SCI: Sustainable Development

DURHAM SISTER CITY PROGRAM HOSTS OPEN WORLD PROGRAM RUSSIAN DELEGATES
Delegates from Russia to learn about women leaders in the United States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      October 27, 2006

Local Contact Information: Anne Berkley, 919.544.2668, ar.berkley@verizon.net

Sister Cities International Contact Information:
Ami Neiberger-Miller, 202.347.8630 ext. 8251, amiller@sister-cities.org
Sheryl Thomas, 202.347.86.30, sthomas@sister-cities.org

DURHAM, NC - Delegates from the Russian city of Kostroma will arrive in Durham on November 4, 2006 to participate in the Open World Program. Members of the Sister Cities of Durham will host the delegates during their eight-day stay.

The four delegates, Elena Lebedeva, Yelena Lushina, Olga Shumakova, Yelena Zhurina and facilitator Inna Labutova, will spend the majority of their time in Durham, learning about many of the city's local organizations that deal with women's issues and exploring local and state government procedures. They will also meet with local government officials and professional women leaders, such as the North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

The Russian delegates will visit the North Carolina Women's Center, the Self-Help Credit Union, the Triangle Chapter of Business and Professional Women, the Durham Crisis Response Center, the Urban Ministries of Durham, and the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.

Fifteen years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation is well into the post-Soviet Russia transition. The delegates from Kostroma - all of whom are female leaders in various professional fields, including education and communication - hope their visit to Durham will provide them with valuable tools to learn about their American female counterparts, involved in local government structures, civil society, and educational systems as well as how to translate these examples into Russian society. During their time in Durham, they will have the opportunity to shadow a professional woman in their field.

"We hope to strengthen the ties between our sister cities, sharing knowledge on how we view women's issues and how women function as leaders. We also want to look at how women have reached leadership positions," said Anne Berkley of the Sister Cities of Durham.

Delegates will experience some of Durham's more unique sights including the Durham Art Walk and the Tobacco Museum. They will also visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural History, WUNC, and a will attend a performance of "The Music Man".

The Durham-Kostroma partnership was officially founded in 1989. The sister cities have hosted numerous exchanges programs with teachers, students, artists, and clergy. Kostroma, located in central Russia, northeast of Moscow and founded in the second half of the thirteenth century, around the same time as Moscow , was the location of the crowning of the first Romanov. The city is known for its architecture and its important place in Russian history and culture.

The Open World Program focuses on bringing young political and civic leaders from Russia and Ukraine to the United States for a hands-on introduction to American democracy and free enterprise. It is sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent agency established and funded by the U.S. Congress and housed at Library of Congress. Sister Cities International and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) are partners in supporting the Open World Program. Themes for visits may encompass a wide range of issues, including health care, education, environment, women as leaders, and youth issues.

Each Open World community in the United States hosts a ten day visit for four delegates and one facilitator. Before the trip to their host city, the delegates attend a pre-departure program in Moscow or Kiev and then an orientation in Washington, D. C. to learn about basic United States government relationships, the balance of power and the rule of law.

About Sister Cities International
Representing more than 2,500 communities in 137 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.

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