YCCAF Tashkent

YCCAF 2025 (Young Creators of Central Asia Forum) is designed to build entrepreneurial skills among young people in the creative fields and to support their creative initiatives, strengthening the creative economy across Central Asia.

From 3 to 5 February 2025, the opening event of YCCAF 2025 took place at the Republican College of Design and Arts (RIDM) in Tashkent. A delegation of 18 people from Compass College — 12 young creators and 6 experts and staff members — visited the partner college in Uzbekistan for a professional exchange on creative business in the arts and the growth of the creative industries.

The forum opened with a ceremony at RIDM, with welcome addresses from representatives of GIZ, national project coordinator Jahongir Juraev, education consultant Aizharkyn Osmonova from Kyrgyzstan, the director of RIDM and forum participants.

The programme began with a workshop by Aigerim Bokoeva on idea generation and creative thinking, focusing on design thinking principles and Belbin team roles. The second day was given over to the ‘Smart Branding’ workshop led by expert Aleksei Lysogorov: naming, logos, visual identity and examples of strong brands. Participants also visited TEAM University and the Tashkent Film School.

By the end of the first stage, 12 creators from Kyrgyzstan and 12 from Tashkent had formed six teams to work on joint projects. The partnership between Compass College and RIDM made it possible to embed creative business methods into the work of young creators in both countries.