Profile of the first delegation visiting U.S. -19 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

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The first delegation with a total of 19 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia visit the U.S. from April 1 – May 11, 2013 to participate in group seminars, round-table discussions, site visits, and will have interactions with United States leaders. A tailored 3-week internship with mentoring, multicultural events, and participation in volunteer activities as well as in the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. will be 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 Little Rock (Arkansas), Chicago (Illinois), Boston (Massachusetts), St. Louis (Missouri), Manchester (New Hampshire), Raleigh (North Carolina), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Charlottesville (Virginia), Seattle (Washington).

A second European delegation is expected in the U.S. from September 30 – November 9, 2013.

The Out-Bound component will include at least two American mentors’ teams to travel to Europe (between June 2013 and March 2014) for up to 21 days to provide joint workshops with the alumni and on-site consultation and fieldwork, and conduct wider outreach programs.

U.S. and foreign participants will be involved in alumni activities through an alumni social network in each country. We will also establish an online network for continued learning. This program is a collaboration between GLC and its overseas partners: CEGA in Bulgaria, Civil College Foundation in Hungary, CeRe in Romania and Center for Community Organizing in Slovakia as well as the European Community Organizing Network (ECON) and many U.S. partner organizations involved in the joint program and the tailored internship, and follow up mentoring activities.

Building Grassroots Democracy in Minority Communities is a project of Great Lakes Consortium – through WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – as Contract Agent and Manager – granted for a two-way exchange between September 2012 and August 2014 from the U.S.
Department of State.

3rd US Mentors Visit

Testimonies of the 3rd U.S. Mentor visit in Europe

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3rd US Mentors VisitBetween January 25  – February 15, 2013 the delegation of 8 U.S. Mentors (U.S. organizations: Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), Step by Step (SS), Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (CSMT), Harriet Tubman Center (HTC), Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC), One Village Council (OVC), and Poverty Initiative) gathered in Budapest to participate in 3-week trip in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia in smaller groups.

They spent time interacting with local leaders and alumni friends, learning about the political, economic and cultural environment in each country, and participated in workshops, round table discussions and presentations, consulting, etc. They all contributed to the great success of this exchange program.

Check what they are saying:

US Mentors

A third U.S. mentor group in Europe

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US MentorsA third U.S. Mentor group with 8 participants will travel to Europe from January 25-February 15, 2013. The U.S. participants of this exchange will have an opportunity to share professional expertise and gain a deeper understanding of the societies, cultures and people of other countries.

They will participate in workshops, seminars organized by the alumni of this program and contribute with presentations, discussions and mentoring.

They will also visit public and civil society organizations working with the alumni in implementing projects in minority communities and provide them on-site consultations.

We hope that community organizing will start and will have success stories in many communities in 2013.

 

USmentors

2nd US delegation’s testimony

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USmentorsBetween November 24 – December 15, 2012 the delegation of 5 U.S. Mentors (U.S. organizations: Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC), Community Voices Heard (CVH), Sunflower Community Action (SCA), Harriet Tubman Center (HTC), ACCESS/National Network for Arab American Communities) participate in 3-weeks trip in Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania or Bulgaria. They all contributed a lot to the success of the program in every country.

They spent the time with learning about the political, economical, cultural environment in each, and contributed to successful workshops, presentations, small group discussions, consulting etc. and strengthen the friendship and collaboration with 16 alumni and have workshop and interview meetings with candidates of the delegation for the next program.

For Delegation feedback testimony see below:


US mentors in Europe

New! Opportunities for U.S. organizations to participate as U.S. mentors in the European – U.S. community organizers exchange

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US mentors in EuropeNew! Opportunities for U.S. organizations to participate as U.S. mentors in the European – U.S. community organizers exchange (Deadline is extended and we still take applications in January 2013!

Organizations and individuals who are actively involved in the legislative process and/or policy-making through their work in government, civic education organizations, citizen advocacy groups, community activists, or  community organizers who work with minority populations are invited to apply for participation as a local hosting organization in any parts of  the U.S. and/or U.S. mentor interested to travel overseas.

We encourage professionals and their organization to submit their application for participating in an exchange program with participants from four Central and Eastern European countries.

– Read more– Announcement for U.S. mentors
– Read more – Application for U.S. mentors

Deadline: 31st January

US Mentors in Budapest

U.S. mentors delegation visit in Europe

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US Mentors in BudapestThe Great Lakes Consortium – through WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – as Contract Agent and Manager – received a grant for a two-way exchange between September 2011 and May 2013 from the U.S. Department of State for the “Citizen Legislative Advocacy in Minority Communities”.

The overall goal of this exchange is to provide a professional development opportunity for up-and-coming and mid level professionals to gain knowledge of U.S. practices in engaging citizens and community leaders in collaboration to inform changes in legislation that make a difference in minority communities (incl. Roma, disabled, homeless, immigrant populations) and strengthen democracy.

In 2012 two delegations with a total of 16 fellows in each from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia visited the U.S. from March 26 – May 5, 2012 and from October 1-November 10, 2012. They were exposed to diverse community organizing methods how to engage citizens as active participants in solving problems in their own communities.

European fellows participated in the U.S. in group seminars, round-table discussions, site visits, and had interactions community organizers and leaders. A 3-week internship with mentoring, multicultural events, and participation in volunteer activities as well as in the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. were also included in the 6-week professional fellows program. Participants did

prepare a 6-9 month individual and group Action Plan for follow on activities . They had 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 many states and communities across the U.S. They gained hands-on experience at both public and civil society institutions in the U.S. and a deeper understanding of U.S. society, culture and people.

The first delegation of 9 U.S. mentors traveled for a reciprocal visit to Europe between July 8-29, 2012, and the 2nd U.S. Mentors group will travel to Europe from November 24-December 15, 2012. A third U. S. mentor group with 8 participants will travel to Europe from January 25-February 15, 2013. The U.S. participants of this exchange will have an opportunity to share professional expertise and gain a deeper understanding of the societies, cultures and people of other countries. They will participate in workshops, seminars organized by the alumni of this program and contribute with presentations, discussions and mentoring. They will also visit public and civil society organizations working with the alumni in implementing projects in minority communities and provide them on-site consultations. The U.S. Mentors also will meet with applicants for the new project “Building Grassroots Democracy in Minority Community”, which will host the first European delegation in the spring of 2013. We hope that community organizing will start and will have success stories in many communities by 2013.

This citizen civic exchange will promote mutual understanding, create long-term professional ties, enhance the collaboration between GLC and its overseas partners: CEGA in Bulgaria, Civil College Foundation in Hungary, CeRe in Romania and Center for Community Organizing in Slovakia as well as many U.S. and European partner organizations.

Read the newsletter to get familiar with the U.S. mentors, their interests and the itinerary in Europe

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Extended deadline for Open Call For Participation in U.S. Exchange

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GLC is extending the application deadline in each country. For those who are interested to travel on the Spring 2013 program needs to submit their application before the training and interview dates in each country (please contact your country director for the workshop/ interview date in November/December for your country).
For those who would like to come only with the Fall 2013 delegation to the U.S. the deadline is extended until January 1, 2013.
Participating in the country workshops is open to everyone who are interested to learn more about community organizing in the U.S. and discuss how those experience can be used in Europe! (Please contract your country director and make reservation for your participation in the Nov/Dec 2012 workshop in your country).

GREAT LAKES CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT in collaboration with C.E.G.A Foundation in Bulgaria, CC Foundation in Hungary, the CeRe  in Romania, and CKO in Slovakia

Open Competition for Participation in:

“BUILDING GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES”
An exchange program for Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and United States of America

glc-democracyWe invite professionals from any regions of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia to apply for participation in a 42-day fellowship in the U.S.A. We encourage professionals to submit their application who are actively involved in the legislative process and/or policy-making through their work in government, civic education organizations, citizen advocacy groups, community activists, community organizers who work with minority population.

The joint program will be organized in Toledo (Ohio), Detroit (Michigan) and in some of the larger cities as Chicago (Illinois) and/or New York (NY), but internship placement may include smaller communities across the U.S. An enrichment program of Professional Fellows Congress will be also in the itinerary where program participants from different U.S. State Department exchanges will have an opportunity to meet with government leaders and other program alumni and share experiences at the end of the visit in Washington D.C.

Deadline for submitting your application: 15th November

Read the full Announcement: Announcement_Revised
Download Application: Application_Revised