|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
October 31  |
| |
 |
| |
| James
Pettit, Minister Counselor and Consul General from the US
Embassy in Moscow, Tara Rougle, Head of the Public Affairs
Section, Tatiana Sidorova, Director of the Information
Resource Center and Yekaterina Balakerskaya, Consular
Assistant each from the US Consulate in Vladivostok, Professor
John Richardson of UCLA, Olga Pyatnitskaya, Director of the
American Corner in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and RI RFE Coordinator,
Kregg Halstead and Assistant Coordinator, Svetlana Vasina
attended a Round Table held at the American Corner in
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on October 31. The Round Table was organized
by the RI RFE and attended by 25 alumni of USG funded visits
to the US. Amidst other discussion during the Round Table, the
alumni told of their experiences in the US and how this has
affected them professionally and personally back on Sakhalin.
Mr. Pettit also explained his official duties and briefly told
of his 23 years working in the US foreign service. In
addition, the Sakhalin Alumni Association “Achievement” also
made a presentation about their ongoing activities. |
| |
| October 30 |
| |
| James Pettit, Minister Counselor
and Consul General from the US Embassy in Moscow, Pamela Spratlen,
Consul General and Tara Rougle, Head of the Public Affairs
Section both from the US Consulate General in Vladivostok
and the Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator attended the
October 30 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Rotary Club weekly meeting. Also
present at the meeting were the Wheeler family from Arizona
who were in town adopting an eight-year old Russian
girl as well as two Rotary Youth Exchange students from
Crestwood, Kentucky and Spokane, Washington who are spending
the school year in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kholmsk respectively.
Amid other activities during the meeting, Mr. Pettit and Ms.
Spratlen answered counselor
type and other questions posed by the Rotarians as well as
more fully explaining the US Embassy and Consulate structure
and divisions of responsibility in Russia. |
| |
| October 29 |
| |
 |
| |
| Tara Rougle, Head of the Public
Affairs Section and Tatiana Sidorova, Director of the Information
Resource Section from the US Consulate in Vladivostok along
with Professor John Richardson of UCLA conducted a Round Table
at the American Corner in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on October 29.
Representatives from 15 NGOs operating on Sakhalin as well
as Sakhalin Regional and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City officials
were in attendance. Ms. Rougle and Ms. Sidorova explained
the substantive elements of as well as how NGOs can apply
for US Embassy in Moscow-sponsored Democracy Commission and
Tolerance grants. The Round Table was organized by the RI
RFE and attended by Coordinator, Kregg Halstead and Assistant
Coordinator, Svetlana Vasina. Olga Pyatnitskaya, Director
of the American Corner in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk also rendered
logistical assistance. Professor Richardson is visiting Sakhalin
and Vladivostok during this last week of October presenting
the following programs at the American Corners and other venues
to librarians, students and other interested persons "The
Role of Virtual Reference Services in Higher Education"
and "How to be Accepted at the American College or University
of Your Choice: An Insider's View of the Admissions Process".
Some photographs of the Round Table are attached above. |
| |
| October 27-29 |
| |
 |
| |
| Gordon Miller, a Business Administration
Instructor from Portland State University (“PSU”) is visiting
Sakhalin State University (“SSU”) from October 27 - 29 presenting
an intensive day course to 47 SSU students on business development
particularly regarding how a successful business is established
and operated. During his Sakhalin visit, Mr. Miller is also
serving as an evening guest lecturer speaking on strategic
marketing to 25 American – Russian Center (“ARC”) students
almost all of whom work as entrepreneurs or for various businesses.
During his Russian Far East working trip, Mr. Miller has already
presented the business development course to Amur State Pedagogical
University students in Blagoveshchensk and later this week
will present the course to Khabarovsk State Technical University
students. With regards to his activities, Mr. Miller is being
assisted by the Regional Initiative Russian Far East as well
as the local PSU representatives in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Blagoveshchensk
and Khabarovsk.Some photographs are attached from yesterday
evening’s session with ARC students. |
| |
| October 16-17 |
| |
 |
| |
| Sponsored
by the Sakhalin Regional Administration and with the participation
of NGOs working in a wide variety of fields, the third Sakhalin
Civic Forum was held October 16-17, 2003. During the opening
session, remarks were presented by Sakhalin Acting Governor,
Ivan P. Malakhov, Vice-Governor, Vitaly E. Gomilevski, Head
of the Public Outreach Division of the Regional Administration,
Natalia Korshunova, Head of the Sakhalin Regional Duma,
Vladimir Efremov, and the heads of business, youth and environmental
NGOs. The Forum then broke up into separate Round Tables
whose charged course of discussions included support for
SMEs, issues involving grant makers and recipients, youth
issues, elections, environmental issues and budget transparency.
The Regional Initiative Russian Far East took an active
part in the Forum with Coordinator Kregg Halstead serving
on the SME Advisory Board which evaluated the applications
and presentations of 15 business projects and then made
recommendations on which project most merited receiving
credit from the "Sakhalin Vest" Bank under a guarantee
from the Regional Administration. The winner of the SME
contest was thrice ACDI/VOCA borrower, Irina Yu. Rizhova,
a Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk entrepreneur with a proposal to further
expand her already successful and profitable sewing and
clothing preparation business. Upon realization of the proposal,
Ms. Rizhova's will be able to acquire additional premises
and sewing and other equipment in order to satisfy an ever
burgeoning number of orders for clothing coming from commercial
entities and private citizens. Ms. Rizhova
currently employees at any one time five to seven employees
who receive a fixed percentage of their sewing output generally
resulting in monthly salaries from $400 to $600. The expansion
will result over time in six to 12 additional work places
being created. Assistant Coordinator Svetlana Vasina also
visited and participated in numerous of the Round Tables.
The Forum concluded with oral working reports and recommendations
from the heads of each Round Table with a written publication
encompassing the work of the Forum to be completed by December
1, 2003. Some photos from the Forum are attached above.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
