Belarusians Discover America

A combined total of twenty participants in the Community Connections-2010 program have returned home this October after their three-week stays in the U.S. The Community Connections program is a cultural and professional exchange visitor program funded and administered in Belarus by the U.S. Agency for International Development since 2006.

This year, fifty Belarusian professionals will travel to the U.S. to enjoy a rich schedule of meetings, activities and visits to American counterparts’ organizations that are tailored to professional needs. It is also a unique opportunity for Belarus professionals to learn and experience the spirit of America through home-stays with American families along with participation in numerous cultural and social events.

The Support for Healthy Lifestyles in Belarusian Communities program took place in St. Louis, Missouri. The ten Belarus representatives on this program hailed from diverse workplaces, such as medical and educational institutions, public health departments, NGOs that implement programs promoting healthy lifestyles and substance abuse prevention, a media outlet covering health topics and a private clinic. Participation in the program enabled the delegates to explore successful health promotion and protection strategies in place in American hospitals, schools, and appropriate state and city agencies. The participants were introduced to a variety of educational activities aimed at improving health literacy of the population. The Belarusian participants met with American government officials, educators, medical professionals, NGO and community leaders, journalists, families and individuals and could first hand see how different stakeholders cooperate on planning, developing and launching public outreach campaigns to advocate for the advantages of a healthy lifestyle. They also strengthened their ability to educate their respective communities on the hazards of risk factors such as excessive smoking and fat intake, alcohol and substance abuse, lack of physical activity and resulting risky behaviors and bad health practices.

The ten participants of the Development of Small and Medium Business Support Institutions group enjoyed staying in beautiful Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group of Belarusians included businessmen, representatives of business associations, entrepreneurship support institutions and small business incubators, unions of entrepreneurs, a trade union, a business consultancy and a bank. These individuals benefited from a twenty-two-day program that introduced them to the state-of-the-art approaches to support American micro-, small and medium business development.
The Belarusian participants learned about the key players and the latest practices in regards to providing support to small and medium enterprises (SME). It was beneficial for the group to observe the range of services that are provided by business support institutions and how new services are both identified and developed. The program introduced innovative approaches to developing business skills training modules for SME managers, business associations and business development centers.  The Belarusian delegates also learned how to better market their services; establish cooperation with local communities, businesses, local authorities and non-profit organizations; maintain efficient networking; and advocate for the rights and interests of entrepreneurs and businesses.

It is expected that international experience gained through the Community Connections program will help Belarusians professionals introduce new ideas at their workplace, adapt and apply the knowledge obtained,  share it with their colleagues and broader communities, promote best practices and facilitate building of public-private partnerships in their effort to serve their communities.