 |
|
Delegates from Ukraine to learn about citizen participation in government and public health programsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 29, 2006CINCINNATI, OHIO - Delegates from Ukraine will travel to Cincinnati on September 1, 2006 to participate in the Open World Leadership Program (Open World Program), sponsored by the Open World Center, an independent entity of the Library of Congress. Members of the Cincinnati-Ukraine Partnership will host the delegates during their stay. The four delegates, Larysa Ilmeeva, Iryna Mykhalets, Olena Lymar, Natalya Silima and facilitator, Karina Makarenko, will spend the majority of their time in Cincinnati learning about many of the city's unique public health programs, including the HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse program, the "First Step Home" and "Off the Streets" programs, and will visit the GLADouse. With Ukraine's transition to democracy and the conclusion of the Orange Revolution, organizers say this Open World visit to Cincinnati can provide valuable tools for Ukrainians to learn about citizen participation in government and more fully integrate it into their own society at home. The Ukrainian visitors, who are all HIV/AIDS professionals, will also learn about Cincinnati's many HIV/AIDS programs in order to better help their native country with their own fight against HIV/AIDS. "The Open World Program affords opportunities for different groups to share and exchange invaluable information. It gives people new insights and allows them to compare outside of their cultural norms and see what broader influences there might be," said Alan Brown, president of the Cincinnati-Ukraine Partnership. Delegates will also travel to local Cincinnati attractions including the Cincinnati Zoo, the Cincinnati Art Museum and King's Island Amusement Park during their visit. They will depart for home on September 9, 2006. The Cincinnati-Ukraine Partnership, formerly known as the Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister City Project, was founded in 1989 and has seen more than 3,000 people travel between Cincinnati and Ukraine for exchange programs in business, government, education, culture and medicine. The program has won five awards from Sister Cities International and, in 1991, hosted the first US-USSR Sister Cities International conference. This is the fourth Open World Program that Cincinnati has hosted, with the previous programs being in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Two of these programs were themed around journalism and media and the other around non-government organizations. The Open World Program focuses on bringing young political and civic leaders from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Uzbekistan to the United States for a hands-on introduction to American democracy and free enterprise. 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, Vilnius, Kiev or Tashkent, and then an orientation in Washington, D.C. to learn basic United States government relationships, balance of power and rule of law. Local Contact Information: Marilyn Braun, 513.821.0621, mbraun@fuse.net Sister Cities International Contact Information: Ami Neiberger-Miller, 202.347.8630 ext. 8251, amiller@sister-cities.org Mandy Straub, 202.347.8630 ext. 4877, communications@sister-cities.org About Sister Cities International Representing more than 2,500 communities in 134 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.
###
|
|
© Sister Cities International. 2001-2012. All Rights reserved. - Privacy Policy - Logo Usage Policy 915 15th Street, NW, 4th Floor, Washington DC 20005 - (tel) 202.347.8630 - (fax) 202.393.6524 |