The Kyiv Alumni Resource Center

The American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS (American Councils) has received a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Kyiv to found a center for Ukrainian alumni of US Government sponsored programs: The Kyiv Alumni Resource Center. The main goal of the Center is to strengthen the alumni activity in Ukraine. The Alumni Resource Center will be open to all individuals participated in programs sponsored by the US Government.

Many participants of US Government sponsored exchange programs often feel stranded and frustrated upon returning home. They are eager to share their experience, to return something to their community and are ready to build on this experience to enhance their environment. Once back, many alumni realize that their US experience was only an introduction to a new way of thinking and a new outlook on the world. Many would like to continue to learn new methods and ideas. They are interested in taking on specific social, political and professional issues to catalyze change in their community but feel that they are alone in this desire and therefore many ideas they have remain dormant. If alumni are directed to one another, they may be able to group together and see their ideas come to fruition.

The goal of the Center is to give alumni a physical place where they can meet, train, gather information and create their own agendas. The Alumni Center is a place that encompasses all of the needs of alumni beginning with the housing of information about the experience and knowledge of each alumnus/alumna, especially in the realms of professional training and community activity. It holds a library of reference material, printed and electronic, to help alumni build on their experience. The Center hosts trainings and seminars in professional development and community activity. It houses electronic capabilities that will allow alumni to communicate with each other and with specialists around the world. Staff work to expedite and organize activities and events. The goal of all activities is to help alumni work as a cohesive group(s) focusing on the particular challenges facing Ukraine. The Center's mission is to support continued democratization and economic reform.

The center also:

- is a place where alumni can have access to the Internet and be informed about conferences, programs and job opportunities;
- is a base from which (special interest) groups can carry out events reflecting alumni initiatives;
- is tasked with identifying/analyzing problems facing alumni and suggesting appropriate response/action;
- gives priority to activities that include lobbying, advocacy and community action;
- houses materials created for and by USG funded programs and contain a comprehensive resource library in printed, video and electronic formats
as well as materials created by alumni such as papers, articles, books and training materials;
- is creating a physical database of all persons who traveled to the US on US Government funded programs;
- establishing regional, national and international partnerships through clubs oriented toward civic service;
- has created its own web page to more effectively use collected and created materials with links to other sites;

The Alumni Resource center hosts a variety of activities such as:

- Guest speaker programs held by alumni, visiting US scholars, representatives of Ukrainian government and other prominent individuals (using Internet connection, multi-media projector and PC Web Cam);
- Conferences, training sessions and work shops for alumni who are teachers to learn more about new methodologies, teaching methods and to get familiar with new curriculums and teaching materials;
- Business planning seminars and conferences for private, government and NGO sectors;
- Project planning;
- Grant writing;
- Fundraising and financing;
- Management/administrative skills development;
- Basic skills development (resume writing, interviews, etc.);
- Finding partners for joint projects;
- Presentation skills and using of modern technologies;
- PR, working with media (for all types of organizations);
- Public service information/announcements;
- Career opportunities;

The Kyiv Alumni Resource Center would like to invite all individuals who participated in programs sponsored by all agencies of the US Government to make use of the resources and activities of the center. We would also like to ask alumni to donate materials they have created to the library of the center and share their needs and ideas with the staff.

Working Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday 10:00 – 20:00
Friday, Saturday 10:00 – 16:00

For more information about the activities and events of the Kyiv Alumni Resource Center Please visit:
http://www.alumnicenter.kiev.ua