I came to Ust-Kamenogorsk from a small area with a Kazakh mentality. For me, “uyat” came first. In my second year of university, my friends and I started going to the orphanage to play and communicate with the kids. Many were not psychologically prepared to volunteer and did not want to spend their weekends doing it. And then I realized that I had not appreciated much before: I have parents and many opportunities. In 2018, at ZhasCamp I learned about social projects. I proposed my project and became a participant in the republican camp in Almaty.

Largely thanks to the “Open Parliament” project, I was invited to the working group on access to information. There has been some progress on regulations: Kazakhstan is introducing a standard for accessibility of web content for persons with disabilities, which takes into account the diverse needs of users, including problems with vision, hearing, motor skills, speech, cognitive abilities, learning difficulties and neurological impairments. After its approval, we will monitor and try to influence the new edition of the order of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry on the information content of the Internet resources of government agencies.

I hope that this research will help preserve the truth about the January events. The stories told by eyewitnesses are confirmed by facts in the form of photos, videos, and audio. The authorities of our country are trying to hide a lot; they do not bring peaceful rallies and marches into history as peaceful, but present them as a terrorist act. It is important for me to help to convey, capture, and pass this truth to the future generation. Perhaps, thanks to this, the names of the victims of the 2022 shooting will be in the history books. We have conducted a full fact-check and, through the words of eyewitnesses, we will convey to world human rights organizations those facts that are kept silent.

The spirit of justice has always been in my blood. And YISK gave me many tools in the field of project management, skills in journalism, experience in inventing and implementing projects. I started making to-do lists, applying SWOT analysis, communicating and getting the information I needed through email. Now I understand the importance of working with young people: when young men and women have a problem, they don’t know what to do with it, what are the ways to solve it. Here, at YISK, they teach us how to find them.

I used to want to become a president but I don’t really want to anymore. YISK helped me to see problems specifically rather than globaliz them. In 2015, at the School of Human Rights, I did a project on peaceful assemblies in Karaganda. Until the problem of a platform through which opinions can be expressed is solved, other changes are much more difficult. After the YISK School of Human Rights, I entered the master’s program and there was a competition within the university for a scholarship. YISK wrote a recommendation describing our project in Karaganda. And I was approved for this grant!

In 2015, we were forced to vote in elections. I arrived around 6 pm and was informed that they had already voted for me. I was shocked. Then I asked myself: “What contribution am I making to my country?” And I started looking for people who know the answers. That’s how I got to the YISK event, where I stayed because I found my people. Studying at the School of Human Rights gave me confidence that I could do something myself. Soon my team and I created a project on women's rights. And YISK taught me strategic thinking and gave me great networking - I am still friends with many people to this day.

In 2017, we conducted an advocacy campaign in Semey - a so-called initiative that promotes any public interest in government bodies. We opposed plans to destroy the last park area in Semey, organized cleanup days there, and this place became pleasant for walking. Soon after, all the trees there were cut down and burned. And we performed through websites and TV channels, created a petition and held public hearings. Unfortunately, the park area could not be restored. But I started doing investigative journalism and am preparing my own investigation.

I thank the entire YISK team for the support and assistance provided to me in 2021 when I was persecuted for satirical publications in qaznews24. The legal service provided me with great support and assistance, thanks to which they could not imprison me for three years. Special thanks to Zhanar Balgabaeva, my lawyer, who defended my rights, honor and dignity. What you do for the citizens of Kazakhstan is an invaluable contribution to the development of a democratic state.

At the School of Human Rights, I learned how to work with information and establish communications. Here I found like-minded people and was able to go beyond the stereotypes of the local community. The most interesting experience at YISK was when I became the director of the ZhasCamp (non-)conference in Petropavlovsk. Everything that I previously saw only in the capital and Almaty has now appeared in my hometown. Also, being a director of the branch taught me not to set too global goals, such as “world peace,” but to choose a clear and accessible idea and implement it.

I’m studying to be a journalist, but now I think that in order to achieve my goals, it’s optimal to work in an NGO. YISK projects showed me how NGOs work, what their capabilities are, what social projects and social business are. At MISK, I became a pro-feminist, and I also began to understand more how society works - how and why people live in Kazakhstan and all over the world. At the School of Responsible Business, a speaker from Europe showed us pictures of children in Africa working to get the resources to make our phones. It shocked me.

Thank you for the "Open Parliament" project which gave me the opportunity to participate in meetings with deputies. I gained experience in legislative work, and thanks to the project's contribution and my collaboration with like-minded individuals, advocacy work was carried out to amend legislative acts. Now, people living with HIV can adopt children. Currently, work is underway to ensure access to special social services for people living with HIV in Kazakhstan.

The Kazakhstan Internship Program exceeded all my expectations! It was truly a fulfilling time that I undoubtedly spent productively. My goal for the internship was to broaden my professional horizons, acquire new knowledge, develop practical skills, and understand the inner workings of a publishing media. I can confidently say that all my expectations were met. I want to express my immense gratitude to the entire team of YISK, Freedom House, and Manshuq Media. It is incredibly pleasant to work with you; you are true professionals in your field.

Participating in the Human Rights School was an unforgettable experience that completely changed my understanding of human rights and their importance in society. During the training, I implemented a project to analyze the knowledge of high school students in this area. My work included conducting lectures and the game "У права," which helped students better understand the basics of human rights and their significance in daily life. It was an unforgettable and inspiring journey that left a lasting impact on my life.

The school turned out to be a source of valuable knowledge about human rights for me. I was impressed by the excellent lecturers, whose presentations were filled with information and energy. I learned to analyze complex situations, find arguments, and effectively defend my positions. This experience will be useful not only in everyday life but also in my professional activities, in my work at school, in activism, blogging, and human rights advocacy. Thanks to the School, I became confident that I should continue to act and develop in the field of civic activism.