiences, local
IATP partners, and others form a formidable consortium
of active participants (a community network) involved
in the development and maintenance of their communities'
role in the global information infrastructure.
Program goal and objectives
1.
Train
staff of IATP partner institutions to meet the technical
and information needs of ECA program alumni and
other end-users;
2.
Provide sustainable,
high speed access to the Internet for ECA program
alumni and other PDS-identified audiences by upgrading
and/or expanding IATP-supported public access Internet
sites and/or other non-commercial Internet training
centers;
3.
Conduct systematic
outreach to ECA program alumni, developing mechanisms
to ensure that alumni receive free Internet access,
training, and services at IATP sites and/or IATP
FreeNets;
4.
Develop curriculum,
course descriptions, materials, requirements, and
schedules for Internet training courses at public
access Internet sites or training centers; and develop
topics and schedules for specialized workshops or
seminars;
5.
Administer an open
competition for grants to create useful Internet-based
local-language information resources that are responsive
to the needs of the community and region.
The initial
IATP-4 press-release
The goal of the IATP is to promote
and support democracy, public-private sector partnerships,
and civil society by linking the communities of Eurasia
to the global information infrastructure. The IATP provides
a unique opportunity for alumni of US government exchange
and training programs and other target audiences to
receive free and open Internet access and training in
the use of electronic mail and the Internet, helping
to foster continued information sharing, network building,
communication, and collaboration with their American
and Eurasian counterparts.
Initially launched in 1995, the IATP
has expanded operations in its second stage into 10
countries of Eurasia including Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The IATP seeks to empower
end-users by providing opportunities for them to publish
information on the World Wide Web, develop Internet-based
resources, obtain useful on-line information, and create
sustainable non-commercial Internet networks. Offering
an array of services, the IATP helps to increase local
capacity of individuals and institutions to creatively
use Internet applications as educational and professional
tools.
Current
Internet Programs
Internet Access and Training Program.
In December 1995, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (ECA) initiated the Internet Access
and Training Program (IATP) using the Kyrgyzstan FreeNet
as a model. The overall objective of the IATP was to
create vibrant, sustainable communication links among
ECA exchange program alumni, key regional opinion leaders,
and their US colleagues. In meeting this objective,
the IATP provided free e-mail and Internet access and
training for alumni of US government exchange programs,
higher educational institutions, and non-governmental
organizations in Eurasia. Launching a new stage of the
program in May 1999, the program focus has shifted from
connectivity to on-line content development, from infrastructure
to a dynamic mix of training and community outreach.
The program provides opportunities for end-users to
publish information on the World Wide Web, develop Internet-based
resources, receive extensive training in the Internet,
and create sustainable non-commercial Internet networks.
NATO Open Internet Exchange.
This first non-commercial Internet exchange in St. Petersburg,
Russia was created in October 1998 with funding from
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It provides
a high-speed Internet ring between eight institutions,
including universities and libraries, in the St. Petersburg
region. Internet users have been able to exchange electronic
traffic among themselves without having to depend on
Internet nodes outside the city. Partners have received
grants of supporting equipment, leased line installation,
and monthly rent for one year of connection to the Internet
Exchange.
Internet Resources for Higher Education.
Initially launched in Russia in 1998, the Carnegie-funded
Academic and Civil Society Support Initiative consists
of various targeted Internet program activities that
support higher educational institutions in the social
sciences and humanities. With additional funding from
Carnegie, the program, now titled Information Resources
and Dissemination, has recently expanded to include
Ukraine and the Caucasus. Through the training of faculty
and staff and small grant support, the program consists
of three main components: on-line database support project,
web publishing project, and an electronic mailing list
management training project.
Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) is a project funded by the
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
Please, direct your questions, comments and suggestions to the following addresses, regarding the subject, you choose:
Project and its work: e-mail address,
IATP Web site: e-mail address.
