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On November 26,2001 the Tomsk Alumni Association of American Programs (TAAAP) organized a meeting of their members at the conference-hall
of the Tomsk Regional Information Center, where about 30 people from different spheres gathered together. The meeting included speakers and
a cold buffet, which provided participants with the opportunity to interact.
The US State Department supported Tomsk Regional Initiative Program was explained and the coordinator of the RI, Jess Bratton told about
the many American programs available in Tomsk. (Contacts can be found on the RI web site www.ri-tomsk.org
The work of the American Alumni Association was summarized . In 2001 the Association was involved with a number of activities including the following:
- Helped facilitate 4 four days of meetings and seminars in Tomsk of the USAID funded Russian-American Rule of Law Project in collaboration with a delegation from the State of Massachusetts, the Tomsk Regional Supreme Court, the Tomsk Regional Arbitration Court the Chief Prosecutor’s office and the Oblast administration.
- Organized a meeting of members of the American Alumni Association with the ambassador of the USA to the NIS William Tailor.
- Organized, with assistance from Project Harmony, a series of seminars "Open a New World" for 37 disabled children from 22 districts of the Tomsk Region to introduce them to the Internet and e-mail.
- Issued an invitation from the Association to Ms. Sue Isenhower, an American sociologist, to visit Tomsk. She had meetings with a number of social service organizations and promised to try to find humanitarian aid from American sources specifically for the homeless.
- Ms. Rebecca Swanson, an American businesswomen and founder of the non-profit organization STARFISH, was a guest of the Association. While in Tomsk, she visited a number of homeless children and families and orphanages in the Tomsk Region and provided humanitarian aid (clothes for winter, pampers and school supplies).
Other presenters speaking about their organizations included:
M.Masharuev-BISNIS
G.Popova-Siberian Children’s Fund
T.Kalganova-IREX
L.Eftimovich-Tomsk Department of Social Development
A.Bondarenko-Project Aid Siberia
L.Kichigina- American Education Information and Internet Center
J.Nikitenok-Exoft
O.Koneva-Tomsk Business Partnership
A.Pushkalenko-Tomsk regional Representative office of International Foundation of Technology and Investment
Participants had the opportunity to meet face to face with each other, exchange information and experiences they have had both in the US and Tomsk and to ask questions.
There was a presentation of our web site at the meeting and participants were encouraged to tell other alumni about TAAAP and ask them to register on-line.
All participants agreed that a Tomsk Alumni Conference would be an excellent idea provided that we could mobilize sufficient resources for comprehensive planning and to include all alumni living in Tomsk.
Photos from the meeting
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