Pittsburgh welcomes visitors from Donetsk (04/06/97)

Pittsburgh welcomes visitors from Donetsk

by Stephen Haluszczak

PITTSBURGH - Eleven distinguished visitors from Donetsk, Ukraine, came here in December 1996 to take part in a program called "Community Connections." Pittsburgh was one of 31 cities to receive visitors from Ukraine through this foreign aid program of the United States Information Agency (USIA).

All aspects of the local program were planned and implemented by the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors (PCIV). Pittsburgh will train a total of 36 professionals from its unofficial sister city, Donetsk, over a one-year period.

The participants of the first group represented the fields of local government and law. Among the visitors were the deputy mayor of Donetsk and the vice dean of the Donetsk State University Law School. The professional program consisted of daily meetings with lawyers, judges, mediators, and representatives of city and county government departments.

Other events included tours of the new Allegheny County Jail, Pittsburgh International Airport, several landfill sites, governmental and business sites in Washington County and a Public Officials' Reception sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. The guests were greeted in an official capacity by members of the Pittsburgh City Council and Allegheny County Commissioners.

The program was designed specifically to give the Ukrainian delegation a broad look at American culture. As a result, the visitors also attended a Pittsburgh Penguins' hockey game and a performance of the Pittsburgh Symphony at Heinz Hall.

An integral part of the "Community Connections" program is the home stay, where the participants actual live with a local family. Among the eight host families were three families from the local Ukrainian American community: Kathy Boykowycz; George and Angela Honchar; and the parish of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh.

The "Community Connections" program proved to be a successful endeavor for everyone involved. Pittsburgh government officials and academics were very impressed with the inquisitiveness and knowledge of the Ukrainian visitors, whom they described as "top-notch."

Currently, PCIV is preparing for the second group of "Community Connections" in April. In this second phase of the program, 12 entrepreneurs from Donetsk will come to Pittsburgh for a four-week stay. Their professional backgrounds range from mining to advertising to international trade. Each participant will complete a 15-day internship and will attend various training sessions related to their field. A third group will arrive in late July and will consist of the same mix of people as the first group.

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