NEWS AND VIEWS: When pigs fly..., or a report from the field (07/13/97)

NEWS AND VIEWS

When pigs fly..., or a report from the field

by Dianna Derhak

For me, Ukraine is a place where dreams have faces. Mine is a privileged vantage point. I am charged with the responsibility of finding the innovators, creators and dreamers who take risks in the face of overwhelming obstacles. This isn't merely a job. It's a passion. I am convinced more than ever that the answers to Ukraine's big issues are underfoot, and in the hearts and minds of her citizens.

I am one of three field coordinators for Community Connections, a U.S. government program financed through the United States Information Agency (USIA) and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). Together we are part of a larger IREX/USIA team that believes this program is very significant. We approach our task with the gusto of an Indiana Jones and the zeal of a Don Quixote.

The mission of Community Connections is to identify and select by open competition business, law, government and NGO professionals for short-term, focused internships in the United States. Candidates receive individually tailored placements by American host organizations. The concept is to target and support the efforts of individuals in key sectors who are taking a lead in the process of change in their communities.

Community Connections exposes participants to American practices and gives them information, know-how and contacts. Herein lies the key to action. If the leaders at the top are slow to respond to burning issues, then why not empower a wider segment of the population to take action and agitate for change?

After completion of the 1996 and 1997 recruitment cycles, over 1,100 Ukrainians will have participated or will be slated to participated in the internship programs. The exchange process is already under way. Groups bound for various destinations across the United States began departing in October 1996. American host communities and their new Ukrainian friends are in the process of forging personal and professional ties.

It is also significant to note that the program is first and foremost focused at the regions, as Kyiv has been saturated with various programs. In the first round the following cities were included: Cherkasy, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sevastopol, Symferopol, Ternopil, Uzhhorod and Zaporizhia. The next round will include Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Luhansk, Lutsk, Rivne, Sevastopol, Symferopol, Slavutych, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr.

Upon her return from an internship in Chicago hosted by Heartland International, Oksana Sapeliak, a Lviv activist and opinion leader, was so energized by the experience that she immediately recorded a series of broadcasts for "Radio Nezalezhnist" (Radio Independence) in order to share her insights. Although she was impressed with the external trophies of a prosperous economy, she was deeply moved by the generosity of people, the spirit of volunteerism, everyday common courtesies and acts of kindness. Ms. Sapeliak speaks of her opportunity to live in the home of Patty Crowley in glowing terms. Her visit put to rest years of Communist programming that portrayed America as a greedy and immoral place.

Community Connections gave Judge Bohdan Poshva a new goal: to create "a little bit of Delaware in Ternopil." The judge was so impressed with the substance of the law program that the University of Delaware set up for his group that he has put together a legal task force of program participants. They are meeting regularly and developing an action plan to influence legal reform in the oblast and throughout Ukraine. He has even written a draft law for the Verkhovna Rada on criminal law and procedure based on an American model.

I think a program of this nature is important to both Ukraine and the United States because it touches people's lives in a deeply personal way. Host organizations knock themselves out to create meaningful internship experiences for Ukrainian participants. Participants, moved by the generosity of their hosts, feel compelled to do something worthy and worthwhile upon their return.

IREX and USIA are vehicles for this endeavor. It is an endeavor that inspires all sides to be better and do better. Granted, not every player in the scenario personifies the highest ideals and hopes for this program. Yet the sheer numbers constitute a critical mass of action-oriented voices that can challenge the notion that things in Ukraine should be done a certain way because that is how they have always been done.

The experience of Community Connections dramatically changes individuals. It opens people to a world of possibilities. Resistance falls away, and inspiration seeps in.

Volodia Dron, manager of the Lviv-based internet service provider International Data Systems, says he has been "busy changing everything" since his return from a business internship with Megsinet Inc. of Chicago.

The Uzhorod Sewing Factory has been a frenzy of activity since Iryna Diachenko completed her program in Syracuse, N.Y., with Liarbury Clothes and Eleganza Custom Tailoring. It is rumored that personnel training and information sessions have become standard procedure in her technology and quality control department.

Community Connections is not a one-way street. Many participants have invited their American families and colleagues to Ukraine to experience some Ukrainian hospitality. Host organizations such as Project Harmony hope to establish a presence in Ukraine.

Will the dreams take root or turn to dust? Let's not make the mistake of waiting patiently, and idly, for an answer.

IREX and USIA want to tip the balance by creating a follow-up program that supports the candidates during the vulnerable time after they return. We hope to develop a mechanism to maintain communications links with the American host communities. We hope to build a network of working groups in cities across Ukraine to create an informal yet dynamic structure to continue the effort. This network can serve as a point to draw more participants into the change process.

This approach will safeguard and build upon the initial investment made by the American taxpayer. Although funding for this phase of the program is limited, we will do everything in our power to capture the momentum. We will draw upon the creativity, enthusiasm and efforts of the alumni to rise to the occasion of creating something great. I believe that this experiment in participatory democracy will resonate widely because Ukrainians have the capability and desire to make it succeed. The Sapeliaks, Poshvas, Drons and Diachenkos of Ukraine are just getting started. Change needs to bubble up from the bottom, not just trickle down from the top.

Community Connections is fortunate to have dedicated leadership both at home and in the field. In Washington, the dedicated, hard-working Community Connections team at USIA is headed by Michael Weider and includes Anthony Kluttz, Bill Millman, Janine Draschner and Ruth Everett. Closer to the field we have an outstanding champion in James Seward, U.S. cultural attaché (USIS/Kyiv) who will soon be leaving for a New York post. Mr. Seward has provided unyielding support on the issue of open competition for the selection process and worked closely with IREX on program development and resolving various situations. Lydia Matiaszek, IREX director for Community Connections (as well as director of the IREX office) in Ukraine and her assistant, Julia Stefanyshyna, deserve kudos for their execution of this program. They help keep the whole team together and on target in a program that is truly multifaceted and complex. Many of you are already familiar with the other field coordinator, Yarema Bachynsky, from the pages of this publication.

When the concept for such an ambitious program was first pitched, it was greeted with guffaws. Few could envision such a massive government program meeting tight recruitment schedules while simultaneously creating substantive internship programs and juggling complicated documentation and travel arrangements. Thanks to the herculean efforts of many, Community Connections is turning out to be one big synergistic happening

On a personal note, it is my secret thrill that so many Ukrainians will be exposed to American optimism. That crazy notion and "can do" attitude that is so uniquely American and so misunderstood by many in the rest of the world. Americans are different in some ways. We dream big. We stubbornly refuse to give up. We naively pick ourselves up when we stumble, regroup and try again. If 10 percent of our program participants understand and adopt this approach, we will have been part of the start of a revolutionary change in thinking.

America is unique, but so is Ukraine. I am convinced that Ukraine's struggles and uneasy transition to democracy and a market economy will ease. I believe that during these critical years Ukraine will rise to the challenge of dealing with its most vexing problems with a soulful zest that will both please and inspire its American mentor and partner. Ukraine has already had some victories that confound her detractors: five peaceful years of independence, adoption of a constitution, introduction of a national currency, formation of a constitutional court, stabilization of the inflation rate and a rather smooth transition to non-nuclear status.

In many towns and cities, shops, cafes and mini-factories are springing up like mushrooms after the rain. People feel comfortable complaining loudly about difficulties. Public officials are starting to acquire some experience and savvy within the new political system and are feeling pressure from the citizenry to show results. "Made in Ukraine" labels can be spotted at stores in the U.S.

So, if somewhere in Ukraine you meet a stranger wearing a battered outback hat and a big grin, you'll know why she's smiling. It's a great job to be part of a dream machine. Dreams do come true. Change is possible. Transformation occurs in the moment. Community Connections encourages this process because, in a heartbeat, it breaks decades of outdated Soviet thinking.

Readers of The Ukrainian Weekly will have a chance to hear from the trenches. My colleague Mr. Bachynsky and I will periodically brief you and introduce you to the people we encounter in our adventures.

Yes, Virginia, pigs can sometimes fly. A Community Connections experience can give them wings. It will be a pleasure to share the experience with you.

Dianna Derhak is IREX field coordinator for Community Connections and is based in Lviv.

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