From Kyiv to Tallahassee with Love

One year ago, I learned that I would be going to Tallahassee, Florida for a US Department of State fellowship at the Office of Program Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA). My first thing to do was to google what and where is the city of Tallahassee. While everybody knows Florida for Miami and Disney World, the policy-making and legislative heart of the third most populous state in the USA is located far away from paradise beaches. Tallahassee is a city of less than 200 000 people in the northern part of the state exactly half way between Jacksonville and Pensacola closer to the America of the deep south than to the blue waters of Key West. This fact did not discourage me. On the contrary, I had a chance to see the 'real' America, meet with people from different personal and professional backgrounds and even volunteer with my hosts during the US mid-term election.

Why I applied for PFP?

My personal interest in applying for this fellowship was quite broad. In Ukraine, I work on donor coordination, capacity building projects and EU assistance to security sector reform. I am specializing in EU external politics, policies and EU cooperation programs. While the EU and its Member States remain the biggest donors for Ukraine in most of the reform areas, the financial and political support of the United States is equally significant. Thus, it was important for me to understand the US system of governance and decision-making in order to be able to recognize the logic behind its internal and external policies and to cooperate better with American organizations and partners. There was also a personal curiosity to expand personal and professional horizons. Applying for PFP was also an adventure, because you only learn your place of fellowships several weeks before the departure.

What I learned

OPPAGA people selected me to come to their office in Florida which was specifically created to serve Florida's Legislature (Parliament) by providing data, evaluative research and objective analysis to assist better policy-making and budget deliberations. Top researchers and analysts work there to help improve performance and accountability of Florida’s state government. They prepare policy reviews of government programs, performance evaluations, program summaries for legislators and legislative committees. My experience, however, was not limited to OPPAGA’s office (even though I had my own office with two monitors and a pack of Florida’s orange juice in the fridge).  

OPPAGA team in front of the Florida Capitol 

My hosts did an amazing job organizing multiple meetings and visits to other organizations in Tallahassee, which is a home town to numerous state agencies, lobbying organizations and professional associations. I had a chance to visit Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement and its Crime Labs, the Supreme Court of Florida, the Auditor General Office, and the Florida State Departments of Education, Health and Transportation. A two-day program was organized for me and another Fellow at the Tallahassee City Administration where we had a chance to learn about the commission/manager form of governance and city initiatives. 

My presentation about Ukraine and PFP 

I saw community-policing work in practice by attending the Citizen’s Police Academy and I assisted the work of the 911 emergency operator at the Consolidated Dispatch Agency. Furthermore, I had a unique chance to attend several lectures at the Florida State University (FSU) and learn about Florida’s local government, education policies and social movements. Each of these meetings and visits deserve a separate article to be written about, but to summarize, after the fellowship program I now have much better understanding of the differences between US federal and state level policies and policy-making procedures, the US court system, constitutional and electoral processes. I know much more about Florida and its people and in return, those people I had met – learned more about Ukraine and its people and government, the Revolution of Dignity and the process of transformation that my country is going through now in particular, with support from the American people.   

Every vote counts

Volunteering with my host family - Kathy and Steve

One more highlight of my PFP experience was to observe the election process. I had a unique chance to be in the US during mid-term elections. This time alongside electing representatives to the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, Florida was voting for its Governor, for state and local representatives and for important amendments to the Constitution. Florida is a very important swing-state where literary each vote counts. My host family are active members of the local Democratic Party, and I had a unique chance to attend meetings, political debates and to volunteer with them during the campaigning period and on the main day of voting.

Not only work

PFP is primarily a professional exchange, but it has a very strong cultural element, because all fellows with rare exceptions live with American host families and have a chance to learn more about the American life. Despite missing out on Florida’s paradise beaches, I went kayaking with alligators and saw a real manatee, I traveled to the Kennedy Space Center where the launch of the Apollo 11 Mission 50 years ago landed first people on the moon and I visited the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory where I saw the strongest magnet in the world. Finally, my host family and people from my host organization became my new life-long friends and mentors for what I am especially grateful. 

How to apply for PFP? 

Professional Fellowship Program takes place twice a year and the application process for the spring 2020 is now on-going. The deadline to submit your application is 1 November 2019. More details are available at the FB page of Professional Fellows Program Ukraine. 

Good luck! 

How PFP gives you new opportunities and makes you understand US policies

I am a State Department Fellow within the Professional Fellows Program of 2018.

While staying in Sacramento (California) which is a month of great activities, learning, networking and developing professional skills, all fellows are required to do volunteer work. I am doing my fellowship program at the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. I’ve been also involved in work of the Strategic Growth Council.

The aim of the PFP is to provide professional skills and opportunities across the states to learn and know how different organizations function, how they work on the ground, in order we could learn and take back all the skills to our countries. Because we are the Leaders of Changes. Please don't judge me on this statement ;)
Many folks across the world can participate in this program, no matter what is the area of your work, but you need to have at least two years of professional experience and be a Leader of age 25-40,
have a track record of making an impact in your community, organization or company;
Be proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application;
Be a citizen and currently residing in one of the eligible countries for participation in the program.
Application period: October-November and February-March.

You can apply following this link: http://professionalfellows.americancouncils.org/.
Don't miss the deadline and check the PFP website.

Going back to my PFP experience, many fellows might be lucky to be hosted by local families, sometimes fellows are staying in hotels. But the most fun comes when you actually are staying with your host family. Thus, you might learn more about diverse culture in the U.S., learn much more, and have many other opportunities.
My host family is my mother with two clever dogs. She works in a Public Library and she is very intelligent and bright woman. We had a lot of interesting conversations, she explained many things to me, like the election system, medical system and education, and libraries. This is valuable experience that you need to be grateful for, and even if you are grown up adult who used to live alone, it is not a problem to stay with someone for about a month.
Believe it or not, I was there, and this question was my biggest concern, especially living with dogs (!) which I have never done before, turned out I am a natural dog-lover. The first day of my arrival, I have fell in love with my host mom's dogs.

After one week of staying in Sacramento my host mother shared with an idea to volunteer for the Sacramento Public Library, which is actually a part of my Professional Fellows Program I need to do four hours of volunteering. My host mother works in a Public Library and she has invited me to help to the library to co-organize the event “Harvest and Health Festival” at the City Church of Sacramento, October 20, 2018.

I have served five hours working with children and their parents coming from disadvantage communities of the neighborhood and informed that they can be subscribers of the Sacramento Public Library and would have access many manuals online and in the library, listen to the audiobooks and educate their children. Besides all guests could experience a petting zoo, take a ride on the trackless train, bounce house. While I was there I didn’t miss a chance to do one of activity on my own – it was a face painting. I’ve got a beautiful rose on my face. It was very informative and fun at the same time volunteering and spending time with my host mother.

Stay tuned and be a Leader.

#pfp #ProFellows #PFP #Activities #volunteering #bealeader #volunteer

P.s. The article was written at the moment of my stay in the US.

By Nara Narimanova

Breaking Stereotypes and Discovering Little Rock

Four weeks in Arkansas was a mosaic of vivid places, events and important meetings. Toni Carr and Global Ties Arkansas made this experience really unforgettable doing their best to show us every corner of this amazing state with abundant nature and wildlife. I was especially lucky to have her as a host mother, as her house is always open for people from all over the world.

Arkansas Capital Corporation – a place of my fellowship amazed me by its supportive corporate culture and by multiple opportunities they offer for businesses. People here are recognized and contribution of everyone is appreciated. Nobody concentrates on mistakes but are supportive enough to concentrate on people’s successes. It is believed that a small word of encouragement can make the world better.

CEOs want to know all the ideas which their staff have. They accept all the ideas. No opinion is denied. During my fellowship some of the most common stereotypes I used to know about Americans were broken:

Many American families are traditional. A number of family members are engaged in church activities. Church communities are really strong in the US, they organize festivals, raise money for charities, help homeless, do a lot of volunteering work. Americans really care about their grandchildren, they spend time with them, try not to miss their baseball games and graduation parties. They celebrate holidays and spend vacations together. Some even pay for their grandchildren school and college education.

American Art and museums by no aspects concede to European ones. The art in museums and orchestra performances I was lucky to view is high-level art.

People who want to try themselves in business have their right to failure. They learn from failures. A common value is: ”Nobody is perfect. You can try, then try again, then fail, and then succeed.”

During my Professional Fellows Program, I learned much about leaders who are not heroes but hosts. In Arkansas, I had a chance to meet three humble and inclusive leaders who became the best examples of contemporary leadership for me. The first is Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson whom I was lucky to accompany to the Rural Development Conference in Hot Springs. It was an amazing experience watching how the head of the state was preparing his speech to make it really impactful. He put every small farmer in it and voiced their every urgent need. He was very close to people and it was in his art to make every community member so important. Governor’s staff told me that they enjoy so much working with him, that they put themselves wholly into their everyday job.

The second leader I was honored to shadow is CEO of Arkansas Capital Corporation – Rush Deacon. He is a strong visionary convincing his staff that their success is not about how competitive they are – it’s about how relevant they are meeting community needs. Rush Deacon is a high level professional, a unique personality who sees people, understands their needs, knows how to put them into teams for achieving the best results. He appreciates his colleague's opinion and takes it into account when making decisions. Rush is one of the leaders who cherish difference, embrace disruption, and foster a speak-up culture.

Toni Carr is another passionate leader who puts all her wisdom and patience into making Arkansas open and hospitable place for every traveler who passes by. She creates a place which is really inclusive for people of different backgrounds and nationalities. By maintaining the atmosphere of communication and support it is in her power to make this experience really unforgettable for us – the Arkansas Travelers.

No doubt, this time made a significant shift in my personality towards open-mindedness, new vision, and leadership.