Essay from Sevinch Mukhammadiyeva

Young Central Asian woman leaning to the left. She's got long curly dark hair, brown eyes, and a striped black vest over a black blouse with a small necklace. She's on a city street with trees and a sidewalk and buildings in the distance.

“Kelajak ofisi” unites young people 

Sevinch Mukhammadiyeva 

sevinchmuhammadiyeva06@gmail.com

Annotation: It would not be a mistake to say that the “Office of the Future” is a true center of opportunities and knowledge for young people. During the program, participants have the chance to strengthen their teamwork and leadership skills, attend master classes from experienced speakers, and exchange ideas and experiences with new friends. Over the course of five days, more than 150 young people discover new sides of themselves. This program is highly valuable and essential for today’s youth. 

Keywords: Education, 5 days, Kelajak ofisi, project

Аннотация: Не будет ошибкой сказать, что «Офис будущего» является настоящим центром возможностей и знаний для молодежи. В рамках программы участники имеют возможность укрепить свои навыки командной работы и лидерства, посетить мастер-классы от опытных спикеров, а также обменяться идеями и опытом с новыми друзьями. В течение пяти дней более 150 молодых людей открывают в себе новые грани. Эта программа является очень ценной и необходимой для современной молодежи.

Ключевые слова: Образование,5 дней, Проект,Келажак офиси

Annotatsiya: “Kelajak ofisi” yoshlar uchun haqiqiy imkoniyat va bilim maskani desak, adashmagan bo‘lamiz. Dastur davomida ishtirokchilar jamoada ishlash va yetakchilik ko‘nikmalarini mustahkamlash, tajribali spikerlarning mahorat darslarida qatnashish, yangi do‘stlar bilan fikr va tajribalar almashish imkoniyatiga ega bo‘ladilar. Besh kun davomida 150 dan ortiq yoshlar o‘zlaridagi yangi qirralarni kashf etadilar. Ushbu loyiha yoshlar uchun nihoyatda muhim va qadrlidir.

Kalit so’zlar: Ta’lim, 5 kun, proyekt, Kelajak ofisi

Mukhammadiyeva Sevinch is a second-year student at Tashkent State Medical University. She graduated from school with a gold medal in 2024, demonstrating her academic excellence. In 2022, she earned an IELTS score of 6.5, reflecting her strong proficiency in English. Sevinch is also the holder of a National “A” Certificate in Chemistry and has achieved distinction as a winner of the Chemistry Olympiad.

Poetry from Eva Petropoulou Lianou

Light skinned middle aged European woman with long reddish-brown hair and a smile. She's in front of a lake on a sunny day with trees and people on the beach behind her.

Women in chains

Unloved Woman 2

I was alone for years…

Like a tree

During the rain

So when I met this man

It was love at the first sight

I think

Talking hours on the phone

Talking hours over the dinner table

-U are only mine, he whispers for years

– U belong to me, he repeat day after day

I didn’t react when he search my bag, my phone, my Facebook account..

He told me to delete my social media accounts

He told me no need to go to work because he will take care of me

He told me, never go out alone…

I do not like!!

I did not react,

I did not go away

I did not talk to anyone

I keep my secrets deep inside

Without smile

Without tears

One night, they find me

In a foetus position

Cover of blood

He stabbed me with the kitchen knife….

After we had celebrated our 5th anniversary

The police described the whole scene

as a

Crime of passion

……….. 

Speak up!!!! 

Open the door and run!!!!

Do not be afraid!!! 

Essay from Madina Furkatova

Young Central Asian teen girls seated at a classroom table listening to one of them standing to speak to them. Uzbek flags and bookshelves in the background.

Breaking Barriers: Young Women Leaders Transform Uzbekistan Through Revolutionary “EmpowerHer” Forum

Madina Furkatova 

Coordinator of Uzbekistan Youth Union,

 Founder of “Community Changers” volunteer club

Email: furqatovamadina7@gmail.com  Contact: +998901027107

In a groundbreaking initiative that connected 150 young women across Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, the “EmpowerHer: Republican Women Leaders Forum” has emerged as a catalyst for unprecedented change in female leadership development. This three-day online forum, spearheaded by the “Community Changers” club, addresses a critical gap that has long hindered the region’s progress: limited access to leadership development opportunities for young women.     

It was great opportunity and inspiration for me to join the Leader Girls Forum. It was a truly inspiring event where I learned practical skills on leadership, communication, and self-confidence.

I especially valued the supportive atmosphere and the chance to connect with other motivated young women. The forum encouraged me to believe in my potential and left a lasting positive impression. — Mehribon Xayrullayeva

Tackling the Root of Gender Inequality

The project directly confronts three fundamental challenges plaguing young women in Central Asia. Geographic isolation prevents talented women from connecting with peers and successful role models across different provinces, creating isolated pockets of untapped potential. A systematic information gap about international scholarships, prestigious university programs, and global career pathways has left countless capable women unaware of opportunities that could transform their futures. Most critically, the absence of structured leadership development programs specifically designed for young women has meant that practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial independence, and professional networking remain largely inaccessible.

We identified that talented young women remain underrepresented in key leadership roles across government, business, and civil society organizations due to lack of preparation and networks. The consequences are far-reaching: promising female talent either emigrates without contributing to local development or remains underutilized, missing opportunities for both personal growth and national advancement.

A Comprehensive Solution Taking Shape

The EmpowerHer forum operates through a systematic two-phase approach that has proven remarkably effective. Phase One involves a rigorous 20-day application and selection process, ensuring committed participants are identified through careful screening. Phase Two delivers an intensive three-day forum featuring expert speakers, interactive workshops, and crucial networking sessions.

The project’s success lies in its comprehensive components. Expert speaker sessions feature accomplished women leaders including Khurshida Rakhmonova, Chief Coordinator of Girls’ Voice Club; Saida Abdunazarova, winner of the US KECTIL and Aspire Leaders Program; and Gulnur Esova, a UK University Master’s student. These sessions provide participants with real-world insights from women who have successfully navigated international opportunities while maintaining their cultural roots.

Skill development workshops cover essential areas: personal development, financial independence, CV enhancement, startup creation, and leadership discovery. The networking platform connects participants from various provinces and Karakalpakstan, creating unprecedented cross-regional collaboration opportunities. A certification program provides official certificates valuable for scholarship applications, while a talent registry creates a “Talented Girls List” for ongoing support and project tracking.

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Addressing Global Sustainability Goals

The forum directly advances multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, primarily SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). “Research shows that when women lead, there is significant positive impact on students’ academic performance and overall well-being,”. “Our empowered participants will contribute to educational excellence in their communities.”

The project also connects to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through entrepreneurship training, SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by providing equal opportunities across different regions, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through international networking and collaboration opportunities.

Measuring Real Impact

The forum’s success is measured through both quantitative and qualitative metrics. All 150 participants completed the program and received certificates, achieving a 100% completion rate. More importantly, the project tracks long-term outcomes including scholarship applications, career advancement, and startup initiatives launched by participants.

Success benchmarks are ambitious yet achievable: Year one targets 90% participant satisfaction with 50% pursuing new opportunities and establishment of an active alumni network. By year two, the program aims to expand to 300+ participants with secured international partnerships. Year three envisions regional recognition as the premier women’s leadership platform with a 500+ alumni network and measurable SDG impact in participant communities.Mentalaba - Universitet haqida batafsil
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Building Sustainable Networks

The forum’s vision extends far beyond a single event. To establish EmpowerHer as the premier leadership development platform for young women in Central Asia, creating a generation of confident, skilled, and internationally connected female leaders who drive sustainable development in their communities.

The EmpowerHer forum represents more than professional development—it embodies a fundamental shift toward gender equality and sustainable progress. As these 150 young women leaders return to their communities armed with new skills, networks, and confidence, they carry with them the potential to transform not just their own futures, but the trajectory of Central Asia’s development.

Through partnerships with the Uzbekistan Youth Union Samarkand Provincial Council and Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, with future collaboration planned with the Uzbekistan Volunteer Association, EmpowerHer demonstrates that sustainable change requires comprehensive, culturally-sensitive approaches to women’s empowerment. The revolution in female leadership has begun, one empowered woman at a time.

Poetry from Brooks Lindberg


glacier as existentialist:

a glacier

doesn’t seek a form

it is one

so too the valley it carved

the mountains it ripped

the sky it deepens

day and night

dripping itself into

its own coffin

Brooks Lindberg lives in the Pacific Northwest. Several of his poems appear here, in Synchronized Chaos. Others appear frequently in The Beatnik Cowboy, Horror Sleaze Trash, and elsewhere.

Poetry from Raisa Anan Mustakin

The era of separation

This is how it is, I tell myself

Unemployment on the roof-top

No one cares to share their lighter

To light up your cigarette anymore

My folks belong to the era

Where you shared towns

Kept the doors unlocked

As though all belonged to the same house

There is no deadline and daffodils

Mesmerize while I’m stuck decades ago

Caffeinated on cheap coffee

Scavenging the job columns

Finding fish bones and rotten spinach

Ink-died pens and scooping 

The last drops from the soup bowl

Allen Ginsberg is dead

I tell myself, no more love

Circulating around the corporate cubicles

You are on your own 

This is the era of separation

This is how it is, I tell myself

Solitude is no longer optional

Faces look kinder on the TV screen

Poetry from Mahbub Alam

Middle aged South Asian man with reading glasses, short dark hair, and an orange and green and white collared shirt. He's standing in front of a lake with bushes and grass in the background.
Mahbub Alam

Forgetfulness

I look all around

Find out the past

In the land, on the waters

Press on the gear to speed up

As the birds fly towards the sky

Leaving everything loving back

I fly to thee

O my forgetfulness

Just like the flowery garden

Over there in the darkness

The stars always blink

The light we enjoy at night

Swimming all the way

I find myself on the bank

Keeping your hand on my back

Here flows the waves of the green crops

We always play at our own skills and charms

Forgetfulness twinkles over here, there

Making a way to the glory of endless delight.

Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.

Poetry from Anakha S.J.

Pixelated gray image of a South Asian teen girl with earrings and dark curly hair.

Dark Rose

There is a dark red rose in my garden.

Morning dewdrops at the rise petals.

Sparkle like diamonds.

It seems to be the most beautiful rose in the world.

The rose in my yard settle in my heart.

A rose by the name LOVE has bloomed 8n my heart.

In morning, and in the evening,

I like to water her.

I love her, I care her,

My red rose, my red rose.

…   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …   …

Anakha S J, 15 years old,  is a student in Govt. High School, Vithura, Kerala, India. Writing poetry and gardening are her passion and hobby.