Events | Speakers | Music | Exhibits
Ohio Students Discuss Love and Relationships at the English Language Conversation Club
On February 13, American students Nola Ruzek and Amira Soliman who are visiting Ukraine under the university partnership program between Ohio State University and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, participated in the English conversation club held at the PA-sponsored English Teaching Resource Center (ETRC). The twenty-three Ukrainian participants, who included English teachers, lawyers, accountants, high school students, and undergraduate students, came to talk about love, relationships, dating, and marriage on the eve of Saint Valentine's Day. As participants tried to come to an agreement on defining some basic notions of love, Nola and Amira shared their ideas on how the youth in the US build relationships.
US Embassy Hosts Awards Ceremony for NATO Contest Winners
On February 9, Public Affairs Section hosted an awards ceremony for students from the Kirovohrad Region who participated in a Kirovohrad Region State Administration sponsored contest on Ukraine, NATO, and the European Union. 3 of the winners of the essay contest were on hand to receive awards from the U.S. Embassy. The best works of the drawing contest for younger students are displayed below.
Photo Gallery
New Academic Volume "Mainstream, Heterogeneity, and Canon in Current American Literature" Published by Ukrainian Scholars
On February 2, 2007 The Center for American Literary Studies - Ukraine (CALSU) presented the PAS funded new academic volume at the Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to American studies scholars, instructors, students and officials of the National Academy of Sciences. The book was the result of the 3rd International Conference on American Literature conducted by the Institute of International Relations of the Shevchenko National University last year, and contains articles from Ukrainian scholars on American literary history and culture including the topics of Genre Development, Heterogeneity in Current American Literature, Multicultural Dimensions, American Poetry, Creating and Breaking the Canon.
University Students from Donetsk Oblast Learn about Embassy Programs:
On November 14, a group of eleven students from the far eastern city of Sloviansk’s Pedagogical University came to Kyiv to learn about Public Affairs programs and resources available to Ukrainian students. The 3-hour program included a meeting with the PAO, who told them about different aspects of U.S. assistance to Ukraine and programs for teachers and students that aim to promote education reform in Ukraine. An Embassy Consular Officer discussed the visa process and the work and study program opportunities for students. The guests also learned about USG educational exchange programs by meeting with the ACAO and visiting the nearby Educational Advising Center where they snapped up informational materials about studying in the Unite States. Their program also highlighted Information Resource, Window on America and LEAP Centers activities and resources that are available to them in their own city.
International Education Week Awards Presented:
On November 29, PA Kyiv hosted an award ceremony for winners of two alumni contests dedicated to International Education Week. A web design contest entitled “U.S.-Ukraine: Building a Virtual Bridge through Cultural Exchange” was administered by IREX/IATP office. ECA alumni were encouraged to develop virtual resources about U.S.-Ukraine exchange programs, U.S. culture, education, and student life. Twenty-two Ukrainian alumni of different exchange programs from 10 regions took part in the contest. Four winners and eight finalists received prizes from IATP program. Finalists of an essay contest entitled “Three Definitions of the USA: American Culture, People, and Academic Life” were also invited to the award ceremony. CAO Courtney Austrian greeted all the participants and presented certificates and sets of DoS publications to the winners. Information about the two alumni contests, as well as the winners’ essays can be found at: www.alumnicenter.kiev.ua
Lutsk Marks 171ST Anniversary of Mark Twain’s Birthday:
The Window on America Center in Lutsk organized a program in honour of 171st anniversary of Mark Twain’s birthday on November 29th. The program included a speech by a Volyn State University professor, a documentary on Mark Twain, and a short play based on an extract from “Tom Sawyer.”
Kyiv IRC Conducts Workshop For High School Directors:
On November 28, Kyiv IRC conducted a workshop on fundraising and grant writing for 16 high school directors from Kyiv and Zhytomyr Oblasts of Ukraine. The participants were briefed on U.S. Government educational exchanges and other programs. In his welcoming remarks IO John Sullivan promoted the IRC as a reliable source of information about the U.S. in general, and about USG-funded programs in Ukraine in particular.
PA Kyiv Sponsors Training Program on American Literature and Visual Arts:
Around 30 junior university faculty members, graduate students and specialized high school teachers from all over Ukraine came to Mykolayiv on November 27-30 to participate in American Literature and Visual Arts training seminar organized by a group of Fulbright program participants and financially supported through a PA Kyiv Alumni Grants program. The program included a number of presentations and master-classes by experts in American Studies and American Literature from the United States, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Ukrainian USG Alumni Coordinate Workshop on Tolerance:
On November 25, Youth CAN NGO conducted a workshop to promote tolerance and understanding between university students and their families from Lviv in Western Ukraine and Simferopol in the Crimea. Youth CAN is a national NGO that strives to empower motivated and active young Ukrainians through education, encouragement and practical experience in the spheres of democracy, civil society and grass roots community problem solving. Attended by some 20 participants, project trainers and organizers, the workshop concluded the PA Kyiv Alumni Outreach Grant-funded project, which included multiple training sessions on tolerance and cultural diversity.
Bakhchisaray Library in Ukraine Hosts "A Day of the U.S." Program:
Kyiv IRC donated a collection of Ukrainian and English language materials on the U.S. to the Bakhchisaray Public Library in Ukraine's most multicultural region -- the Crimean Peninsula. The library hosted a well-attended "Day of the U.S." event on November 17 to showcase the new materials.
Lutsk Window on America Center Hosts Programs on Terrorism and the U.S. Education System:
On November 16, Lutsk WOA Center presented its resources to second-year students of history and political science of Volyn’ State University. After the presentation, the students took part in a discussion about terrorism. The focus of the debate was “How to Stop Terrorism.” The event ended by a film showing “Faith and Doubt: At a Ground Zero,” highlighting the events of September 11th in New York. On October 24, the Window on America Centre in Lutsk also hosted a discussion for pupils of Lutsk School ¹ 4 about education and schooling in the United States.
Book Launch for Ukrainian Version of “Wormwood: A Natural History of Chernobyl:”
On November 20, Ambassador Taylor hosted a reception in honor of the publication of the Ukrainian version of Mary Mycio’s critically acclaimed book “Wormwood: A Natural History of Chernobyl.” Ukrainian First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko was among the guests, joining the Ambassador and Ms. Mycio in delivering brief remarks. Other guests included experts on Chernobyl, publishers, government representatives, and supporters of Ms. Mycio.
Adoption Speaker Confronts Misunderstandings, Stresses Need for Transparency in
International Adoptions
During three days of meetings, seminars, and media interviews in Kyiv (April 3 - 5, 2006),
American attorney and international adoption specialist Irene Steffas focused on
protections in place in the American system of adoption that ensure that the rights and
needs of adopted children in the U.S. are fully met. At the same time, she also stressed
the international norms that Ukraine should strive for as it seeks to reform its adoption
procedures, particularly the need for absolute transparency and predictability in the
process. In all of her programs, whether with law students, the media, social work students,
children's rights advocates or government officials, Ms. Steffas stressed again and again
that the best interests of the children, not the wishes of bureaucracy or adopted or
natural parents, should take precedence in any adoption actions.
American Journalist Takes on the Legacy of Totalitarianism
Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum visited Ukraine April 3 - 5 to take part in the
launch of the Ukrainian translation of her book "The Gulag: A History." Her talks focused
on her motivations for writing "The Gulag" her concern that this period had not been
adequately addressed and that it's legacy often continues to this day, albeit
unacknowledged. U.S. Ambassador John Herbst also addressed the presentation ceremony and
called for greater examination of the legacy of totalitarianism. Translation of "The Gulag"
was sponsored by PAS Kyiv's Ukrainian Book Translation Program; the book was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize and has already been translated into more than twenty languages. PAS Kyiv
sponsored the Ukrainian version of "The Gulag" to encourage greater scholarly and popular
examination of Ukrainian history, particularly the lingering effects of the Soviet Era.
Embassy Marks One Million Books Given To Ukrainian Libraries
On December 6, U.S. Ambassador John Herbst presided at the ceremony at the National
Library of Ukraine marking the 15th year of the operation of the Sabre-Svitlo Foundation
in Ukraine. Sabre-Svitlo (an arm of the U.S. based Sabre Foundation that specializes
in donating books to libraries in developing countries) receives a substantial portion
of its support from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy. At the presentation
ceremony, Sabre-Svitlo donated more than 2,000 books to the National Library. Its
previous donations have gone to libraries in all regions of the country, as well as
most major universities, the Embassy's Windows on America Centers and humanitarian
organizations such as orphanages and centers for the disadvantaged. Through the work of
the Sabre-Svitlo organization, the U.S. has been able to make available huge quantities
of American books to influential Ukrainian institutions. That Ukraine's Minister
of Culture and Tourism attended the anniversary event shows the importance of
Sabre-Svitlo's work in Ukraine.
Ukrainian-American Artist Reburied in Homeland
The well-known Ukrainian-American graphic artist Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915-1985) was
reburied on Saturday, Nov. 5 in western city of Lviv in accordance with his last wishes.
The city government approved his reburial in the prestigious Lychakivski Cemetery, an
honor reserved for outstanding Ukrainians. Mr. Hnizdovsky, whose works are in more
than 50 museums across the U.S., including the White House, was renowned for his wood
block prints which combined detailed observations of nature with humor and a designer's
sense of space. Following the reburial, a retrospective of his works (supported by
Public Affairs Kyiv) was unveiled at the Lviv National Art Museum. The embassy's
Cultural Affairs Officer took part in both ceremonies.
First "Juneteenth" Celebrated in Ukraine
On Tuesday, June 14, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv celebrated the first-ever "Juneteenth"
holiday in Ukraine with a gathering of Ukrainian teachers, human rights groups, and
journalists at the Ambassador's Residence. "Juneteenth" is a traditional
African-American holiday celebrating the day (June 19, 1865) when the word of the
Emancipation Proclamation reached slaves in Texas and marks the end of slavery in the
United States. Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating African-American culture and,
because of its Texas origins, the traditions of the American west. Kyiv's Juneteenth
celebration featured a BB> Q and country-western band and a local children's choir
singing African-American spirituals together with posters, hand-outs, and speeches
about African-American history.
Public Affairs Section (PAS)
Counselor for Public Affairs: Michelle Logsdon
Cultural Affairs Officer: Courtney Austrian
Press Attache: John Sullivan
Contact: 380-44-490-4026/4042 -- 490-4050 (fax)
4 Hlybochyts'ka St.
Kyiv 04050 Ukraine