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.

Here's to the ones who dream!

One year ago, while watching the sun-drenched new Hollywood classics La La Land, I could barely imagine myself backpacking across the United States, learning the best practices of American animal defenders, watching live-stage Broadway musicals or eating the most delicious cheesecake in the world - at the legendary Brooklyn Junior's...

Anyhow, what must be a dream for any ambitious twenty-something Ukrainian professional came true for me, and in 2017 I had an honor to participate in Professional Fellowship Program (legislative cohort) - a six-week intensive visit to the US to learn the finest experience of policy-making from American civil society, the real-life challenges for liberal democracies and embrace a new fascinating culture.

This program is administered by American Councils for International Education and generously supported by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. And, of course, my journey would surely not happen without a letter of recommendation from Dr. Dmytro Vovk, whose dedicated work is a true inspiration for us at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and far beyond.

Professional Fellows on Hawaii - best place for networking

    Professional Fellowship Program (PFP) appeared to be a particularly appealing program for me because I knew for sure that I would have accelerated professional development through the PFP experience.

    It makes a strong focus on leadership development, with exposure to successful cross-sector leaders and opportunities to work in a field I was interested in and could not access on my own. The best part of the PFP was and remain to be the strong sense of support from the coordinators at International Hospitality Center and American Councils and other fellows. It was great to immediately have a group of people wanting to help me be successful.

Volunteering on Hawaii - ask me how it was?

    During the internship at the Better Business Bureau Hawaii, I had a great opportunity to be an expo volunteer at Wahine Forum 2017 and to promote integrity and trust together with my host team among visitors of different age. Better Business Bureau is highly recognizable among the community as it successfully implants trust into business culture during the whole century operating not only locally but internationally (i.e., Canada and Mexico). As of now, the BBB Hawaii accredited 2,442 businesses which cover approximately 130,000 employees. The BBB Hawaii is indeed good example of building trust for the benefits of community, consumers, and businesses.

Chicago never sleeps - experience with the Professional Fellowship Program

What I love about the Professional Fellowship Program, it is a great combination of purely professional experience in the work-site, and the possibility to get engaged into academic, charity, volunteering and networking experience. Staying in the host family is another wonderful chance to get engaged with the local community, and contribute to the work of local activists, trying to make the neighborhood better.

This is my 3d week in Chicago, and I've used all the opportunities mentioned! At my work-site I am now fully engaged in HR issues, drafting a new version of a Handbook for the security officers.

Diversity and success in Chicago

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.” - Malcolm Forbes

These words were said by Malcolm Forbes, American entrepreneur, raised business’s appreciation of diversity and importance to respect others for everyone.

Hello, my name is Oleksiy, I am from Ukraine. Currently, I am in Chicago participating in a professional exchange thanks to the Professional Fellowship Program and the US State Department. But this story isn’t about me, it is about how our differences bring success to all of us.

Before my arrival to the Windy City, it was typical stereotype in my head that Chicago is the city of mafia, gangsters, all are overweight. However, what was a surprise to me is to see one of the major business centers of the USA under scope of people’s differences.

Competition for the Best Quest on Sustainable Development Goals

Source: en.greenqb.org

The Partnership Incubator for Green Communities, on the occasion of the Europe Day in Ukraine, invites young people to take part in the competition for the best Quest on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).

To participate in the contest, quests must be organized and carried out by young people in local communities, improving awareness about SDGs, being practically oriented and involving various stakeholders.

UN Peacekeepers is the Path to Ceasefire and Endining Civilian Deaths in Donbas

Reloading Donbas Initiative: UN Peacekeepers is the Path to Ceasefire and Endin...: Periodically, since February 2015, Ukrainian leaders have been making statements about the need for the United Nations (UN) peacekeepers ...

Legislative Fellows Program Presentation in Kyiv - invitation

Please be invited to the Legislative Fellows Program (LFP) Presentation, which will take place at American Councils office in Kyiv (vul. Esplanadna 20, 6th floor) on February 20, at 6:30 pm.

If you have relevant experience in and commitment to a career in the public sector (e.g., legislative, executive, and NGOs that address policy issues), you will be interested in this unique professional opportunity.

Democracy in action (part 1)

Especial session on legalization of the same-sex marriage in Hawaii started 28^th of October 10 a.m. Firstly bill went to Senate and already without any objection and amendments passed 3 readings with 4 NO/ 20 YES voices.

Pro same-sex marriage activity

There were organized public hearing, but there were no empty spaces in auditorium and was formed a huge queue of those who wish testify in person for or against of same-sex marriage bill. Those processes were going all the day and even not all presented people could explain their position, so next hearing is scheduled on Thursday, tomorrow when the Bill will be passed to the House representatives. Situation in the House is not as smooth as in the Senate:  it needs 26 votes to pass in the House. Hawaii News Now surveyed lawmakers last week.  27 Representatives tell them they plan to vote “YES”, 17 Representatives plan to vote “NO”, 7 Representatives are undecided.

 

Queue from active citizenz that wish to tesrify

General public can observe House and Senate meetings without any problems, so I've been present on all of them and others discussions of the House was really tense as for the Hawaiian Capitol (in Ukraine it is just a norm).

 

Public observing senate meeting

Tomorrow is house committee meeting and second reading. Can't wait to see how it will go!!!

Against same-sex marriage demonstration 

So we are here in the very special moment to observe what is American democracy,  how it is work and who benefit from this. 

Rep Gene Ward givinf a speach against the bill

Special session is coming soon...

Neil Abercrombie, Governor of Hawaii

In the beginning just brief information about the legislative process... The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the 25-member Hawaii State Senate.

House of Representatives: Legislators are elected to two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. As in many state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii House of Representatives is a part-time body and legislators often have active careers outside of government. From 51 House of Representatives there are 44 democrats and 7 republicans.

Senate: The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. Senators are elected to four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. There are 24 democrats and just 1 republican.

Like most state legislatures in the United States, the Hawaii State Senate and Hawaii House of Representatives are a part-time body so senators often have active careers outside of government.

The busiest time is the period from January till mid June, when bills can be introduced, readings, hearings and committee meetings conducting. The rest of the time is for implementation and preparation for the next legislation year.

The process of passing the bills is much more complicate then in our Parliament as there 2 legislative bodies that work separate, and they vote separately one by one. Briefly this process is described in the chart.  

So now is October and legislative sessions are in the past, and it kind of dead season, but we are lucky enough to have an special session proclaimed by the Governor about legalization of the same-sex marriage issue on October 28th. I don't know what the urgency was to do it wright now and take 29,000 $ from the budget, but this is such a great opportunity to observe all the process from the beginning till the end. And moreover it's also interesting because of the issue. Situation already is quite intense and all advocates, interested groups and individuals are participating so much as never because it touches everybody personally.

So, I'll keep you updated and let's observe legislative process and all advocacy efforts together!

The Senate Chamber

The House of Representatives chamber

Speaker :)

Governor's executive chamber

My workplace - couldn’t imagine a better one!

To be honest, I couldn’t imagine a better workplace… No actually I could, just on the beach near the ocean, but this one also very great and unique. 

So I work in Hawaii State Capitol in the Office of Minority Leader Representative Gene Ward.

The Capitol is open literally and figuratively: there is no security on the entrance; everybody who is interested can just come without showing an ID and no passing security check. There is also Public access room open from 8 am – 7 pm Monday – Friday, it has working places, a computer, a library and assistants which would be happy to tell you about legislative process and explain you how you can participate in it.

And the building has open architecture structure – it doesn't have a roof, so you can just go out from the office room and get some fresh air and observe a blue sky to refresh your mind. And of course it is smoke free.

Unlike other state capitols modeled after the United States Capitol, the Hawaii State Capitol's distinct architectural features symbolize various natural aspects of Hawaii. Among them:

• The building is surrounded by a reflecting pool, symbolizing the Pacific Ocean.
• The two legislative chambers are cone-shaped, symbolizing volcanoes that formed the Hawaiian Islands.
• The columns around the perimeter of the building have shapes resembling royal palm trees.
• The Capitol is built with an open-air design, allowing sun, wind, and rain to enter; the central rotunda opens to the sky.
• When standing in the center of the structure, the chandeliers from both legislative chambers, which represent the sun and moon, can be seen through the glass walls.

We had a Capitol tour last week and had an access to all places including Governor Office place, so enjoy the photos…

Next time I'll tell you more about legislative processes here.
Aloha

Volcano and palms of the Capitol

Open roof

Level of House representatives

Governor office

Executive chambers

With my supervisor and fellow from Armenia

Месяц в законодательных органах США - презентация программы стажировок

Оголошення українською мовою

Американская Программа стажировок в законодательной сфере (Legislative Fellows Program - LFP) приглашает потенциальных участников на презентацию в Донецке, которая состоится в понедельник, 14 октября 2013 г.

Если вы работаете или имеете предыдущий опыт работы в государственных учреждениях, законодательных органах или неправительственных организациях, а также свободно владеете английским языком, то Вас заинтересует эта уникальная возможность профессионального развития.

Meanwhile in Donetsk: Whistleblowers, Security and Liberty - Amclub Meeting

Members of American Club at the Center for Political Studies in Donetsk, Ukraine met with Eric A. Johnson, Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Kyiv.

The topic of discussion was "Whistleblowers, Security and Liberty" - as suggested by the Club's participants on the previous meeting. Government Shutdown was also brought up.

Extreme beginning...

So, Fellowship started. And started it with adventures…

First we had an emergency landing in London during our flight from Munich to Washington cause there some problems with hydraulic system.

When we came here we discovered that government shut down, because they didn’t agree about budget for the next year. Of course it’s really big issue for Americans: most government establishment are not working, people stays without job, some people even go to job without confidence will they get paid later or not.  We even experience it by ourselves when we went to see some sightseeing – all museums and federal memorials were closed.

And when we just went out from sightseeing and photosession, there were a shooting, so we were really lucky to get out from there just 5 minutes before this.

So it was really extreme beginning. Let’s see what is waiting for me on my fellowship place…

And I still didn’t tell you where is my fellowship is going to be. It’s Office of Minority Leader Representative Gene Ward in Honolulu, Hawaii. And today is my first working day. And I’m very excited about that!  

So Aloha everybody! I’ll keep you updated about my experience. 

Government Shutdown has reached Ukraine - OW reception cancelled

Is Russian President "charming" when dealing with Ukraine? - join the discussion

Got a twitter-reply from Judy Dempsey, Nonresident senior associate, Carnegie Europe, and Editor in chief, Strategic Europe.

The article is available at: carnegieeurope.eu/publications/?fa=show&article=52611