Volume 38 summer 2006
Grants Management "...it really doesn’t matter how much money you ask for. It is about how you ask for it and how you plan on spending it".
FUTURE LEADERS E X C H AN G E ALUMNI NEWSLETTER Contents: 1 7 Theme of the Issue:
Ludmila Bilevschi ’97 Edinet, Moldova/Eustis, FL bilevschi@yahoo.com I have been dealing with grants in one way or another since 2003, and though it looks like three years is not a very long period of time, it helped me to realize a few important grantsrelated things that I want to share with other FLEX alumni. Currently I work as the alumni coordinator at the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center (ARC) in Chisinau, Moldova. One of our duties is to administer the ARC Alumni Grants Program, which offers alumni funding up to $500. My previous job involved offering grants of $30,000 – $40,000 to local NGOs to implement different long-term projects. Comparing these two experiences, I can say that it really doesn’t matter how much money you ask for. It is about how you ask for it and how you plan on spending it. When submitting a grant proposal to any donor, one should take into consideration at least a few of the points below. Proposals that have a clear set of realistic goals and activities have better chances of getting funded. One of the last proposals that I had to review was in the sphere of education. The whole proposal was focusing on the problem of
Trainer Ludmila Bilevschi ‘97 works with Vicor Cilibic ‘05, Mihai Popsoi ‘05, and Vitalie Djugostran ‘05
students’ self-promotion abilities. There was not a word about the goals (what this person had in mind) and activities (how, by what means he wanted to make it real). It is easy to figure out that we did not recommend funding his project, as we didn’t understand what this person wanted to do. While a proposal should explain the problem, the emphasis should be on the project goals and activities, in other words how the problem should be fixed. A project proposal should be clearly structured to strictly follow the donor’s requirements. Using your own format will not give the donors all of the information they need for your proposal to be reviewed. This is why when you try to get funding from several donors, it is very important to adjust your proposal to each donor, taking into consideration their requirements, funding priorities, proposals review cycle, etc. Before sending the proposal out, ask someone else (a friend or a colleague) to read it. This will give you an idea of how other people will understand what you have written. It will also help you to avoid mistakes, math errors in budget calculations, etc. Finally, create a positive impression and be accurate in following donor’s requirements, no matter how large or small the size of your request and overall project. Be forewarned: if you prove to be an unreliable partner there is a good chance you will be put on the organization’s so called “black list.” The black list is a list of NGOs or individuals that were awarded grants, but violated grant contracts. Usually, local and regional donors share these lists and these NGOs or individuals are unlikely to receive funding. In any case they will have to work very hard to prove themselves once they have developed a bad reputation.
Grants Management Practice Makes Perfect Putting Theory into Practice Advice from a Professional Fundraiser How the Funder Views Proposals Beauty is a Beast Opening New Doors to Orphans Joining Our Hands to Help Needy Friends 8 9 Alumni Beat 10 11 Bradley Bits 12-14 News and Essays Launching Ultramarine in Dushanbe Washington Civic Education Workshop 2006 Take the First Step 15 Profiles Nana Aburjanidze ’96 Tbilisi, Georgia Evgenij Gribov ’94 Moscow, Russia Rostyslav Semikov ’98 Kyiv, Ukraine
These were just a few useful tips, but I hope they will help you to improve your proposals and implement many exciting projects! Good luck!
Read about the Tajikistan FLEX/YES Conference on Respecting Diversity and Promoting Tolerance on page 9.
The Bradley Herald Page 2
Letter from the Editor Dear FLEX Alumni, Long time no Bradley! Please don’t think it means that the alumni community is in hibernation! You’ll see that plenty is happening. We apologize for the delays in getting you The Bradley Herald, and want you to know that we intend to publish several issues back to back this fall. Keep your eye on your mailbox. At the start of this summer, the FLEX alumni community welcomed home the more than 1,100 new ’06 alumni. Over the summer months, American Councils staff invited new alumni to re-entry seminars across Eurasia. At these gatherings alumni reconnected with friends from pre-departure orientations (PDOs), talked about ways to make a successful readjustment to being home again, and learned about how to become active FLEX alumni. Older alumni once again shared their FLEX experiences during PDO alumni panels, and demonstrated their theatrical talents in ever-new interpretations of the American Dream skit. And for those who couldn’t attend a re-entry seminar, all new alumni were invited to join an on line re-entry forum. The transcript is still available at http://www.americancouncils.spb.ru/2006. In this issue of The Bradley Herald, alumni share their experiences applying for and winning grants to support educational and community service projects. You’ll read about the work of alumni who are professional fundraisers, as well as those who work for grant-making organizations. You’ll also read about the efforts of FLEX alumni to address the needs of their communities. Some projects are brilliant in their simplicity, while others are complex and sophisticated. Alumni who were awarded FLEX Alumni Grants in 2005-2006 funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs share highlights of their activities, all designed to contribute to the social, economic, and civic development of their countries. In upcoming issues we will highlight grant projects being conducted in 2006-2007. We hope these descriptions will inspire you to develop projects in your cities and apply to the FLEX Alumni Grant Program to secure financial support to realize your ideas. Note that the next deadline will be February 15, 2007. The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the theme of the next issue of The Bradley Herald. FLEX alumni are involved in projects to address this ambitious global program, which has been designed to improve literacy, healthcare, and sustainable economic development around the world. In fact, alumni in Ukraine won FLEX Alumni Grants to address MDGs as early as 2003, soon after they were first introduced. While this newsletter is just about ready to go to print, we will consider articles, photos and comments at bradleyherald@actr.ru.
Preparations for Friendship, Health, and Sport Project in Petrozavodsk Lyudmila Chistiakova ‘01 Petrozavodsk, Russia/Robertsdale, AL lucycharm@hotmail.com It is not a secret that the social sector in Russia is in great need of support. The alumni community in Petrozavodsk decided to work with the most socially unprotected groups - children from orphanages and boarding schools. We started with organizing holidays for children such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, St. Valentine’s Day, etc. I was developing new ideas for various social events, and I faced a problem: bringing the ideas into life requires financial support. I was lucky to participate in a grant-writing training in Zelenogorsk organized by American Councils for International Education in January 2004, and to take part in two conferences. They were Net Projects: Teamwork within the Frames of Grant Project Development, and Sustainable Development of the NGO Sector in Modern Russia: Fundraising Issues, organized by Project Harmony in 2004 and 2005. Participating in all of these seminars, trainings, and conferences provided me with valuable knowledge that helped and encouraged me to start writing projects and applying for grants. As a result, two of my grant projects have received funding. The first grant project Friendship, Sport, and Health was carried out with grant funds received from Project Harmony. We received $1000 for this project. Teams from four orphanages and one boarding school took part in the series of basketball and volleyball practices that were conducted by a coach-specialist over a two-week period, attended a seminar on healthy way of life conducted by FLEX alumni, and participated in basketball and volleyball competitions. The main aim was integration of children with disabilities into society, developing tolerance, and promotion of healthy way of life. It was a great pleasure to see how disabled children, who barely leave their boarding school, exchange phone numbers with children from other teams from orphanages and made friends with them. I am sure that this communication enriched the lives of children and alumni as well. The second project University for Everyone! was carried out with a Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) grant in May 2005. We received a matching grant of $300 from the FLEX program, which we earned by raising $300 through a grant from our partner Students Union of Petrozavodsk State University. That project was aimed at encouraging children from orphanages to pursue higher education and work hard to set and achieve their goals in life. p. 3
Looking ahead, we actively seek articles for the issue after that on your business experiences. We want to analyze the pluses and minuses of an entrepreneurial path vs. a corporate business career track. Have you started your own business? Or jump-started your career through a specialized training program? Is it possible to realize entrepreneurial ambitions in a structured corporate environment? Tell us what you think. We will include articles from alumni participants of the Global Village for Leaders in Business and Industry, sponsored by the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. We also encourage you to consider this opportunity now. Go to http://www. iacocca-lehigh.org/globalvillage for details. And please don’t forget that it is FLEX recruitment season! We need your help in promoting the program and assisting FLEX recruiters, when they come to your city to test. Help talented high school students in your city learn about this opportunity. You’ll find the recruitment and testing schedule at http://www.americancouncils. org/. Send your articles, photos, and news to bradleyherald@actr.ru! Best wishes, Mary Shea
Lyudmila Chistakova Prepares for Friendship, Sport, and Health Project
Page 3 The Bradley Herald
Continued from p. 2
Petrozavodsk FLEX alumni also have experience searching for sponsors. In April 2004, we organized and conducted the art festival You and I for groups from orphanages and boarding schools of Petrozavodsk, who performed on stage. This festival was held with financial support from more than 20 sponsors.
of the grant project meet the interests and goals of the organization-donor.
This experience allowed me to start conducting trainings on grant writing myself. Normally grants are limited in the amount of funds available, and grant project writers must be able to work within the framework of the donors’ rules and look for some ways to fill the gaps with their own resources or search for sponsors and partners. It is also important that the goals, selected target groups, and the results
I would like to encourage alumni to write grant proposals and do fundraising in order to fulfill their ideas. Even if the success won’t come with the first grant application, I’m sure it’s worth trying again and again, for practice makes perfect. Being dedicated to the idea of enriching and improving life in local communities and in the country as a whole and having the best intentions – this is the key to success.
The alumni organization Oasis in Petrozavodsk works to develop the volunteer movement and that means that our own most valuable resource is our creative minds, skills and knowledge.
played sports, and went on field trips to see historical monuments and churches.
Opening New Doors to Orphans Tamila Vacharadze ’01 Kutaisi, Georgia/Salem, OR vtamila@hotmail.com My purpose in writing this article is to get the attention of every active alumnus/a and encourage you to use your abilities and experience and make real changes in your countries and society. Since I came back from the United States, I have seen and been persuaded that we alumni are unique with our abilities, skills and experience, and indeed, we can make huge changes for needy people around us. By putting our ideas down as a project and using the opportunity given by the FLEX Alumni Grant Program, we can accomplish and achieve significant results. My five years’ experience with orphans and orphanages in Georgia showed me how vulnerable, insecure, and innocent orphans are. I came to understand that they need special attention, care and assistance in building independent lives and becoming citizens with equal rights and accessibility to political and public participation. Therefore they have to see, attend, and participate in as many events as possible, in order to identify their likes and dislikes and make choices concerning their future education and the sphere of their future careers. I decided that introducing educational opportunities other than higher education to orphans would be my new task. To do this, I had to search for information about vocational – professional technical schools and the professions taught there. I collected a lot of information about professions, met with heads of the schools, students, attended classes, and took many pictures. I then compiled my photos and information into a PowerPoint Presentation regarding professional technical schools for orphans. I then made a lot of presentations for orphans at the orphanages, and even took them on site visits to professional schools.
Kvachi Tsakadze, 13years old. Martkopy Orphanage
At the same time, I also made presentations and introduced my project promoting vocational training to potential sponsors. But all should agree that practical experience is the best way for children to find out about their strengths and interests. Thus, the idea of implementing a summer educational camp came to me. My efforts were rewarded: my FLEX Alumni Grant Proposal was approved for funding by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and many sponsors agreed to make meaningful cost share contributions. They offered to cover costs of hotels, travel, art materials and supplies, teachers’ salaries, etc… I selected about 30 orphans from four orphanages who were the right age to apply to vocational schools, took them out of the city, and our adventurous summer camp started. Together with hired teachers and masters of different professions, the children were able to try wood carving, painting with different technologies, working with clay, plaster, art wire, hair cutting, cooking, cleaning, embroidery, knitting, serving tables, and designing musical instruments. For amusement after hard work we played team-building games, danced, sang songs,
Although summer camp was over in two weeks, the project continues. We keep in touch with the children. Three of them already got into professional trainings. Let me tell you about one of our successes. Roma Kunchulia, an orphan from Momavlis Sakhli, one of the orphanages we worked with, was nominated as the sportsman of the camp. Many times he took the initiative to organize sports activities and competitions with local people in the area of our summer camp. Roma participated in most activities; he made nice paintings, sculptures, and woodwork. Towards the end of the camp, we made a decision to submit Roma’s documents to a school for football. Just then, the orphans were offered courses in working with enamel (plique-a-jour) and one of the first children interested in taking the training was Roma. He was indeed encouraged by the summer camp to learn a profession and now he is working hard designing and producing different pretty items made from enamel. For the rest of the orphans, we are continuing to help them identify their future vocational education. Thanks to several sponsors we will be able to pay educational fees for orphans, find work places for them, and ensure their safe and ordinary lives.
Irakli Suslov, 16 years old. Momavlis Sakli Orphanage
The Bradley Herald Page 4
Grants Management
2006 FLEX Alumni Grant Award Winners by Country City
Project Title
Award Amount
Harutyunyan, Hasmik `01
Gyumri
Millennium Development Goals
$2.500
Manucharyan, Sona `00
Yerevan
We Must Do More Community Service Project
$1.228
Mehdyan, Edit `02
Hrazdan
Colors of Children’s Smiles
$1.538
Aghayev, Vugar `00
Baku
Exploring Leasing for Entrepreneurs
$2.100
Mammadov, Samir Ramiz `99
Baku
Enjoy English Summer Camp
$1.960
Mammadov, Samir Gadir `00
Baku
ESERA: Summer Business School
$2.996
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus Dybovsky, Dmitry `02
Minsk
Round Lake Disability Camp
$2.982
Kudzin, Aliaksei `04
Minsk
Information Resource on University Education in Belarus
$2.430
Jikia, Lina `99
Tbilisi
Youth Policy for Future Georgia
$2.906
Meshveliani, Maka `04
Kutaisi
Participation Fee in AIPES 2006
$250
Bjalava, Matuta `98
Tbilisi
Active Youth - Leading the Future
$2.677
Serekova, Marzhan `04
Almaty
Rural-Urban Cultural Exchange
$3.000
Yedigeyeva, Aiman `05
Almaty
Job Hunting Skills Training for Teenagers Graduating from Orphanages
$250
Haliullina, Alfina `02
Bishkek
Towards Compassionate Society: Promoting Responsible Ownership and Preventing Cruelty
$1.765
Iminova, Nurgul `05
Arstan- Bap
Girls’ State Camp
$2.912
Madylova, Aliya `05
Bishkek
We Are Equal
$486
Solomatova, Alexandra `05
Bishkek
Summer Tech Club
$83
Gindea, Nadejda `03
Chisinau
Disability with Ability: Integrated Summer Camp for Disabled Youth, FLEX Alumni and Local Volunteers
$2.300
Novosiolov, Ivan `05/ Lebeduik, Diana `06
Balti
Caravan of Success
$2.500
Intsertova, Yelena `02
Ryazan
Key to Success
$2.500
Ivanova, Yelena `02
Taganrog
Path to Success
$1.344
Igamov, Inomjon `05
Dushanbe
Tajik Alumni in Action
$2.750
Murodilloev, Shuhrat `05/ Ibragimov, Akmalkhon `04
Dushanbe
“Speak Out!” - Four Days Training Debate Program for Secondary School Students from Khalton Region of Tajikistan
$2.300
Yagdiyeva Leyla `05 with new leader
Shatlyk
Girls Soccer Club
$202
Ashyrova, Ogulsoltan `05
Gorogly, Dashoguz
First-ever Baseball Tournament
$769
Ivanova, Iryna `02
Donetsk
International Outreach Camp
$2.564
Kvartiuk, Vasyl `03
Kyiv
Bringing Public Attention to the Issues of Patient Safety in Ukraine in the Light of Global Patient Safety Tendencies
$2.015
Muntyan, Olena `05
Odesa
Soup Kitchens and Fundraising Stations for Needy Families
$960
Georgia
Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan
Moldova
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Say, Dmitro `01
Mikolayiv
International Outreach Camp
$1.818
Suprun, Lyudmila `99
Kharkiv
Build the Future with Your Own Two Hands
$2.930
Zubko, Hanna`03
Kyiv
Intellectual Property Rights for a Better Future of Ukraine
$2.920
Page 5 The Bradley Herald
Advice from a Professional Fundraiser Ara Vardanyan ‘94 Yerevan, Armenia/Winterset, IA avardanyan@himnadram.org My name is Ara Vardanyan. I was one of the first students to participate in the FLEX Program, which in 1993-94 we called the "Bradley"Program, in honor of its founder, Senator Bill Bradley. I am not going to tell you how the program had changed me and what influence it had. I am sure most of you have gone through this and perfectly know the huge benefits of this program. Currently I am working as a deputy director of the “Hayastan” All Armenian Fund (www.himnadram.org). This is actually the largest Armenia-based organization with 17 offices worldwide, which is providing vital assistance to Armenia and Karabakh. We operate in almost all spheres, ranging from construction of water systems to construction of hospitals, schools, residential buildings and highways. We also implement numerous projects aimed at development of education and sciences. Each year we implement projects worth around 10 million dollars. While working in organizations as mine you realize the great importance of being able to attract donors and the transparency in your everyday work. Actually one would be impossible without the other. If you lack transparency, then no donor would be willing to work with you. People donate money to those in whom they trust and believe. Taking this into account, we provide our donors with full details of the projects we implement, including financial statements and reports. We also undergo a thorough audit conducted by an international company. These professional practices are a must for any organization functioning on the basis of its donors’ trust. So insuring transparency is the first step. Now you can approach donors. This is the most difficult part. People differ and you just cannot use the same solicitation methods for everybody. First, it should be decided whether the potential donor should be approached in per-
FACES OF FLEX FLEX Alumni Photography Contest 2006-2007 The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State is pleased to announce the sixth annual “Faces of FLEX” photography contest. The goal of this contest is to gather the best images of FLEX alumni in action, as they promote the English language and American culture, democracy building, community and volunteer service, and professional development in their communities. Photos might show alumni working with children, participating in training seminars, using technology, interacting with the public or carrying out alumni grant projects. The best photos will be used both in the United States and Eurasia to communicate the impact of the FLEX alumni program. Rules and guidelines: 1. Contestants should submit photos of FLEX alumni activity to the photo contest web site at http://www.flexphotocontest.org 2. Every photo submission must include the photographer’s name, the year the photographer participated in the FLEX program, a title for the photograph, a description of the event in the photo, the date of the event, and a list of FLEX alumni in the photo. The contest participant may not be in the picture. Photos should depict activities, which took place in 2005 and 2006.
son or not. Some donors don’t like it when you try to approach them in person; they prefer to be contacted via mail or some other means of communication. How do you find this out? You investigate the history of their donations. Find out whether they have ever donated to any organization, and if so, how they did it. If the person has never made a donation, then you send him a letter in which you express interest in meeting. During the meeting with the donor or when sending him a solicitation package, you should try to include as much information as possible. This doesn’t mean that the package should be 100 pages. No, not at all – better that it be short, but at the same time very convincing. If you are asking for money for a particular project, then you must clearly state the number of direct beneficiaries, including their ages and any other relevant details. I recommend that you present the current situation and provide the donor with two scenarios: the first being what will happen if he agrees to finance the project, and the second being what will happen if he doesn’t. When sending out a specialist to meet with a potential donor, you should send your best representative, as the donors usually ask many questions about the organization and one should be able to answer them well. Always remember that the first impression is the most important one. Once I had to approach a donor and ask him to finance a school reconstruction project. I collected all the relevant information, prepared a written project proposal, and set a date for our meeting. Please note that all the papers must be ready by the time you call the potential donor, as he might be willing to see you right away. This is exactly what happened to me. He got very excited and asked me to visit him in a few hours. The meeting took about three hours, during which I presented the project and made him realized that he can really make a difference for a lot of people. He never thought about the fact that pupils in the school did not have all the simple things he had as a given when going to school. He felt very responsible for the well being of the children in his motherland and after various specific questions about the project he told me the following: “Let this be the first project we will do together!” The strangest thing is that as soon as you get the donor’s approval, you are the happiest person in the world, because you have just made a difference in the lives of children! 3. Alumni may enter more than one photograph. 4. Contest winners will be selected by a committee from the Youth Programs Office of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 5. Winning photographs will be selected based on how well they depict the spirit of the FLEX program. The photos should demonstrate FLEX alumni developing the skills and knowledge they received in the U.S. Photos can feature events such as community service work, professional development activities, debates, Internet training, etc. 6. Photographs should be spontaneous shots of alumni in action. Posed photographs will not be competitive. 7. Only FLEX alumni are eligible to win prizes. Employees of American Councils or the U.S. government are not eligible to participate. 8. Paper photos may not be submitted. Contest Timeline: October-December 1, 2006
Submission of Photos
February 2007
Winners announced
Deadline: December 1 Prizes: 1st place – Camera 2nd – 5th place – Photo albums, frames, photography books More information: Eurasia FLEX Alumni Office in Moscow at fsaalumni@actr.ru or (495) 230-4544 or 230-4582.
http://www.flexphotocontest.org
The Bradley Herald Page 6
Grants Management
Putting Theory into Practice: Youth Engaged in Society Debate Clubs Ani Hakobyan ‘00 Yerevan, Armenia/ Hardwick, MA ahakobyan@yfa.am The words “grant” and “proposal” penetrated our reality several years ago and since then have become firmly rooted, not only among different organizations, but also individuals. These concepts seem quite complicated at first sight. However, once the structure is made clear, the same model is applied in designing new projects and developing proposals. Grant funded projects usually come through two scenarios: a) grant announcements with specific targets and themes are circulated and a project is designed to comply with these guidelines and b) an innovative idea is shaped into a project proposal and a funding organization is sought. The Youth For Achievements (YFA) educational non-governmental organization uses both scenarios in its activity. Youth Engaged in Society, a project to create debate clubs, was initiated in 2004 and is currently in its second year of implementation. This project set the basis for a mutually beneficial partnership between YFA and the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, a U.S. based organization, which since 1993 contributes to the social and economic development of Armenia by provision of grants, loans and technical assistance, which will extend to 2007. It aims at the development of civic
Launching Ultramarine in Dushanbe Khurshed Isamov ‘04 Dushanbe, Tajikistan/Emmett, ID khurshed@list.ru My name is Khurshed. I’m from Tajikistan and I want to tell you about my band. I have always been a great lover of rock music and have wanted to start my own band for a long time. My U.S. year helped me a lot. My host dad, a good singer, had plenty of musical equipment and a band room, where my host brother practiced on the drums. From the very beginning I wanted to learn how to play guitar and thanks to my host dad it happened. I even had a choice of two guitars on which to practice. Soon I was lucky enough
society through debate and targets 60 schools in Armenia. Each of these schools has a debate club open to high school students, supported by a trained mentor. Presently, over 2000 students are involved in debate clubs. Young debaters are guided by a manual, have a website to interact virtually and participate in various stages of competitions, the highest of which was the first-ever National Debate Championship held in December 2005. The project, being one of the most successful initiatives of YFA, will be carried out in 20062007 with possible extensions and new components. This is how it all started… Members of YFA have participated in different debates and competitions organized by the organization itself and/or during their FLEX exchange year. Understanding the knowledge and skills provided by debate to an individual, we have always thought of expanding its scope and using the technique of debating to serve bigger goals. When the Jinishian Memorial Foundation announced a grant opportunity, aiming at civic society development through education, the concept of “debate” was the first in our minds. After making sure that we fully complied with the requirements - a careful study of the announcement details is the first step towards your success - we conducted brief research on the activity of the funding organization and its projects, on the application of debate in Armenia (to ensure the innovativeness of our approach) and abroad (to learn lessons). Then the YFA project development team held a brief brainstorming session to outline the most important components of the proposal: goal, objectives, target, methods and outcomes. Once our group reached a unanimous decision, each person on the team started to work on his/her assigned section. The real challenge in any project is its
to get one for myself. Music was a great part of my American life: I was singing in a choir and even played bass in a punk rock band. But it was time to go home, and time for my dream to come true. I started my band as soon as I set foot on Tajik ground. At first there were only two of us: my friend, Varshan,
Launching Ultramarine in Dushanbe
implementation in accordance with the proposal. Since the success of the debate project greatly depends on the desire of others (students, teachers and school administration), on extensive travel to regions (weather conditions), as well as on the duration of the academic year (eight months), a number of unanticipated challenges occurred in the first year. All of them were reflected in our monthly reports. Reporting is another key issue in project implementation. It not only serves the purpose of checking how much your theory and practice correspond, it also helps to identify difficulties, so that they are avoided next time. We gain great satisfaction from our work when we see that the idea, which was in our minds, has taken a definite shape and now influences the lives of other people. And we are honored to state that by taking responsibility to design and conduct this project, our influence has been positive. Those who participate both gain and offer knowledge about our country and the world, develop their listening and speaking, as well as leadership and team building, skills. All this adds more value and interest to school life and the educational process.
Debate Club Members from Gyumri Schools Argue their Case
who played bass, and me. We spent a lot of time finding a drummer, when I accidentally met Azim Ochilov, a fellow alumnus who spent his year in Kansas. He played drums in the school band, so he had a general idea of what drums are about. He’s played with us for two years, and is a great drummer. Our style is considered nu metal/rapcore/ alternative rock. Right now we are preparing material for our first album, and if all goes according to plan, it’ll be out at the end of summer 2006. We also have a page on the myspace.com service, where we are planning to put new songs, photos, and other stuff. It’s available on: http://www.myspace. com/ultramarineband. We already gave a couple of concerts with local bands and had various gigs in different places around town. Though many of us are studying in different universities and work, we still find time to make our dream reality!
Page 7 The Bradley Herald
We Join Our Hands to Help Needy Friends Tatiana Veretennikova ’00 Omsk, Russia/Austin, TX tanushkaa@hotmail.com My name is Tatiana Veretennikova and I am the FLEX Alumni Omsk city representative. We don’t have an American Councils office in Omsk, but I have to admit, that having the desire and intention to volunteer and help your community be a better place does not require having an office in your city at all. All it takes is your initiative and readiness to make a change in the world, even in a very small part of the world – your own city. I would like to tell you about a project we did in October-November 2005, We Join our Hands to Help Needy Friends sponsored by the FLEX Alumni Grant Program. The project aimed to promote volunteering among the students of Omsk higher educational institutions and involve them in an activity to show them the possibility and importance of volunteering in the community. Having an understanding of the importance of volunteerism as one of the ways to improve society emerged from my experience as a FLEX finalist in 1999-2000. I strongly believe
Omsk Alumni Leaders Share the Results of their Project
that through volunteering we help those who are in need; we donate our time and efforts to make people’s lives around us better; and we develop such traits of character as deeper mutual understanding, sympathy, love, tolerance, and respect for others. Unfortunately, volunteering is not so common in Russia and other countries of Eurasia. People rarely donate their time and help others for free. Probably, that is why some Russian people are so aggressive and hostile, because they are not taught how to share their love with others. So that is why Omsk FLEX alumni and I, as the group leader, decided to teach students about volunteering and ways to implement this knowledge by showing them how to make the society around them a better place to live in by helping those in need. We carried out the first part of the project last October. It included a roundtable discussion on the problems of volunteering and two training sessions, which were designed to teach about 20 students from Omsk higher educational institutions ways in which they could volunteer. We showed them the need and importance of volunteering, ways of implementing it into practice, discussed some target groups and areas of possible implementation, ways to make volunteer campaigns, etc. To strengthen their theoretical knowledge, we invited these student-volunteers to take part in a project aimed against tobacco, alcohol, and drug addiction at Omsk Correctional Boarding School #16 for at-risk orphans and abandoned children, with which Omsk FLEX alumni collaborate closely. Omsk FLEX alumni, together with newly educated student-volunteers, brought about 40 teenagers from the orphanage with their teachers to see the modern ballet Labyrinth at the Omsk Musical Theater. The ballet tells about drug addition problems. The next day, using the performance as the starting point,
Beauty is a Beast Bahar Nuryieva ‘02 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan/Clermont, FL nuriyevab@berea.edu "The primary function of a theater is not to please itself, or even to please its audience. It is to serve talent." Robert Brustein In Turkmenistan not many young people have an opportunity to reveal their acting skills and talents. This is a pity, because while working on the production of the play Beauty is a Beast, I witnessed how much heart and willingness participating high school students put into the project. It gave them the chance to try something that they had never done before and gain new skills in the theater field.
Omsk University Students Learn about the Benefits of Volunteering
we conducted a discussion at the correctional boarding school. Leading Omsk narcologist Dr. Baturin and psychiatrist Dr. Avdeichikov, both alumni of the Open World Program, facilitated the discussion. After the talk Omsk FLEX alumni and student-volunteers conducted sports games with the children, and presented them with sports equipment at the end. The local TV station covered the story and a report about our trip was shown the next day. The last part of the project was creating both large and small calendars for the participants of the project as a reminder of the importance of volunteering and their positive impact on the community. The project united about 15 Omsk FLEX alumni and alumni of other exchange programs (Open World, Partners in Education, Regional Scholar Exchange Program), as well as about 20 students from higher educational institutions of our city. As the result of the project We Join our Hands to Help Needy Friends some students volunteered to teach foreign languages in the correctional boarding school, and others closely collaborate with Omsk FLEX alumni in organizing and conducting festivals and holidays for the children from that school (New Year and Christmas celebration, Chinese lantern festival, etc). I want to stress once again that making a change is easy; all it needs is a small step, which will bring you significant results. Good luck!!
The implementation of the project was possible with the help of the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy. The grant opportunity provided $1122 for FLEX alumni to direct a play, which involved more than 30 Ashgabat teenagers. In addition to acting, these teens worked on scenery, music, lights, and costumes. There is no need to mention how much everyone enjoyed working with FLEX alumni and Peace Corps volunteers. Peace Corps volunteers offered their help by teaching acting skills classes, as well as helping to manage the stage. American Councils for International Education also made a big contribution to this project by providing space for practices, office supplies, and administrative support. The play was a big success. It attracted an audience of over 400 people and helped to raise about $300. The money was used to buy presents for elderly people at the local Retirement House for the Victory Day. The group of FLEX alumni visited senior people and celebrated the holiday together with veterans.
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Alumni Beat All kinds of leadership and English language camps kept FLEX alumni busy this summer across Eurasia. With financial support from U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Sections, the FLEX Alumni Grant Program, and local sponsors, they organized and led camps for high school students. In Russia, more than 40 alumni worked as counselors and teachers at camps supported by the English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. They served as role models for the teenagers, helping them develop language and leadership skills, as well as a better understanding of the complex global issues they must face. To learn more about how you can participate in a summer camp in 2007, contact the FLEX Eurasia Alumni Office at fsaalumni@actr.ru.
Armenia Launching a new FLEX alumni drama project in Yerevan, FLEX Alumni Coordinator Sonya Armaghanyan ‘04 and Melissa Brown, an English teacher at American University of Armenia (AUA), conducted auditions for the play The Matchmaker by American playwright Thorton Wilder. This play is a farce in the old-fashioned sense. It uses such time-honored conventions as characters hidden under the tables and in closets, men disguised as women, a complex conspiracy to bring young lovers together, and a happy ending in which three couples are united with plans to marry. More than 20 FLEX alumni, as well AUA students and students from other universities, came to the auditions. They will perform the play in December.
Azerbaijan More than 20 FLEX alumni participated in a regional conference August 5-6, organized jointly by the Azerbaijan Alumni Association (AAA) and American Councils. The gathering served to unite and provide networking opportunities for the alumni in the regions with the alumni in Baku. FLEX alumni helped achieve one of the main conference goals: development of new projects. They brainstormed more than 30 projects to take place in Lencoran, Gabala, Ismayilli, Nakhchivan, and Mingachevir. Active FLEX alumni in Lencoran plan to conduct a beach cleaning campaign combined with a seminar on water pollution in the Caspian Sea. They also propose to organize an exhibit of arts and crafts works of students from the School of Arts and the School of Sewing and Weaving. Such an event will give talented local young people a chance to show their work. If the artists agree, they will also raise funds at the exhibit to support the home for disabled children in their city.
Belarus Global Youth Service Day in Belarus was celebrated on May 6 with a rock-concert, presentation of volunteer organizations and photo exhibition You Can Change the World. Prior to the event, high school and university students were invited to submit pictures on three themes: the beauty of Belarusian
nature, scenes of daily life and its effect on our surroundings, or the ways of solving routine problems with the help of volunteerism. About 50 pictures were submitted and represented at the exhibition. The event itself, conducted in the club Simple, gathered more then 150 participants. Eight rock groups, including Krok, My Ocean, and The Lost and Found, volunteered to participate in order to attract as many young people as possible.
Kyrgyzstan On October 7, 20 FLEX alumni participated in the fourth annual Alpine Fund five-kilometer Fun Run through the streets of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The race, which included more
Georgia FLEX alumni in Georgia gathered in July and August for friendly, but competitive soccer matches. They divided the teams according to FLEX years, and despite the fact that almost all alumni were in good shape, the 2005 alumni were victorious at both tournaments.
Alumni Support Bishkek FUNRUN for Alpine Fund
FLEX and YES Conference Participants Study Map of South and Central Asia
Kazakhstan Thirty active alumni of U.S. Government youth exchanges met in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the FLEX/YES Alumni Best Practices conference, August 17 – 20. FLEX delegates from Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan met alumni of the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Alumni had the opportunity to communicate with State Department representatives Diana Aronson, FLEX Program manager, and Philip Hughes, alumni regional coordinator for South and Central Asia and East Asia and the Pacific. Alumni discussed many issues at the conference, including grant writing, budgeting, ways to motivate alumni, and database management. The Afghani, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani groups, working with FLEX facilitators, developed projects to be conducted in their home countries. Their diverse and ambitious proposals, all designed to meet local needs, ranged from an Indian clean up project to be conducted in conjunction with the favorite annual Diwali festival to a construction project to build new bathrooms at a large school in the Jalalabad region of Afghanistan. It is planned that several FLEX facilitators will travel to these countries to help implement the projects. The conference also featured a trip to the mountains, including a small clean-up action with local Almaty alumni, and a cultural showcase, during which each delegation presented its culture.
than 50 runners, raised about $400 for two local orphanages. Alpine Fund, a local nongovernmental organization, provides educational and outdoor opportunities, such as hiking and camping, to orphan children. FLEX alumni are loyal volunteers for the Alpine Fund. For this event, some alumni ran, while others helped organize race logistics and the circus artists’ performance for the children from the Petrovka orphanage afterwards. Boris Pilopenko ‘99 took first place in the men’s race, while Gulnisa Asymova ‘05 and Alexandra Solomatova ‘05 tied for fourth place among the women.
Moldova New alumni in Moldova gathered for the Bringing the FLEX Spirit Home re-entry seminar on August 18. Twenty-eight alumni gathered at the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center in Chisinau to discuss strategies for a successful readjustment home. During the reentry exercises, alumni assisted in facilitating group discussions on readjustment issues. The second part of the day was dedicated to the alumni association. The participants found out about the goals of the FLEX alumni program, and also heard about past FLEX alumni events, success stories of alumni from Moldova, and discussed ideas for future alumni events. They also took part in a quick course on the basics of project planning. Following these presentations, alumni assistant Lilia Fusa ’04 asked each alumnus/a to help advertise the program. Everyone was asked to make five FLEX Program presentations at schools in their regions. After creating the group collage “Our
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Alumni Beat America,” all the seminar participants went to a pizza reception hosted by John Balian, public affairs officer, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Kelly Keiderling welcomed the new alumni, and noted the importance of the FLEX program, and the contribution that the alumni bring to their society.
Russia More than 70 FLEX alumni from Moscow, Ryazan, Samara, Tula, and Yaroslavl participated in the Alumni Reunion that took place at U.S. Embassy dacha on August 26. The main goal of this event is to unite the FLEX community by sharing information about opportunities and to help alumni meet old friends and find new ones. Joel Ericsson, regional director of American Councils in Russia, welcomed everybody and spoke of the importance of alumni in bringing positive change to the country. Yulia Tell ’02 highlighted program opportunities for FLEX alumni: scholarships to participate in Global Village at Lehigh University (PA, USA), the new Legislative Education And Practice (LEAP) program, various volunteer opportunities, FLEX Alumni Grants Program and Faces of FLEX Photo Contest. Natallia Pilipenka ’00 spoke about the Education Without Borders 2007 international student conference, which will take place in United Arab Emirates in February 2007. Natallia is a member of the Global Student Organizing Committee of this conference. Anastasia Ekkert ’95 (and Muskie ’04) talked about the Muskie program and their alumni network. She invited FLEX alumni to cooperate. Inga Okruzhnaya, who works at the Center for Curative Pedagogics, a non-governmental organization that assists children with disabilities, spoke about the activities conducted by the Center. After her speech, Igor Alexeyev ’99 led a lively auction of children’s artwork, through which the alumni collected more than $200 to support the Center.
Tajikistan Seventy-six FLEX alumni from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program from Afghanistan and Bangladesh met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for three days of discourse on the topic of diversity and tolerance June 8-12. On the first day participants attended workshops, lectures, and discussions on selected topics related to tolerance and diversity. On the second day, they explored the practical side of respecting diversity and promote tolerance: how alumni can promote these concepts in their communities. Participants listened to presentations by experienced FLEX alumni about how they successfully organized past alumni activities. Askar Sheraliev ’03 explained the nuts and bolts of organizing a charity event; Boris Pilipenko ’99 spoke about the successes and challenges organizing a charity football game. Firuza Djabbarova ’04 spoke about
Global Youth Service Day and explained the GYSD project she organized this year. Malika Khakimova ’04 spoke about organizing a camp for disabled students in Tajikistan. Participants then brainstormed in groups by country about projects they could organize. Each country presented their top two ideas to the whole group, followed by moderated discussion. Participants then learned the fundamentals of project design and grant writing, followed by time to begin actual project design. Evening social activities included a spectacular “cultural showcase”, where delegations presented meticulously planned presentations and exhibitions. This was followed by a rock concert featuring the band of Khurshed Isamov ’04 and Azim Ochilov ’04. Day three began with more time for project planning, followed by time for each country to present their project idea to the entire group. Projects generally targeted marginalized groups, from orphanages to isolated ethnic groups, students with disabilities to victims of domestic violence. U.S. Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Tom Armbruster and special guest Anna Mussman from U.S. State Department Youth Programs Division in Washington, D.C. conducted the official closing ceremony.
Rahim Mamenov '05 and Maksat Annamuradov '05 lead HIV/AIDS session at Active Citizen Summer School
Turkmenistan Over four days in July, FLEX alumni organized and conducted the Active Citizens of Turkmenistan Summer School for 12 young adults in Ashgabat. Summer school participants, who were selected on the basis of their applications and essays, attended lectures and actively discussed contemporary social problems around the world. Alumni took turns leading sessions on poverty (Aygul Begjanova ‘05), hunger in the world and active citizenship (Bahar Nuriyeva ‘02), world peace (Ejegul Nuriyeva ‘05), HIV/AIDS (Maksat Annamuradov ’05 and Rahim Mamenov ’05), and gender and development issues (Selbi Djumayeva ‘03). Alumni also offered two elective classes. Kristina Razahova ‘04 taught a session on social behavior; and Ahmed Tagiyev ‘04 led a session on volunteerism and project development. Kristina and Ahmed taught participants how to develop projects, look for sponsors, and bring their ideas to life,
using entertaining skits, and examples from their own experience. Bayram Magtymov ‘02, a senior at American University - Central Asia, majoring in Economics, taught several sessions on marketing. At the final awards ceremony, all the students received certificates of participation in the Active Citizens of Turkmenistan Summer School. All participants and organizers were invited to a pool party in reward for their hard work.
Alumni Join Race for Children in Kyiv
Ukraine Alumni of the FLEX and Eurasia Undergraduate programs organized what is an extremely ambitious alumni charity project. The Race for Children was a 46-day marathon through Ukraine to raise funds and awareness for Lviv’s under-funded maternity hospitals. Alumni wanted to draw public attention to the needs of their society’s most vulnerable by helping provide better medical care to newborns. They hoped to raise $100,000 in funds and equipment donations. On April 11, the Race for Children began on the Russian border, and during April participants covered 678.6 kilometers. Eurasia Undergraduate program alumnus Andriy Maksymovych ran the marathon, and was joined by other alumni along his route. To begin their fundraising appeal, the organizing committee distributed 200 sponsorship packages to domestic and international companies. Thirty donation boxes were placed around Lviv, including on two university campuses. Alumni conducted 19 press conferences, which resulted in press coverage on seven radio channels and two regional and two national TV channels during the 40 days. In this phase of the fundraising campaign, alumni are now negotiating with specific potential donors. The Canadian Ukrainian Children of Chornobyl Fund (Toronto, Canada) agreed to purchase a newborn photo therapy unit, which costs approximately $1,750. In September, Lviv alumni raised $1,000 by holding a charity ball, and are planning to hold a second charity gala together with the ZONTA charitable club on old New Year, January 13, 2007. Alla Ivanova ’02, Iryna Kruchkevych ’03, Alla Myshalova ’03, Olha Panchak ’03, Mykola Pekh ’00, and Nataliya Salo ’01 are members of the original organizing committee and more alumni have joined them.
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Bradley Bits Are you in touch with FLEX friends? Send your news and updated contact information to the FLEX alumni office, and we will gladly share your news with fellow alumni. Send updates to bradleyherald@actr.ru. We are also ready to help you find old “lost” friends.
now works in Moscow as the deputy head of the Investment Policy Department of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation. bogdanova@economy.gov.ru
Ukraine
Turkmenistan
Class of ’00 Georgia
Kazakhstan
Zhanna Saparova (Dashoguz) received a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in May 2004. She is now working as a research associate at the Institute for Human Development at UMKC. She plans to continue her education while being employed full-time. Zhanna’s goal is to receive degrees in Spanish, French and Arabic. saparovaz@umkc.edu
Rustam Ilzhanov is a managing partner at Sayat Zholshi and Partners Law firm in Almaty. rustam@szp.kz
Class of ’97
Class of ’94 Belarus Konstantin Pronkin is currently employed as a sales manager for Gillette in Minsk. pronkink@mail.ru
Russia Victoria Panova (Moscow) received a PhD from Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO) in 2005. She currently lectures at MGIMO on the history of international relations and foreign policy of Russia. She is also a regional director (Moscow office) of the G8 Research Group of the University of Toronto. av4658@comtv.ru
Class of ’95 Russia Igor Danchenko (Perm) is a senior research assistant in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He currently conducts research on Russia’s energy strategy, the system of governance and structural change in the Russian Federation, and on federalism. He graduated from Perm State University with a law degree and then earned a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Louisville. igordanchenko@hotmail.com Alexander Semenov (Moscow) graduated from the Moscow Finance Academy in 2000. He worked for the U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in various capacities until 2004. He became certified in management accounting and financial management (CMA/CFM) by the U.S. Institute of Certified Management Accountants. Since 2004, he works in managing finance and administration for the Russian affiliate of Medtronic, a leading U.S. medical technology company. semenov_av@inbox.ru
Class of ’96 Russia Elizaveta Levina works in Moscow as a journalist/editor for The Well (www.TheWell.ru), the online career and corporate development magazine belonging to The Staffwell Group of companies (specialist in recruitment), for which she writes in both English and Russian. postmaster@traveld.ru Yulia Bogdanova ‘96 originally from Volgograd,
Ukraine Yevheniya Ustymenko ’97 is an organization development specialist at Procter & Gamble.
Class of ’98 Kazakhstan Shukhrat Sadyrov is the head of the credit risks department in Almaty Merchant Financial Bank. shukhrats@atfbank.kz
Ukraine Svitlana Buko was promoted to a senior management position at IREX Media Development Division (MDD) in Ukraine. As a manager of the Media Department, Svitlana oversees the print training program and coordinates U.S.-Ukraine exchanges of media managers. In September IREX MDD celebrated its tenth anniversary of media support in Ukraine. sbuko@mail.ru Oksana Sobol is programming and promotions manager at the Czech Republic office of Vodafone, one of the largest mobile telecommunications network operators in the world. She is one of the youngest managers at Vodafone worldwide.
Class of ’99 Azerbaijan Dilara Jafarova teaches micro and macro economics at Khazar University. She also works as a financial manager at Parabank JSCB. dilara.jafarova@parabank.az
Kazakhstan Katherine Zossimova (Garkavets) is a senior consultant in Tax Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Almaty office. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and audit from Kazakh State University named after Al-Farabi. She is a Certified Accountant Practitioner (CAP) and a specialist of PricewaterhouseCoopers experienced in corporate income tax compliance. katherine.zossimova@kz.pwc.com
Victoria Solovyova works as a musical editor at the broadcasting company ORTA-FORUM. dj_vika@mail.ru
Keti Vardigoreli works at United Energy Distribution Company (UEDC) as a commercial cycles monitoring specialist. vardijn@hotmail.com
Kazakhstan Zhandos Shaikhy joined Citigroup Corporate & Investment Bank in Almaty as a relationship manager in April 2005. zhandos@gmail.com
Kyrgyzstan Artem Zozulinskiy, a fourth-year student of economics at American University Central Asia. He also works as the head manager at Scot Holland Real Estate. zozulinsky@gmail.com Jazgul Imankulova works at the Kumtor Gold Mining Company as the assistant to the vice president of finance. jazgul_imankulova@kumtor.com
Russia Julia Prokonich (Vladivostok) after years of work in the travel industry, opened the first informational center for foreign guests in Vladivostok. Any visitors to the city will be able to get complete information and full range of services in one spot. She also sets up a teaching program for FLEX alumni to involve them as professional city tour guides. julia@discoveryclub.info Anna Yermakova (Novosibirsk) received a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Novosibirsk State University in 2005. She is currently working as a financial analyst at the Heineken Brewery Siberia. ermakova@academ.org Kseniya Zemlyanova (Perm) graduated from Perm State Technical University with a degree in public relations. Among her accomplishments are numerous journalism awards and contests, including a contest sponsored by the Perm edition of the popular daily newspaper Moskovskiy Komsomolets, for which she was awarded the first Perm mass-media scholarship. In 2005 and 2006, she served as an Open World Program facilitator. jerrboa@yandex.ru
Class of ’01 Azerbaijan Nargiz Mustafayeva, after completing a course in environmental management, was admitted as an associate member to the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment
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Bradley Bits (UK), a non-profit membership organization. nargiz14@hotmail.com
Russia Svetlana Botkina (Saratov) successfully completed the Stanford University Distance Learning Program course International Environmental Politics. She received an A as her final grade. She also participated in the Summer School of the Blind held in Togliatty, which was organized by non-governmental organization of the disabled SAMI and the Embassy of the Netherlands. starspark@yandex.ru
the Odesa weekly newspapers. She presented the most news about events that took place in Odesa in one day. jnikolayenko@yahoo.com
Class of ’03 Belarus Marina Tetereva participated in an international gender evolution study seminar in Budapest, Hungary in December. She was one of 27 young people who represented 20 countries in Europe at the event. mtetereva@gmail.com
Tajikistan
Moldova
Nisso Khaidarova works in the Bank of Khujand City. She received the position after completing a year-long German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship program in economics. nissoh@hotmail.com
Igor Garabajiv was selected as the best student economist of 2005 by the Academy of Economic Studies. He attended the Model United Nations (MUN) Conference in Odessa in November and was chosen as the event’s best speaker. igor_gim@hotmail.com
Ukraine Yuriy Basyuk (Odesa) was elected president of the Odesa branch of the worldwide student organization AEGEE. Anastasiya Marchuk is the secretary of AEGEE-Odesa. bas@farlep.net and stasy@farlep.net
Class of ’02 Moldova Ala Ursu received first prize for her presentation on the flat tax phenomenon at the International Conference of Young Researchers at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova. She also interned at the Bryce Harlow Institute on Business and Government Affairs, through an internship program organized by The Fund for American Studies in Washington, DC, June 10 - August 5, 2006. ursu_ala@yahoo.com
Russia Aigul Avtakhova and Nina Trofimova started a Juridical English Language Club at Bashkirian State University in Ufa. The club, DARE, which stands for discussion/analysis/ result/enjoyment, meets weekly to discuss legal topics. In February this alumnae team made it to the Jessup Moot Court competition quarterfinals. Nina’s email is troni2001@mail.ru and Aigul’s is aygulka85@mail.ru.
Tajikistan Nodira Aminova was one of more than 100 participants in the Bonn International Model United Nations, held in Bonne, Germany in November. She played a defense lawyer in the International Criminal Court, where she was involved in the prosecution of Indonesian General Wiranto for crimes committed in East Timor in 1999. aznodira@yahoo.com
Ukraine Yuliya Nikolayenko (Odesa) won the 100 News of One Day contest organized by one of
Belarus Aliaksandr Krasko (Bobruysk) was awarded third place in an international poetryreciting contest conducted by the Goethe Institute in Germany. The 90 competitors from different countries were asked to record their recitations of Lorelei by H. Heine on a CD, DVD or VHS and send it to Germany for consideration. alexkrasko@yahoo.co.uk
Georgia Kate Chachava is the office manager at National Council of Youth Organizations. She participated in the 11th European Students’ Convention in Vienna in March, during which she met representatives of the national student unions from many European countries. She was also invited to Strasbourg to participate in a new project as a promoter of the European youth leaders’ and youth workers’ portfolio, another Council of Europe project. qeto87@yahoo.com
Class of ’04
Russia
Georgia
Natalia Blagikh (Cheliabinsk) took ninth place in the women’s hammer throw at the Russian Winter Championships held in Adler in February. She participated in the competition after taking up the sport just several months ago. natabl@yandex.ru
Maka Meshveliani served as an intern at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS). She worked as an assistant to an American research scholar on the topic of religion and democratization. makka_flex@yahoo.com
Kazakhstan Alfiya Abdrakhmanova worked as an independent observer on the presidential elections for the Regional Network of Independent Observers. faith23@yandex.ru
Moldova Cristina Gutu was elected as a board member at the Association of International Volunteering for the East-West platform meeting and was became an observer for the Civil International Movement in Switzerland. She also had her photographs published in the local magazine Acasa. cristinelllu@yahoo.com
Russia Diana Kolesnikova (Vladivostok) is a member of the student council of Far Eastern National University. She is certified to conduct drug addiction prevention seminars. She is also a tutor of English and Hindi. kvanda@mail.ru
Class of ‘05 Azerbaijan Nazrin Vakilova received a full government scholarship from the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan to study international relations at Beijing State University. This five-year scholarship will cover her study and living expenses. nika_fsa12@yahoo.com
Darya Todorova (Saratov) became a member of the local youth organization Variant and took part in organizing the events within anti-AIDS/HIV action. She also helped organize a non-alcohol MEGA-break dance-party. daritodorova@yahoo.com
Turkmenistan Jennet Hudayberdyyeva (Balkanabat) is working as a technical interpreter at Burren Resources Petroleum Ltd. jeiran4ever@yahoo.com
Ukraine Serhiy Abrat and Uliana Skorupska were elected members of Student Self-Government Union of the international relations department at Ivan Franko National University in Lviv.
Uzbekistan Semruh Uvraimova worked as office assistant for the Center for Drug Control, a USAID funded project. semruh@yandex.ru
Class of ’06 Marina Marchanka became the first-prize winner of the National English Language Olympiad in Belarus. Prior to that she took first place in the Gomel region and the city of Gomel. marynamarch@yahoo.com
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News
2005-2006 Russia FLEX Family News Bradley Herald invites you to share your perLegislative Education The sonal successes! This column, a new feature, will highlight what alumni are doing outside the classAnd Practice (LEAP) room or boardroom. We’ll be glad to tell of your news of marriage, children, travels, reunions with host families and FLEX friends, adventures – all that Interns makes your life bright and rewarding. Send photos The Legislative Education And Practice Program (LEAP) sponsored by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, after a successful pilot, will be continued in 2006-2007. This program provides up to ten FLEX alumni from the Russian Federation the opportuity to intern in U.S. state legislatures between January and May 2007. LEAP is designed to expand young Russian leaders’ knowledge of the day-to-day work of U.S. legislative bodies and the legislative process. They will learn first-hand how U.S. state-level legislatures address such issues as healthcare, education, environment, social services, security, and transportation. The program targets recent university graduates and young professionals with strong leadership skills, who are pursuing careers in government. FLEX alumni applicants must have returned from the FLEX program in: 1994 - 2001. Desirable candidates will be university graduates with specializations in political science, law, public administration, economics, finance, sociology, or international relations. Candidates should demonstrate flexibility and a sincere interest in gaining professional experience by working as an intern in a U.S. state legislature. To learn more about this program, please contact governmentintern@actr.ru
and stories to bradleyherald@actr.ru
Anna Gasparyan ‘05’s host sister, Vanessa (age 8) has spent 10 months with Anna’s family in Echmiadzin, Armenia. As Anna explains, Vanessa has learned to speak both Russian and Armenia, made lots of friends, and “has been to all the sights of Armenia. She loves Mount Ararat! She sings Armenian national songs and dances Armenian national dances. She is a part of our family.” anna57rocks@yahoo.com
Jafar Asimov ’94 and Miskola Abdulloeva ’02 from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, married on November 22, 2005. You may congratulate them at miskola@ hotmail.com and jafar@babilon-m.tj.
2005-2006 LEAP Interns Elena Bakulina ’98 (Kirov) Alaska solnyshkoy@yahoo.com Antonina Chernyshova ’99 (Volgograd) Maryland antonina.chernysheva@gmail.com Irina Fedorova ’96 (Kurgan) Massachusetts fis1979@mail.ru Ekaterina Kolerova ’95 (Moscow) Kentucky kolerun@gmail.com Olga Konovalova ’99 (Chebaksary/Nizhny Novgorod) Washington, D.C. konovalova-o@yandex.ru Margarita Maslyukova-Malova ’96 (St. Petersburg) Connecticut malovam@mail.ru Evgenia Misenzhnikova ’99 (Perm) Connecticut ufostodo@mail.ru Denis Pimenov ’00 (Voronezh) Kentucky denpimen@mail.ru Ivan Tabanin ’00 (Arkhangelsk) Massachusetts tabanin2000@yahoo.com Anton Zhukov ’99 (Moscow) Maryland zhuckov@nm.ru
Irina Shushpanova ‘96 (maiden name Faershtein) graduated from the Department of Economics and Management at Perm State Technical University and worked at SberBank as a client services specialist. She is currently on maternity leave with her one-year old daughter Veronika. (See photo.) Irina is trying to reach Evgenia Kabanova ‘96, originally from Irkutsk. They spent their FLEX year together in Grants Pass, OR. Last Irina heard, Evgenia moved to St. Petersburg. If you can help, please write to Irina at shusha@dom.raid.ru.
Kanan Rzayev is a technical clerk with the Italian company Saipem. He works on the Derrick Barge Azerbaijan (DBA), the largest crane barge in the Caspian Sea with a lifting capacity of 2500 tons. He is involved in the transportation and installation of deep water jackets and platforms. He works offshore in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oilfield. Kanan writes, "I graduated from Baku Slavic University, Faculty of Eastern European Studies. If not my English and computer skills, most probably I wouldn't be working for Saipem in the Caspian – that's how FLEX helped me." kanan_r@hotmail.com
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Washington Civic Education Workshop 2006 Elena Schitova ’95 Barnaul, Russia/Joliet, Shorewood IL lena@walliance.org Asel Murzatova – murzatova@yahoo.com Dmytro Say – dimitrious2002@yahoo.com The Washington week has changed since I was a FLEX participant in 1994-95. These days FLEX students must apply to attend the week-long seminar in Washington. They wrote essays on how their volunteer experiences will help them when they return to their home countries. On the basis of these, approximately 110 outstanding students were selected for an intensive week of seminars and activities organized by the Close Up Foundation. This program is packed with meetings, study visits, and exciting hands-on learning activities that cover the legislative process, the judiciary, defense, international relations, the media, current domestic and international issues, and much more. It develops students’ knowledge of basic concepts of government and citizenship. Students gain a greater understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a participatory democracy; and learn how constituents, interest groups and party politics affect the legislative process. The pinnacle of the week is Capital Hill Day where students have the opportunity to spend time with “their” senators, representatives, and/or staff. American Councils has introduced another new element to the Civic Education Workshop: alumni also participate. Each year for the past three years, American Councils has chosen three outstanding alumni from different countries in Eurasia to attend the Workshop. Their role is to demonstrate the impact the FLEX program can have by sharing their experiences as active alumni with current students, State Department officials, legislators, and others. This year, together with Asel Murzatova ’02 from Kyrgyzstan and Dmytro Say ’01 from Ukraine, I had the honor of participating in the workshop. The Washington Civic Education Workshop was opened with the U.S. Department of State Welcome and Close Up orientation. Ms. Alina L. Romanowski, deputy assistant secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, Department of State, welcomed all participants. In speaking to the group, she quoted from the FLEX students’ essays that impressed her most. Students wrote about how much they want to change lives in their home countries for the better; stop child labor, poverty, and inequality; make streets accessible for people with special needs; and solve many other problems that countries in transition face nowadays. That evening students also met with Department of State officials who were responsible for starting this amazing exchange program and who have been there from the beginning, people like Diana Aronson and her staff, and also staff of the Close Up Foundation. Each day we attended a variety of briefings, meetings and interviews, arranged by American Councils and the Close Up Foundation staff. We were accompanied by Lisa Choate, vice president of American Councils for International Education, who is directly responsible for the FLEX program, and Jim H. Dykstra, a consultant to American Councils, who formerly held senior positions on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch. To give you an idea of the high caliber meetings, I will share names of just some of the many people who took time to talk with us. They included Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Colleen P. Graffy, Senior Professional Staff Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate Mark Helmke, Representative Jerry Weller (IL), Representative Thelma Drake (VA), and Representative Jim Leach (IA), who cosponsored the legislation to support the FLEX program in 1992. Probably these names won’t be familiar to all FLEX alumni, but from their titles it is obvious that they make decisions on state and national levels, and all of them are supporters of the FLEX program. And this is important, because due to the efforts of American Councils, strengthened by sup-
port from these officials, the FLEX program, which gave every one of us a chance to have a yearlong experience in the U. S., continues to flourish for so many years now. The evening Evaluator Meeting at American Councils allowed us to meet people who volunteer their time and experience to evaluate thousands of FLEX applications. Rather interesting feelings came to me during that meeting. Looking at them I realized that among them could be the very person who read my application many years ago and decided that I was a good enough candidate to become an exchange student. Also we gave an interview to radio Voice of America (VOA), in which we explained what the FLEX Program is, what we were doing in Washington D.C., and what we did in our countries. We discussed the fact that recently the governments of Belarus and Uzbekistan restricted high school students from participating in U.S. exchange programs. We also toured around VOA and met people who produce news and programs for both TV and radio. We were also informed that in 2007 Radio VOA funding for Russia and some other countries will be reduced. During the Close Up Leadership Seminar, FLEX students had the chance to meet FLEX alumni and ask questions. Three FLEX alumni, who were in the U.S. on the pilot program LEAP: Legislative Education And Practice, joined Asel, Dmytro and me in speaking to the groups of FLEX students. It was so exciting to talk to students and share our experiences; also it was funny to see their shocked reactions when they heard that I was an exchange student 11 years ago. They joked that 1994-1995 seemed like ancient history to them. Their questions varied greatly. We were asked: how did you deal with your Russian parents when you returned back home? Were they jealous? How do you start an NGO? What should be the first steps to be active in public life? Did your friends recognize you? And so on… The most memorable activity for me was the Civic Action Forum: an amazing event when FLEX students met by countries and discussed problems that existed in their countries and what they could do to change the situation. Country teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan chose problem and developed an action plan of what they would do when they would return home from their exchange year. Then, in the main conference hall they displayed colorful posters and made presentations. We listened to exchange students who explained to us what they plan to do. Their eyes were burning and they were full of positive energy! They planned to address various issues from helping kids in orphanages, youth access to jobs and volunteer involvement through student associations, democracy building and the fight against corruption. One group even addressed gender inequality in the Russian government and society! It was a great feeling to watch the students explain what they want to do and how they want to change the lives of people p. 14
Dmitry Say '01, Lisa Choate, American Councils vice president, Elena Shitova '95 and Asel Murzatova '02
The Bradley Herald Page 14
Essay continued from p. 13
in their countries for the better. I was so proud of those 15-16 years old young people, who really represent our present and future. And I thought to myself: “If the fire of desire to build democracy and civil society won’t burn out – we can be sure: the changes will come.” Allow me to finish this article with the words of Aijana Temiralieva ’06 from Osh, Kyrgyzstan, a FLEX student who lived in Leavenworth, Washington. After participating in the Washington Civic Education Workshop, she wrote: “I already can’t wait to go to my home country, and start little moves, that will lead to GREAT CHANGES... I can’t wait to plant a seed, and take care of it, and get the fruit of a FREE, DEMOCRATIC NATION. If you are an exchange student who is in America now, start writing down all the plans and ‘movements” you are willing to start when you go back home. Do not forget them, because each one of them is important...WE CAN DO IT!!!” SHORT BIOS Asel just graduated from American University – Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where she majored in International Relations and Politics. This spring she worked as the country director of the Alpine Fund in Bishkek, a non-profit organization working to improve youth independence and leadership. With other Kyrgyz alumni, she worked on a variety of community service activities, including projects focused on the democratic development of society, projects to benefit orphans, etc. She has also been a camp counselor for Youth Exchange and Study (YES) students from Afghanistan who were in Kyrgyzstan for one month preparing for an academic year program in the United States. Dmytro graduated this year from Mohyla State University in Mykolayiv, Ukraine, majoring in English and German. Since his return to Ukraine, he has been a leader in organizing FLEX alumni activities. Recently he initiated a clothing and toys drive at his university to benefit the city’s orphanages, computer literacy classes and other projects for disadvantaged children living in orphanages and at boarding schools for the mentally challenged. Elena is Executive Director of “Women’s Alliance,” a non-profit organization located in Barnaul, dedicated to preventing violence against women and children. She has worked with a number of international organizations, including Amnesty International, on topics of domestic violence and the OSCE for election observations. She has published a number of articles and publications, and worked as a facilitator with the Open World program. In December 2004 she was nominated as one of the “10 Women of the World” by Marie Claire magazine and received an award for “Facing domestic violence.” In 2005 she became a finalist of the Institute for International Education (Ford Foundation) program, which will enable to her to pursue graduate studies abroad.
Take the First Step Lyudmila Suprun’99 Kharkiv, Ukraine/Jacksonville, FL suprun_luda@yahoo.com You never know what is going to happen in your life. Sometimes things happen so randomly that it is hard to believe it really happened that way. This was how I found out about the European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YouAct). About a year ago, while doing a regular clean up in the drawer of my office desk, I came across a print-out received by email some time ago about the opportunity for those active in the field of sexual and reproductive health to join a network of other young active Europeans. It did not take me long to e-mail the contact person and become a member of YouAct in April 2005. It was hard to fully understand the way the network functions only through e-mail correspondence. Everything became clearer, when in November 2005, a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer working in my organization and I attended the Annual General Meeting of YouAct 2005 in Berlin, Germany. Twenty-two people from 13 European countries gathered to share information about the situation in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in their countries and come up with an action plan to promote SRHR in different parts of Europe. At the meeting I saw with my own eyes that members of YouAct are young activists in the field of SRHR seeking innovative approaches to deal with these issues. One of YouAct’s
goals is to promote youth participation in developing policies and legislation in the field of SRHR that affects young people, and develop youth-adult partnerships on the issues mentioned above. It is important to say that YouAct has already made great achievements in this direction. Several of the YouAct members have attended the European Parliament hearings and meetings of their local governments concerning the issues of reproductive health and rights of young people. YouAct is a strong network, representing a united voice of young people from different European countries. As we bring together all our knowledge, skills and experience we have the ability to more effectively fulfill our mission. I consider YouAct a unique experience for me, as I am the only Ukrainian in the network. All of the members of the network are volunteers. We regularly keep in touch by telling each other about projects we are doing and sending each other information about great opportunities. Dear friends, if you are also active in the field of sexual and reproductive health and the rights of young people in your country, are interested in finding out more about the ways to cooperate with YouAct and/or want to become a member, please contact Marije Nederveen at m.nederveen@wpf.org. For more information about YouAct you may visit our website www.youact.org. Don’t forget some things in our lives happen when we least expect them, but remember that good things happen to those who take the first step. Who knows? Maybe I will see you at the YouAct’s Annual General Meeting in October 2006.
Lyudmila Suprun and friend from the YouthAct conference in Berlin
Page 15 The Bradley Herald
Profiles Nana Aburjanidze Home town: Poti, Georgia U.S. . City and State: Corinth, Mississippi Year returned home: 1996 Email address: nana.aburjanidze@agbnielsen.ge Education: Georgian Technical University, major in International Economics, Master’s degree Current place of work and title: AGB Nielsen Media Research Georgia, Managing Director Highlights of your work: AGB Nielsen Media Research today is a unique company, in that it dedicates 100% of its resources to the provision of high quality Television Audience Measurement (TAM) services. TV ratings data received from this measurement is exclusively distributed to the TV channels and advertising agencies in Georgia, enabling them to develop their companies and whole advertisement market. So the role of our operations is greater than simply measurement of TV ratings. As the Managing Director of such a company, I lead my staff towards improvement of media outlets and work with advertisement agencies and advertisers by offering them new technologies, internationally applied software, professional trainings, etc. Educational, professional, and/or personal goals: In the nearest future I would like to expand my knowledge and experience by studying for an MBA in a western university. Long term, I dream of opening and running my own business – definitely in the customer service field. As for the personal goal, I would love to travel around the world and experience as many cultures as possible. A personal achievement I’m proud of: I am proud of being where I am right now; it does not mean that I am self-satisfied. I continue growing and developing. I look for new opportunities and achievements, but nevertheless I am very proud that at the age of 25, I am a managing director of a huge international company. How I feel about the future of my country: I am very thoughtful, because so many things have to be done in the country, especially in conflict resolution and in the sphere of economics. My country will have a bright future if the country’s economic resources are properly used. The global issue of greatest concern to me and why: War is the greatest concern
Evgenij Gribov Home town: Bryansk, Russia U.S. City and State: Mukilteo, Washington Year returned home: 1994 Email address: egribov@mail.ru Education: earned degrees in World Economy, Management, and Law from St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance and the Institute of Federalism in Switzerland. His area of specialization is new public management Current place of work and title: Minister’s Assistant, Ministry of Economy and Trade of the Russian Federation Highlights of your work: Administrative reform Educational, professional, and/or personal goals: My educational goal is to complete my PhD, doktor nauk A personal achievement I’m proud of: I am still able to swim 100 meters freestyle in 58.00 seconds.
Rostyslav Semikov Home town: Kyiv, Ukraine U.S. City and State: Chalmette, Louisiana (Greater New Orleans Area) Year returned home: 1998 Email address: rusty_semikov@rambler.ru Education: Zaporizhya State Medical University, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Doctor, 2005; Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, 2005-2007, Residency in the field of general practice; Yaroslav Mudry National Law Academy of Ukraine, Kharkiv, 2005-2009 (correspondence and distance learning) Current place of work and title: Kyiv City Hospital # 1, Doctor-Intern Highlights of your work: The more I study, the more I realize how little I know. Educational, professional, and/or personal goals: To acquire significant expertise and experience in the field of surgery A personal achievement I’m proud of: Becoming a true Christian How I feel about the future of my country: I hope Ukraine will become the real center of Europe, not only according to its geographical position, which it already is, but also a spiritual, cultural, educational, business, and political center. Our country has great potential and I believe the lives of its people will improve greatly. The global issue of greatest concern to me and why: The growing number of radical fanatics and their victims all over the world and in the Middle East region especially. There have been so many innocent people killed and injured as a result. Can
of mine – it is something that I fear most of all. I consider myself a global person; I have friends all around the world, which makes the globe for me one universal place. Meeting so many people from so many countries makes me believe that ordinary people never initiate war. If only politicians could make peaceful and true democratic decisions. I wish from the bottom of my heart PEACE to be in every part of the world. The local issue of greatest concern to me and why: After the collapse of the Soviet Union we inherited two conflict zones in Georgia – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Until these two conflicts and the issue of refugees are resolved, it will remain my greatest personal local concern. An interesting FLEX alumni activity in which I took part: Being a FLEX alumna enabled me to participate in the best multi-cultural program organized by the Lee Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University, PA, the Global Village Program for Future Leaders of Business and Industry. This two-month intensive summer business school unites students and professionals from around the world. During my year, the program united 90 representatives from 40 countries. I would not have been able to be part of this amazing experience if not for the full support from the U.S. State Department. In conjunction with Lee Iacocca Institute, U.S. State Department brings annually around 10 FLEX alumni from various countries for participation in this program. Right now I’m reading: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luis Zafon. I highly recommend it. How I have made use of my U.S. experience: My U.S. experience has played an enormous role in my life. I don’t know where I would have been now if not that experience. Somehow upon my return, I had this strong feeling of self-confidence, maturity, and independence. I knew that I could achieve much. I started working right away and have not stopped ever since. I have been climbing up and up. What I’d like to say to fellow alumni: To those alumni who know me and for some reason we have not communicated in a long time, please let me know where you are, what are you doing, what you have achieved in your part of the world. And to everyone, please, do your best to bring about peace in your communities. Let us unite against all the wrongs. We are a large enough network to change the world. Do your best to participate in the Global Village Program for Future Leaders and Industry; it will be one of your best experiences! Peace to all! How I feel about the future of my country: The future is unpredictable but we are building it ourselves. The global issue of greatest concern to me and why: The increasing economic growth of China, instability in the Middle East and ways of collaboration among United States, Europe and Russia. These issues indirectly influence every day of our lives. Right now I’m reading: From Rus’ to Russia by Lev Gumilev How I have made use of my U.S. experience: The U.S. experience and FLEX program opened the world for me and opened me to the world. What I’d like to say to fellow alumni: I shall use this chance in order to share with you what I have found about life from my experience and may be it will help you. I address basically those who are young fellow alumni: Be responsible. Everything comes back. Don’t choose only easy ways; take a challenge. If you have an opportunity to learn and study – learn and study! Listen to your parents. Be positive. Write a plan on what you want in five years from now. You program your own future. Go in for sports. anyone imagine how many kids have been hurt or suffer right now for this reason? The local issue of greatest concern to me and why: New Ukrainian Parliament’s ability to make a coalition, form a government, and fruitfully work for the benefit of our country, as I’m tired of elections and the political fighting. An interesting FLEX alumni activity in which I took part: Sixth Annual Benefit Evening (Ball) we’ve just had in Kyiv. We’ve raised funds for the surgical wing of Poltava regional hospital. It’s always interesting to be part of some good deal you know would benefit other people around. A volunteer/community service activity in which I take part: Now I do my best to help bring to Ukraine state-of-art experience and expertise in the field of health care and public health. Together with the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv we’ve started a series of digital videoconferences and round-tables with U.S. experts on those issues and hope it would bring us some fruitful collaboration. Right now I’m reading: The book of books The Bible How I have made use of my U.S. experience: Besides learning the language and culture, I’ve made some good friends and contacts in the U.S. All these are very helpful to set up and develop different international projects in which I’m involved. Just recently I’ve been appointed International Affairs Assistant to the head of the Kyiv City Council Commission of Health Care and Social Protection. The FLEX Program is important because: It’s an incredible opportunity to get unique experience, make great friends, test yourself and much more... What I’d like to say to fellow alumni: Guys, always remember that being the best (as all of you are) it’s not only a great privilege, but also a large responsibility! Do your best to make someone’s life better and happier. And as y’all are already special, don’t be afraid to go against the flow if necessary! Stay cool!
Vladivostok
Flexaa_lviv@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Alumni Office
Minsk
Russia, 690091, Vladivostok Okeanskiy prospekt, 15a +7 (4232) 40 82 13 (fax/phone) flexalum@vlad.ru
Kazakhstan, 050091 Almaty ul. Seifullina 531, k. 604 +7 (3272) 72 08 03, 79 80 96 (fax) flex_alumni@americancouncils kz.com
Ashgabat Turkmenistan, 744000, Ashgabat 48a Gorogly Street +993 (12) 33 10 15, 33 06 96 (phone/fax) flexalum@online.tm http://turkmenistan.usac.gov/
Baku Azerbaijan, 370001, Baku AZ1014, Baku, 183 Suleyman Rahimov Street +994 12 499 7005, 499 1933 ext 212 (fax) flexalumni@americancouncils.az
Nizhny Novgorod uppervolgaflex@mail.ru
Novosibirsk Russia, 630090, Novosibirsk Prospect Lavrentieva 17,1st floor, 4th entrance, rooms 1 3 +7 (3832) 30 92 93 (phone/fax) alumflex@ie.ie.nsk.ru alumniki@gmail.com http://actr.nsk.ru
St. Petersburg Russia, 191025, St. Petersburg Nab. Fontanka, 46, 4th floor Biblioteka im. Mayakovskogo +7 (812) 571 45 93, 571 07 34 571 76 55, 571 09 34 (fax) flexalum@americancouncils.spb.ru www.americancouncils.spb.ru.
Flexaa_odesa@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Kyrgyzstan, 720040, Bishkek ul.Tynastanova 98, apt. 1 +996 (312) 66 48 38 (fax/phone) flex_alumni@accels.elcat.kg http://flex.freenet.kg
Tbilisi
Moldova, MD 2012, Chisinau 37 B Tricolorului Str. +373 (22) 22 58 60; 21 12 53 (fax) flexalumni@americancouncils.md http://www.americancouncils.md
southrussiaflex@mail.ru www.southrussiaflex.bravehost.com
Yekaterinburg Russia, 620014, Yekaterinburg ul. Malysheva, 36 office 1103 +7 (343) 376 56 62; 371 70 53 (fax) flexalum@ural.actr.ru
Yerevan Armenia, 375037, Yerevan Cholakyan Street No. 2, House No. 38 Tel./Fax: (374 10) 23 13 77; 24 60 23; 23 14 01 f_alumni@americancouncils.am
Sevastopol Southern Ukraine
Bishkek
Chisinau
Volgograd
LEADERS
Almaty
Belarus, Minsk flexalumni@amcenter.by www.amcenter.by
Georgia, 0179 , Tbilisi 27/29 Chavchavadze Avenue +995 (32) 29 21 06 (phone) +995 (32) 25 21 07 (Fax) flex_alumni@amcouncils.ge www.americancouncils.ge
FUTURE
Russia, 119049, Moscow, a/ia 1 (for mail) Leninsky prospect, 2, k.503 (for visits) +7 (495) 230 4582, 230 4544, 230 2223 (fax) fsaalumni@actr.ru www.americancouncils.org
Dushanbe Tajikistan, 734001, Dushanbe 105, Rudaki Apt., 13 14 +992 (372) 21 21 03; 21 17 95 (fax) flexalum@americancouncils.tj
Kharkiv Eastern Ukraine flexaa_kharkiv@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
Kyiv Ukraine, 04050, Kyiv vul. Melnykova 63 +380 (44) 482 0221, 482 0222 482 0220 (fax) flexalumni@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua http://www.americancouncilskyiv.org.ua
ALUMNI
Lviv Western Ukraine
E XC HAN G E
Future Leaders Exchange Offices in Eurasia
NEWSLETTER
The Bradley Herald Page 16
The Bradley Herald alumni newsletter is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department. It is produced and edited by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS. Email: bradleyherald@actr.ru Editor Mary Shea Design and Production – Domino Company Tel.: (+7 495) 105 5104 E mail: domino@orc.ru