ENGLISH TRAINING PROGRAMS

English Teaching Fellow Program: This program provides recent M.A- graduates in TESL/TEFL with the opportunity to teach abroad at 'universities, teacher training colleges, bi-national centers, or other host country institutions that use English teaching as a means to promote cultural understanding. Fellows' assignment may also include materials/test development or teacher training activities. The English Teaching Fellow Program is administered by the School for International Training (SIT). For more information, contact:

Programs Branch
English Language Programs Division
Tel: 202-205-3636

EFL Fellow Program: This program sends mid-career EFL teacher-trainers and ESP/EFL specialists to the NIS and EE for one academic year to promote the teaching of English as a vehicle for developing democracies throughout the region. Fellows train local teachers of English or teach English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to professionals. Fellows may have additional responsibilities that could include curriculum development, developing in-service seminars for host-country teacher trainers, and the introduction of supplementary U.S. teaching materials. For more information, contact:

Program Branch
English Language Programs Division
Tel: 202-619-5869

SPEAKERS AND ACADEMIC SPECIALISTS

Academic Specialists Program: This program awards grants to U.S. experts (academics and distinguished professionals) to consult with colleagues at foreign educational or other institutions. Academic Specialists spend from two to six weeks abroad, conducting seminars and workshops.

Speakers Program: Similar to the Academic Specialists Program but awarding grants for shorter visits, the Speakers Program has financed travels by 18 experts to the NIS to date in FY 96. Speakers have traveled to Armenia, Belarus, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan.

For more information on U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program, contact:

Democracy and Human Rights Branch
Thematic Programs Division
Tel: 202-619-6520

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS PROGRAMS

International Visitor Program: USIA's International Visitor (IV) Program affords a unique opportunity for established or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, labor relations, the arts and other key fields to confer with their professional counterparts and to experience the U.S. firsthand. American embassies in the NIS nominate the visitors, who come to the United States from the NIS for a period of 3-4 weeks to meet with their U.S. counterparts in various cities around the country. Cultural and geographic diversity play a large role in these programs. In FY 96, 157 visitors from the NIS traveled to the U.S. on programs examining topics such as the American system of government, the environment, local government, economic development, trade, agriculture, politics, and journalism. For more information, contact:

European Branch Grant Program Division
Office of International Visitors
Tel: 202-619-5247

Freedom Support Visitor Grants/Parliamentary Exchanges: The Freedom Support Act provides opportunities for individuals and/or groups from the NIS to participate in one to two week programs that support democratic reform. Special emphasis is put on programs for parliamentarians and staffers. The carefully focused Freedom Support programs are intended to enable the participants to gain skills and information that can be applied to the development of democracy and a market economy in the NIS. Like International Visitors, the grantees are chosen by U.S. embassies. In FY 96, 368 individuals received grants, and examined topics such as economics/investments, the judicial system, small business, banking, journalism, arms control privatization, state and local government, defense, and the U.S. political system. Visitors have included presidential staff, leading economists, and newly-elected regional leaders, as well as parliamentarians and key staffers. For more information, contact:

European Branch, Grant Program Division
Office of Intemational Visitors
Tel: 202-619-5247

CITIZEN EXCHANGES

Community Connections: Building on the success of the Business for Russia program, USIA expanded its community based programs to offer practical U.S. training experiences in the fields of business, government, and law. Participants from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova are recruited through American organizations in close coordination with U.S. embassies in these respective countries. Each group of participants will spend approximately four weeks in the U.S. and will focus on small business development,, legal reform, or local/regional government. Local communities host the participants, thereby creating grass-roots linkages between U.S. and NIS regions which may enhance opportunities for exchanges to be sustained beyond the life of the assistance program. During FY 96-97, an estimated 1,240 participants will take part in Community Connections. For more information, contact:

Russia/Eurasia Division
Office of Citizen Exchanges
Tel: 202-619-5326

INFORMATION & PUBLICATIONS PROGRAMS

Book Translations: USIA assists independent publishers who have a commercial interest in producing either translated versions of U.S. works or low-priced English-language reprints of the original works by bringing together foreign and U.S. publishers so that agreements can be reached. Books chosen for translation focus on topics including business management and entrepreneurship, law, local government management, and public policy. FY 96 titles include Global Resurgence of Democracy, The Human Rights Reader, and USA on the Eve of the 21 St Century.

Publications: USIA produces a range of print and electronic publications dealing with democratic government, the market economy, and American life. Many print publications, particularly the shorter pamphlets, are available in Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Azeri Belarussian, Georgian, Kazak, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek. These range from basic documents ("U.S. Constitution" and "Declaration of Independence.") to educational pamphlets ("What Is a Market Economy?" and "What Is Democracy?") to the book-length Outline series. By FY 97, new editions of the Outline of American Literature, Outline of American Geography, Outline of American Government, and Outline of American Economy are available in Russian. Among the new print publications scheduled for this period are Introduction to Human Rights, Arms Control Chronology and Glossary, Introduction to New Communications Technology, and What Is an American?, a book of readings in primary sources. For more information, contact:

Book Publishing and Translation
Geographic Liaison
Tel: 202-619-4935

The I Bureau produces a series of biweekly electronic journals that appear on the Agency's International Internet Home Page (address: http://www.usia.gov/). Each journal will focus on a particular topic within one of five. areas: Economics, Politics, Democracy/Human Rights, Global Issues/Communications, and American Society and Values. In addition, the Agency's Home Page also carries the texts and transcripts of statements by U.S. officials that first appear on the daily Wireless File as well as special compilations of material on such topics as the U.S. Elections, Bosnia and civics education. For more information, contact:

Information Bureau
Print & Publications Division
Tel: 202-619-4269

Information Resource Centers: In partnership with Russian universities and regional libraries, USIS has established Information Resource Centers in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Tomsk, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg. The Centers feature 2500-volume book collections, CD-roms, e-mail hook-ups, periodical subscriptions, and student advising centers and serves an audience ranging from high school students to Duma deputies. Russian institutions supply space and staff, USIA contributes equipment, materials and training. For more information, contact:

USIS Moscow Tel: 7-095-956-4499

BUREAU OF BROADCASTING

Media Training: USIA's Office of International Media Training designed several programs to aid the development of a free and independent media in Russia and Kyrgyzstan in FY 96.

Professional Development: During FY 96, USIA placed two Russian and one Kyrgyz journalist at three American universities - University of Missouri, Boston University, and University of Central Oklahoma -- for professional development programs in journalism, media management, and international communications.

U.S.-Based Workshops: USIA conducted two training workshops in Washington, D.C. and New York for Russian journalists. The first workshop exposed twelve Russian television managers to the concept of American television networks, network structure, legal considerations, affiliate relations, and sales at the network level. The second workshop focused on financial management concepts and practices. For more information, contact:

International Media Training Center
International Broadcasting Bureau
Tel: 202-619-1982

VOA: NIS programming continues to be an important part of the Voice of America (VOA), the international radio service of the USIA. VOA broadcasts in several. NIS languages: Armenian (1 hour dally), Azeri (1 hour daily), Georgian (0.5 hour daily), Russian (5 hours daily), Ukrainian (2 hours daily), and Uzbek (1 hour daily). Tajik speakers in Tajikistan and other Central Asian republics can listen to Dari and Farsi programs (combined total of 4 and a half hours daily). Programming is received primarily through short-wave transmission, although satellite delivery and mail delivery of pre-recorded program tapes is increasing. As of Spring 1997, 87 state and private stations in the former Soviet Union receive either satellite (38 stations) or mailed programming from VOA's Russian Service. More than 50 percent of VOA Russian's audience is reached through affiliate stations, according to recent survey findings, and the number of radio stations affiliated with VOA's Russian Branch via cassettes, phone feeds and satellite delivery continues to grow. Other NIS countries with stations receiving satellite or mailed programs include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstar4 Moldova and Ukraine. Overall weekly listenership to VOA non-English language programs in the NIS is estimated at 8.5 million adults.

VOA programs cover global, U.S., regional, and to the extent possible, local news and related political and economic events. Other programming informs foreign audiences about the United States. Along with music of all varieties, features on democratic institutions, market economies, science, medicine, sports and English teaching programs are included. Some programs, such as "Azerbaijanis Abroad", focus on immigrants and how they view life in the United States. VOA also interviews foreign guests that are in the U.S. under other USIA programs. This provides an opportunity to present the United States through the eyes of a first-time observer, making the information more accessible to the target foreign audiences.

Recent program innovations include a live call-in program on VOA Russian and special hours targeting Russian-speakers in specific regions (Central Asia and the Russian Far East). The statewide radio network, Russia's Radio carries VOA's English lesson series. VOA Russia sends regular telephoned correspondent reports (feeds) to four major stations, including Russia's Radio. These pieces generally focus on the U.S. view on important issues of the day. For more information on VOA programs, contact:

Eurasian Division
Voice of America
Tel: 202-619-3422

or

Central Asian Division
Voice of America
Tel: 202-619-3921

WORLDNET: USIA's global satellite television network presents a wide variety of programming about life in the United States. WORLDNET broadcasts to U.S. embassies and USIS posts around the world which receive its satellite transmissions and then make them available to select and mass audiences. In addition to U.S. embassies and cultural centers, various broadcast companies and cable systems can receive WORLDNET directly for retransmission of its programs for free if they sign usage contracts with WORLDNET. WORLDNET has over 100 affiliates in the NIS.

Acquisitions: Every year, WORLDNET's Acquisitions Department purchases broadcast and educational rights to new series and renews rights to old series. WORLDNET has acquired programs from many different sources, some on themes ranging from American history and culture to management and science; others targeted at the NIS and focused on market economies and building a democratic society.

Production: The WORLDNET Production Division regularly produces Russian language news pieces. USIS Posts in non-Russian speaking countries, such as Kazakstan and Ukraine, have translated and adapted programs into local languages.

TV Co-Ops: Under this program, USIS posts select television crews from around the world to come to the U. S-. for a two to three week period to film short documentaries on a variety of important themes. In FY 96, the TV Co-Op Division continued to work with NIS broadcasters in Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Belarus, Kazakstan, Moldova and Ukraine. The NIS teams work closely with a USIA counterpart who facilitates the production schedule in the U.S. The completed documentaries have been broadcast throughout the NIS and provide a uniquely local insight into the United States.

Interactives: Interactive dialogues are live satellite television bridges which provide a forum in which international political leaders, journalists and professionals speak directly with American experts in government, business, science, education and the arts. USIA's first telebridge with Moscow occurred in 1985, using a satellite dish USIA donated to Soviet Central Television. Since then, WORLDNET has hosted many bridges with TV stations in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakstan, and Azerbaijan. USIS posts in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan have set up satellite dishes and now host interactive dialogues in-house. Other NIS USIS posts will work with local broadcasters, particularly in Georgia, Uzebekistan and Kazakstan. For more information, contact:

Program Coordination Division
WORLDNET Programs Directorate
Tel: 202-401-8955

Foreign Press Center: USIA's Foreign Press Center sponsors thematic reporting tours to Facilitate access by NIS journalists to vital U.S. policy and newsmakers. NIS journalists have traveled with the Foreign Press Center to cover issues ranging from the U.S. Courts System to the Economics of the News Business, and Multiculturalism in the US. In August 1996, Russian journalists traveled on a Press Center program to cover the Republican Convention. For more. information, contact:

Foreign Press Center
Tel: 202-724-1640

Other Media Programs: The following programs are administered by the East European and NIS Area Office from Freedom Support Act-funded programs.

Resource Materials Development: Working with a nationally-recognized expert on the status of media development in Russia, USIA developed a comprehensive syllabus of media education reference materials for schools of joumalism and libraries. USIA has purchased three sets of the books on the syllabus, which it is donating to key media libraries, in addition to hundreds of succinct, practical pamphlets on reporting techniques.

Internet Communications Packages: In FY 97, USIA will distribute more than 50 Internet access packages to selected papers and schools of journalism in Russia. Packages will include a computer/modem link, as well as necessary software, and will Facilitate reporters' access to information databases as a means to promote fact-based reporting. The program, which will feature intensive training and individual consulting, will be administered by the Russian American Press and Information Center and USIS Moscow.

Russian American Press and Information Center: Founded by New York University's Center for War, Peace and the News Media, the Russian American Press and Information Center (RAPIC) has worked on many fronts to establish press freedoms in Russia. In June 1996, USIA began its third year of financial support for RAPIC Moscow, and its regional branches in Rostov, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. Programs include educating journalists on their rights to government information; working with the media to lessen ethnic conflict in Russia; funding on-site consulting and training; particularly in the field of management; monitoring and analyzing elections coverage for use in a Russian-language source book on election coverage; developing curricula in areas such as fact-based reporting; adapting and translating journalism text books; and sponsoring press briefings by government officials as well as non-governmental institutions. For more information, contact:

Office of East European and NIS Affairs
Tel: 202-619-5571

Last updated:    April 1997

A print version of much of the information contained in this NIS Third Sector Organizations section can be found in the The Post-Soviet Handbook (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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