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May 2007 - Ukraine - Assistance to Vulnerable Families through Media

About This Community Connections project

Under the auspices of USAID, and administered by Washington based World Learning, the purpose of the Community Connections Program is to promote public diplomacy and skills based training in fields such as entrepreneurship, government reform and the development of civil society within the selected countries in Eurasia and Central Asia.  In May 2007, WorldBoston, a Boston based non-profit organization which seeks to educate the public in the realm of international affairs and facilitate international exchange, will welcome to Boston 10 journalists from the Ukraine who will participate locally in a Community Connections project focusing on the free press. Participants will engage in three weeks of intensive professional seminars and workshops on journalistic principles in a democratic society.  The participants will attain new skills and information that will enhance their understanding of the standards and institutions of a free media in the U.S., the rights and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy, and the ways in which a free press can work to represent various vulnerable groups. They will also live with a local American family and experience the diversity of American culture.

The Potential Impact of Community Connections in the Ukraine

A former Soviet Republic nestled between Europe and Russia, Ukraine is a strategically important emerging democracy. The peaceful “Orange Revolution” and the election of reformist Viktor Yushchenko at the close of 2004, signaled both Ukraine’s desire to amplify its ties with the West and its seriousness in strengthening its democratic institutions. Recently, Ukraine has sped up efforts in its political and economic reforms to adhere to the standards of the WTO and the EU, illustrating its desire to become integrated into the western European sphere. In order to sustain this trend, a reliable, principled, self-regulating media is necessary, as many small regional municipal newspapers and local television companies breach ethical standards. A lack of professionalism, for instance, can been seen in how journalists often discriminate against vulnerable populations, including victims of human trafficking, individuals infected with HIV/AIDS, orphans, persons with disabilities, or on the basis of age and gender. A more autonomous press will facilitate a more egalitarian and democratic society by highlighting the quandaries of various vulnerable groups within Ukraine, enabling them to advocate for change. This Community Connections program seeks to expose 10 emerging Ukrainian journalists to various principles and standards from theoretical, academic and practical points of view, while exposing them to various independent U.S. media outlets and various vulnerable groups in the U.S.

Program goals for the “Assistance to vulnerable families through independent media” Project

            1.      Learn how to develop and promote new types of reporting and TV production.

2.      Understand how to increase and expand their audience and provide more useful and educational information in using innovative formats.

3.      Understand how to create, fresh, non-discriminating material and how to introduce it into local and national media venues in Ukraine.

4.      To show members of the media how to promote tolerance and understanding towards vulnerable groups.

5.      To show how the media and other journalists form public opinion, specifically the perception of vulnerable families and individuals.

6.      To take part in academic seminars and a professional development symposium highlighting current trends and challenges in the media profession.

7.      To share in the warmth and welcome of the American people and appreciate the diversity, peaceful co-existence and freedoms afforded by and established democracy and active civil society.

8.      To create, share and implement an action place to bring the skills and ideas acquired during the Community Connections Project home to Ukraine.

Information About Our Community Connections Participants