Testimonies from Fall 2015 Professional Fellows Delegation

glcRead the testimonies from the Fall 2015 Professional Fellows Delegation
from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia
visiting the United States in September 29 – November 13, 2015

Thank you to the Leaders and Mentors from 11 host organizations in 6 different states across the United States for their internship’s supervision and help to our delegation.

Download the newsletter here

Deadline Extended – Announcement for participation as U.S. Mentor & Host Organization

US MentorsWe are extending the deadline for application from U.S. Hosting Organizations who are interested to participate in the 2016 Professional Fellows Exchanges, to share Community Organizing methods from U.S. with Central & Eastern Europe. Please contact Elizabeth Balint by January 20, 2016 if you are interested at: 419-973-8007 or glc_teachdemocracy4@hotmail.com

Organizations and individuals, who are actively involved in the legislative process and/or in policy-making through their work in government, civic education organizations, citizen advocacy groups, community activists, or community organizers working with minority populations, are invited to apply for participation as a U.S. host organization and/or as a U.S. mentor. We encourage professionals and their organization to submit their application to take part in an exchange program with matching participants from four Central and Eastern European countries.

This program is a two-way exchange opportunity involving professionals and leaders from the U.S. and selected European countries. U.S. mentors will share their professional expertise with the EU fellows of this program and travel for a two-week reciprocal visit to counterpart organizations for consulting. Mentors will conduct joint workshops in order to share experience and to promote mutual understanding and partnership between key professional groups in the United States and groups in the selected European countries. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Citizen Exchanges. The Professional Fellows Program is organized by WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – Great Lakes Consortium for International Training and Development (GLC) from Northwest Ohio  in collaboration with Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives Foundation (C.E.G.A) in Bulgaria, Civil College Foundation (CCF) in Hungary, The Resource Center for Public Participation (CeRe) in Romania, and Center for Community Organizing (CKO) in Slovakia and other local partners in the United States of America and in the selected countries in Europe.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: January 10, 2016

Application Form C – if you are a new US mentor and new host organization who did not work with WSOS/GLC before.

If you were  US mentor earlier and/or your organization previously hosted European Professional Fellows, please contact Elizabeth Balint by phone 419-973-8007 or e-mail: glc_teachdemocracy4@hotmail.com and we will e-mail you a different – shorter – application form to fill out and return back by December 15, 2015.

Read the Announcement

Download Form C

Announcement and Application for Fellowship Exchange Program 2016

20151006_091839We invite professionals from any region of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia to apply for participation in a 42-day fellowship in the U.S.A. We encourage submissions by professionals who are actively involved in programs related to citizen participation and advocacy (NGO/civil society development), civic education organizations, citizen advocacy groups, community activists and/or community organizers who work with minority groups. The overall goal of the program is to provide a professional development opportunity for mid-level emerging leaders; create a forum for American and foreign participants to collaborate and share ideas and strategies; and build a global network of professionals able to work effectively in an interconnected environment.

“DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2016 PROFESSIONAL FELLOWS PROGRAM,
WE WILL EXTEND THE DEADLINE UNTIL NOVEMBER 15, 2015. THERE IS A WORKSHOP AND INTERVIEW SCHEDULED in ROMANIA AND BULGARIA BEFORE THIS DEADLINE SO PLEASE CONTACT YOUR COUNTRY DIRECTOR TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING WORKSHOP IN YOUR COUNTRY SO YOU DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY”

Read the announcementAnnouncement for 2016

Download the applicationApplication Form 2016 

Download the pre-departure action plan Pre-Departure Action Plan Form 2016

Professional Fellows from Europe in United States

12068645_852199188211823_8671911631801316222_oThe second delegation with a total of 18 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia will visit the U.S. from September 29–November 13, 2015 to participate in joint trainings, round-table discussions, site visits, and will have interactions with U.S. leaders. A tailored internship with mentoring, multicultural events, and participation in volunteer activities as well as in the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. also included in the 6-week professional fellows program. Participants will prepare a 6-9 month individual and group Action Plan for follow on activities. They have various opportunities to experience the American family life and the diversity in the U.S. through staying with American host families during their internship in Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Detroit, Michigan; and the rural areas of New Hampshire and Vermont, and Charleston, West Virginia.

Read the newsletter here

Alexandrina Dinga – fellow from Romania

Foto Alexandrina DingaAlexandrina Dinga is, at the present, project manager of “For the Better” Association, a non-governmental organization founded in 2009 to go a long way towards sustainable development of the local community, whose projects, through a holistic approach – environment, economy and social – encourage the consumption of seasonal and local products, develop practices of reduce and reuse, support disadvantaged groups, promoting a social and environmental responsible behavior.

The project which she coordinates in the ”For the Better” Association is ”Water without plastic” (with the support of  EEA Grants). The purpose of this project is to inform and sensitize the people on the importance of reducing the consumption of bottled water in PETs. Furthermore, between Sept 2013 – Sept 2014, in the ”Educational and participatory tools for sustainable development” project, started in June 2013 with financial support of the Swiss grant, Ms. Alexandrina coordinated the action ”Neighborhoods  for people”, where she organized consultative and informative meetings with citizens of 5 neighborhoods of Iași. The problems identified in these meetings with citizens, their lack of community involvement, a bad city management issues and an abusive decision of the Mayor to cut all the trees in the center of the city (without a public consultation), encouraged Alexandrina and other friends of her to start a new organization willing to act in the area of ​​active citizenship and good governance.

Currently, Alexandrina is the president of a newborn association – CIVICA Association – where she is doing voluntary work with her colleagues to build the association, to attract resources for developing a program of community organizing. She wants to dedicate her next years to develop CIVICA Association, enjoying an active community and a better managed city.

Chicago

Chicago

Alexandrina is also one of the co-founders of the Iaşi Community Foundation, founded in 2012, where she currently has an advisory role (after two years of being involved in its board) and as an activist she coordinates a group of civic initiative “Iaşi loves linden trees” to determine the mayor to replant the trees that were cut in the center of Iaşi.

Ms. Dinga had also worked in the private sector for almost 3 years, but NGOs drew her more, because she feels like there is more freedom and she can actually develop the projects that she believes in.

Alexandrina is licensed in Ecology and Environmental Protection, she has a Masters in Biodiversity and Ecosystem productivity and one in Communication, Creativity and Social Skills in Organizations. She is an accredited trainer and project manager with approximately 6 years experience in the non-governmental environment (3 years as a volunteer and 3 as an employee), project management, communication, strategy application, implementation of informational and awareness campaigns.

Palatul_Culturii_Iasi_-_AerialAlexandrina is a native Romanian speaker and B1 level English (speaking, understanding, writing and reading).

This is going to be her first visit to the US. With the help of this fellowship, she aims to identify best methods for mobilizing and involving citizens in solving community problems, by identifying the needed resources for them, to learn more about the community organizing, but also methods of public participation, advocacy campaigns, fundraising.

A short term target is to use this knowledge to assist the citizens from two marginal neighborhoods of Iaşi (Dacia and Frumoasa) to organize and solve local problems and a medium term target is to develop a program of community organizing in Iasi, at the CIVICA Association.

She is interested in learning more about community organizing, the development of advocacy, fundraising and community mobilization tactics.

Alexandrina’s pre-departure field work activity will take place in Dacia and Frumoasa neighborhoods and the target group consists of their citizens in general. She had already held one consultative meeting with the citizens from the two neighborhoods (15) and several informative meetings. She wants support/assist the formation of two civic initiative groups in these districts, their citizens being able to be involved in solving the problems they face.

Her hobbies are reading, traveling, sometimes hiking on the mountain and tea stories with her friends. Alexandrina will have her internship at Go Bronzville (Chicago)

Agnes Molnar – fellow from Hungary

PhotoAgnesAgnes Molnar is working as a youth leader and charge d’affaires at the Opera Cultural Association for 5 years as a volunteer, and for 1 week as an employee. She is managing projects, writing applications, coordinating volunteers, and organizing events here. The Opera Cultural Association ( the name stands for the latin word: opera, that means operating) is a youth organization, the main aim is to provide democratical tools and western perspective  for youngsters through advocacy, communication and art. She maintains the on-going civic initiatives in the organization and keep the cooperation between local, informal groups and the Opera.

Previously she worked as an international coordinator at the National KID Association for 1,5 year. Her tasks included writing applications for grants, contacting with other european partners and informing member organizations about the international possibilities within the National KID Association (KID stands for Komplex, Integrated, Differenciated an it is an umbrella association).

Ms Molnar has been part of many initations in Debrecen, as a native of the city, she just started to support unemployed, alternative-thinking people to implement their projects through the Opera Association. She started to organize skateboarders for the issue: having a skatepark. She also started to work with blind and visually impared people for integration, she was part of the procceed of involving local groups to the online radio (Opera- owned Sub Radio)for starting radio shows in locally useful topics they’re specialized in.

Debrecen, Hungary

Debrecen, Hungary

She met community organizing 1 year ago  with 3 others from the Opera through the Civil College Foundation. They participated on the trainings and after they started to develop the organization structurally. Now, she is the leader of the civic workgroup where the main aim is to create a local community. It contains people who has visions about the city of Debrecen, which is different from the majority’s. These partners are mainly part of a subcultural group and they suffer from social justice problems just because they have different thoughts about democracy than the present major ideology of the government. She thinks that the young people of the middle-class are sliding down, socially and economically. They marked and prejudiced by outfit, taste and social position not by their values or knowledge. She observed that Hungarian people are not opened for „the other”, racism, intolerance and inequality are common phenomens in the everyday life. The Opera try to ensure people that a different life is not a crime, just another way. In Hungary it is a real problem and community organizing is one of the ways to solve it.

She has been on different  youth seminars in France and in Austria. She has participated in several developer trainings, like communication, conflict, sustainability etc. At the National KID Association and Opera Cultural Association she also gained experience in organizing trainings and assissted in the creation of the materials. She present her organization on every national or local youth event as a participant or an organizer too. She has contacts for local organizations, decisionmakers, media people,university people, multi firms,informal groups and art groups in the city of Debrecen.

Chicago/ photo: YoChicago

Chicago/ photo: YoChicago

She graduated as an aesthetician , MA degree, Faculty of Humanities in Debrecen. She researched the local subcultural groups, places and cultural developement of Debrecen from the 60’s. Her thesis will be the base of an exhibition in the Rock Museum of Debrecen. She also plans to explore the present status of these groups theoretically.

Ms Molnar speaks English fluently, and French advanced. She has been 5 times in the USA, first time as a folk dancer with a group, but the last 4 times were about visiting her mother, who is now living in the USA as a citizen. Ms Molnar got several times the offer to move out, but she was more intented to work with community in Hungary. After the community organizing trainings and meetings with the american professionals she has the belief that this method is the most suitable for the activities of the Opera, projects and mentality. She would like to use the method at the Opera Cultural Association.

In her free time she loves travelling, making valuable friendships and thinking about projects. If she has no tasks to do she mostly writes articles about local events, things to the website of the Opera (www.sub.hu) She has no free time, but if it happens she is mainly with her 7 -year -old little sister. Agnes will have her internship at Go Bronzville (Chicago)

Anett Csordas – fellow from Hungary

AnettphotoMs Csordás is working as a voluntary director of her own association, called “Lépjünk, hogy léphessenek!” Non-profit Association. The association supports children, affected by celebral palsy and their families in the first place. It organizes courses and trainings for parents in several places throughout the country, in order to create self-helping communities, close to their residence that can do advocacy activities to help in the formation of an appropriate supply system not just in their region but in the whole country. Last year as a result of their successful community work a new surgery method could be brought to Hungary in a very short time that was only available in the United States. In addition the association cooperates with other organisations in order to help in the creation of a better health care system to make their life easier for those families who have to nurse their handicapped children at home because of the lack of the adequate institutional care. Moreover because of a bigger part of these families live under the bare necessities. What makes the association special is that it was founded and operated by affected parents in the country. The association organized several actions and demonstrations to put these problems into focus.

599201Ms Csordás was among the organizers of Rehab Critical Mass which was held in Hungary at the first time in 2014. This movement represents the social equality of disabled and handicapped people and attracts attention to their difficult situation.

Ms Csordás graduated as a Hungarian Cultural Manager(1995) and Director of Education( 1999) in Juhász Gyula Teacher Training College at Szeged. In 2000 she earned the title of Director of Drama Playing at The Hungarian Drama and Theatre in Education Association and in 2004 she earned the degree as a Specialist in drama playing at the University of Theatre and Film Arts.

Until 2005 Ms Csordás had been working on the field of drama pedagogy and Director of a Basic Art School, however, with the birth of her handicapped son she turned her interest towards social and handicapped issues. Experienced the difficult life of a family, raising a disabled child, encouraged her with several others with the same status, to found her association to make this situation better.

Chicago

Chicago

This is her first opportunity to visit the United States with this exchange program. Ms Csordás would like to get known succesfull organisations dealing with the situation of handicapped people. Gain experience in community organisation and learn how to achieve goals and aims that an organizations has planned itself before.

As an actual plan she is designing to found an inclusive school in Hungary and a rehabilitaion center where people afftected by celebral palsy in any age from 0 to 99, can receive supplies and support even if their financial status would not let them take part in it.

Ms Csordás is a mother of a special boy and a 21 year old girl who is attending to university. In her free time she likes visiting theatre and travelling or leading her own cooking school. Anett will have her internship at Access Living Chicago