Information Letter #1

Ekaterinburg department of the Association " Professionals for Cooperation" is announcing the conference of USIS Educational Programs Alumni which will be held in Ekaterinburg on October 19-21, 2000 in the House of Actor.

"Civic Liberties and Education:
On the Boundaries of Continents And Centuries"

At the end of the XX century and on the eve of the III millennium Russia found itself at the crossroads: good intentions of building a democratic state with civic liberties and market economy turned out to be largely unsuccessful and unrealistic. The change of power and its first steps raise serious concerns for the freedom of press social and economic rights of the majority of the population. Our uncertainties and instabilities are especially vividly contrasted by steady and prosperous development in the USA.

The reforms of Russian educational system are heavily influenced by the American model as a result of USIS educational exchanges alumni trying to implement the experience they have gained in their host schools. At the same time most of the former participants have identified certain issues and peculiarities of our educational systems as well as the ways of their elimination which might open up the doors of collaboration and mutual enrichment.

All of these issues require a constructive and open-minded discussion of the of professionals of different fields willing to contribute to the major task of any society: providing any individual with conditions for well-rounded personal development.

We invite you to participate in the discussions of the following issues:

• Russia at the end of the millennium: freedom gained and lost;
• Who benefits from enforcing the powerful structures in Russia;
• Liberal reforms and economic freedom of the citizens: Russian experience;
• What are the criteria evaluating freedom of the citizens?
• Women rights in Russia and in the USA: illusions and reality;
• Economic freedom and social justice;
• Labor migration: international experience and Russian reality;
• Intercultural communication: the ways of foreign citizens adaptation;
• The USA and Russia - conglomerate of cultures: positive and negative aspects;
• The development of educational systems in Russia and the USA: traditions, continuity, integration;
• American universities in Russia: prospective forms of cooperation;
• From freedom of culture to the culture of freedom and backwards;
• Social values and youth culture in Russia and the USA: commonalties and specifics;
• The role and responsibility of Russian youth in making of the civic society.

Organization and Financial Policy of the Conference:

The conference is organized by the Ekaterinburg department of the Association "Professionals for Cooperation" and the Ural department of American Councils for International Education/ ACTR

with financial support of the Department of educational and cultural programs of the US State Department and Edmund Muskie Fund. We are expecting about 60 participants including 25 people from outside the Urals. The selected participants will be reimbursed for all of their travel expense including hotel accomodations, meals and cultural program.

• Kimberly Hargan - Consul on Education, Culture and Press of the US Consulate General in Ekaterinburg;
• Natalia Mitusova - assistant of the Department on Education, Culture and Press of the US Department of State;
• Tracie Laurinaitis - coordinator of the Ural department of the American Councils for International Education;
• Alexey Barabashev - Chair of the Association "Professionals for Cooperation"

Conference Board:

Alikperov Igor - Chair of the Committee;

Brandt Galina - Ural State Technical University - UPI;

Vlasova Natalia - Ural State University of Economics;

Zhuravlev Oleg - Center of Youth Initiatives and Projects;

Misharin Vladimir - House of Actor;

Onischenko Alla - Institute of International Communication;

Salikov Marat - Ural State Law Academy;

Smirnova Daria - Ural Department of American Councils for International Education.

Requirements for participation:

To participate in the Conference send your application form and thesis of the paper (not exceeding 3 pages) via e-mail in Word format before August 15, 2000: actrekat@bgg.uraic.ru

Your applications and thesis will be selected on the merit based competition. The selection process will be over by September 10, 2000.

For more information, please contact Alikperov Igor: tel.: 3432- 29-55-66; e-mail: <aigor@etel.ru> or Ural department of ACTR: tel.: 3432-61-60-34; e-mail: actrekat@bgg.uraic.ru

Conference Application Form

• Name:
• Home address:
• Tel. Home and Work:
• Fax:
• E-mail:
• Place of Work and Position:
• Name of the USIS Program:
• Year of Participation:
• Theme of the proposed paper:
• A.L.