Exchange Programs
Programs for Professionals
The International Visitor Leadership Program brings mid- to senior-level individuals from Russia to the U.S. for two to four weeks, to meet with their counterparts and examine issues related to democratic and economic reform, as well as other topics of interest in the U.S.-Russian relationship. The IVL Program affords a unique opportunity for established or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, labor relations, the arts and other key fields to confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. first-hand.
Candidates can not "apply" or nominate themselves. Unlike most other programs, the U.S. Embassy nominates the visitors, who come to the United States from Russia to meet with their American counterparts in various cities around the country. Cultural and geographic diversity play a large role in these programs. The decision whether to accept and fund each person rests with the Department of State in Washington and the Public Affairs Section in Moscow.
IVL projects generally last three weeks and provide an in-depth look at a particular subject area. Participants travel in groups and visit Washington, D.C. and three or four other U.S. cities. Participants are typically in their 30s or 40s, and are mid-career professionals with a long career track ahead of them.
The following are among the topics that have been addressed in recent visits:
- American Studies and the U.S. Political Process
- HIV Prevention Strategies
- The Role of Media, the Policy Community and NGOs from a Government Perspective
- Journalism Education in the U.S.
- Aviation Safety Programs and Procedures
- Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Commercialization
- The Role of Citizen's Watchdog Groups
- Terrorism Preparedness Programs
- Using Public-Private Partnerships for Local Economic Development
- International Adoption
Community Connections is a 5-year USAID funded program started in 2005 which offers home-stay based practical training opportunities in the U.S. for entrepreneurs, local government officials, legal professionals, non-governmental organization leaders and other professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Local community host organizations arrange internships for participants based on interests and experience.
The Community Connections Program, formerly managed by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and now funded through the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at USAID, is designed to promote public diplomacy through the exchange of cultural ideas and values between participants, U.S. families and local community host organizations. The goals of the Community Connections program are to:
- Provide participants with professional training and exposure to day-to-day functioning of a free market system;
- Encourage public-private partnerships in Europe/Eurasia by including private sector and government participants on U.S. visits;
- Create links between U.S. and Europe/Eurasia regions and communities.
For more information about the recruitment process; themes and venues, please contact:
Project Harmony, Inc., Russia
5 Pyzhevskiy Per., Office 400, Moscow 119017, Russia
Tel/fax: (7- 495) 239-92 91
E-mail: thomas@projectharmony.ru
Program Website: http://www.ccfrussia.ru/
The Open World Program, authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1999 as the Russian Leadership Program, brings young political and civic leaders from Russia to the United States for short-term stays. The program aims to forge better understanding between the two nations by giving emerging Russian leaders unique opportunities to observe and experience American political, business, and community life firsthand. Since the inception of Open World, over 4,500 participants have been hosted in more than 700 communities across the United States. Open World is now administered by the Center for Russian Leadership Development. The Center has its own board of trustees, an expanded, year-round program of exchanges, and a permanent home at the U.S. Library of Congress.
The Open World Program targets for participation public policy decision-makers, as well as those who influence the policy arena and public opinion. The most appropriate nominees are talented leaders who are relatively young but have already demonstrated leadership skills and a commitment to building democracy, free markets, and the rule of law in the Russian Federation.
Contact:
U.S. Embassy
Tel: (495) 728-5000 x5806
American Councils for International Education
Tel: (495) 956-7817
Site: http://www.openworld.gov/
The SABIT (Special American Business Internship Training) Program provides participants with substantive experience in the workings of the American market economy, so that they will return to their home countries with practical knowledge necessary to contribute to the economic transformation process. There are two types of internship training. The first is for individual, English-speaking Russian business executives and scientists who are placed with U.S. firms for a period of two to six months. The second is for groups focussed on a particular industry. In the group programs, participants from around the CIS travel together to meet with companies in one industry. Russian interpreters are provided. Interested persons with at least five years' experience in their specialty should contact the SABIT Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy's Foreign Commercial Service in Moscow.
Contact:
SABIT Program, U.S Commercial Service
23 / 38 Bolshaya Molchanovka St.
Tel: (495) 737-50-18, tel/fax: (495) 737-50-19
e-mail: Moscow.Office.Box@mail.doc.gov
Program website: http://www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/,
http://www.sabitprogram.org (in Russian)
The Cochran Fellowship Program of the United States Department of Agriculture sends specialists from Russia to the U.S. for training in agricultural and agribusiness issues. The objectives of the program are to develop agricultural systems, which will satisfy food requirements in Russia, and to strengthen and enhance trade linkages with the United States. The program consists of short-term training for two to four weeks designed to address the specific interests of the participants. Selection is based on an application and an interview. There is no age limit or language requirement. Interested persons should contact the U.S. Embassy's Agricultural Section.
Contact:
Foreign Agricultural Service
U.S. Embassy, Moscow
Tel: (495) 956-52-31, fax: (495) 728-51-33
E-mail: AgMoscow@fas.usda.gov
Program Information: http://eng.usda.ru/assistance/
Programs in the Arts and Humanities
A limited number of United States government programs exist in the arts and humanities. Selection is highly competitive. Participants should be up and coming artists, performers, or writers. Programs in museum management are dependent upon a cooperative relationship with an American museum.
The Iowa Writers' Workshop of the University of Iowa in Iowa City has played host to many of America's most important contemporary writers. Each year the Workshop requests nominations from U.S. embassies for young, English-speaking writers for a program that includes a three-month residency in Iowa City and the opportunity to travel within the United States.
American Dance Festival Choreographers Competition, part of the summer American Dance Festival at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, requests nominations from U.S. embassies for young choreographers. A minimum level of English proficiency is required for participation in the program.
International Partnership among Museums is a program offered by the American Association of Museums for museum administrators and curators who wish to strengthen ties to American museums and galleries.
Contact:
Cultural Affairs Office
U.S. Embassy, Moscow
Tel: (495) 728-52-42, fax: (495) 728-52-62
E-mail: MoscowWebM@state.gov