D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r

F

D

I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season! As the end of the year is approaching, we are starting our membership drive for next year. As a member you get discounted prices to monthly cultural events and the Annual Taste of Columbus, and an opportunity to meet with

visiting international professionals. Most importantly, your membership helps us reach our mission of Promoting International Understanding Through Intercultural Exchange. I want to personally thank all of you for your support over the years and urge you to continue being a part of CIP as we begin another exciting year.

During January of 2014, we may host a delegation of judges from Libya. Their training will focus on the development of the rule of law and enforcement of law. This will be in partnership with the Ohio Supreme Court. During spring, we plan to hold three programs for professionals from Russia, on Small Business Development, Education Best Practices, and Social Work. The success of the recent Small Business Development program for the four professionals from Kaliningrad has inspired us and paved the way to this new endeavor. These programs are being developed with the help of Russian professionals in Columbus, as well as two Russian speaking interns.

With the initiative of intern Niny Rosso, we are developing a program for Colombian Social Workers, scheduled to take place this upcoming summer. Niny, originally from Colombia, is a Masters in Social Work candidate at the College of Social Work at Ohio State. The program will focus on various areas, including eradicating poverty, promoting gender equality, and combating diseases such as malaria and HIV.

As you may recall, this past June, we hosted a pilot program for the India Youth Advocacy Program, aimed at helping professionals provide quality services for youth with developmental disabilities in India. With the help of board member Veena Singh, who is passionate about the subject, we plan to expand this project and host a delegation in September.

CIP board president, Phil Beltz, is leading the effort to develop a program on Eco Tourism to be held later in the fall, with a focus on building a more sustainable future.

As we work on these and other programs in 2014, we also want you to join us as CIP celebrates 40 years of providing quality training to professionals from around the world and promoting diversity in Columbus!

Sincerely,

Mark Poeppelman, Executive Director

D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 3

F ^{AREWELL TO} E ^STHER

D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 3 _{Page 2}

R ^{ECAP OF} P ^{ROGRAMS FROM} 2013

We would like to say thank you to all of our members and friends this past year. Your support has allowed us to make many programs happen, provide great training opportunities for professionals from around the world and promote diversity in Columbus.

During 2013, CIP hosted sixty one participants from twenty three countries. To the right you will find a detailed summary of the participants that trained with CIP this past year. We hosted six delegations including Small Business Development, Art Therapy, and Accountable Governance. We also ran a pilot program for the India Youth Advocacy Program projected to take place in 2014. Individual participants trained in Disaster Relief Management, a variety of Social Work programs, and Journalism.

Along with our participants, we have also hosted a variety of cultural events. We enjoyed country presentations on Argentina, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Spain, Turkey, and others. We also held events like the Czech evening at the Columbus Museum of Art and an enjoyable Flamenco Dance Cultural night at Sidebar 122. We are thankful that our participants shared their cultures and countries with us!

Esther Ndakalu returned home to Nakuru, Kenya in late November.

She trained in Columbus at The United Way Columbus Kids Program for six months. In Nakuru, Esther works with orphans and disadvantaged children. She tries to help the children and keep them off the streets and out of danger.

Esther talked about Kenya and her fellow Kenyans at her country presentation on November 14th. If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, you can view her presentation slides here. Esther talked about the political and economical state of the country, the cuisine, and wildlife, as well as a little bit about her own experiences at home and as a visitor in Columbus.

We really enjoyed having Esther with us here in Columbus and we wish her all the very best! Stay tuned for future updates as they develop.

Esther at her presentation, with host, Debra Feasel

_________________________

Total 61

L ^{OOKING FOR A} H ^{OST FOR A} C ^HINESE S ^TUDENT

D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 3 _{Page 3}

U ^{PDATE OF} S ^OCIAL W ^{ORKERS FROM} G ^ERMANY

In November CIP friends took a trip to Hocking Hills with a group of Social Workers from Germany, who are training in Columbus. Anne Lehmann, Angela Mattner, and Oliver Lock were accompanied by Kathy Moser, Mikalene Guiser, Tim Skinner, and Sonya Afanasyeva. They stayed in a beautiful cabin provided by long time CIP friends, Barb and John Showalter. On Friday evening, Anne, Angela, and Oliver prepared traditional German potato soup. During the day on Saturday they hiked at Old Man's Cave, took pictures and enjoyed nature. The group shared wonderful conversations, talking about Germany, Columbus, traveling, and much more. They played games like "20 Questions"

and hide and seek, and played songs on the guitar. For more pictures click here.

Anne and Angela are training at The National Youth Advocate Program, working with youth, families, and the foster care system. Oliver Lock is training at the Huckleberry House,

working with youth programs that provide emergency shelter, counseling, and skills building.

Anne, Angela, and Oliver will be in Columbus until December 20th. If you would like to get to know them, feel free to contact us. They would love to meet new people and travel. They are focusing on improving their English skills, but this can also be a great opportunity for you to brush up on your German! We are planning a “Stammtisch” with Dresden Sister Cities on Tuesday, December 10^th. Please review page 6 for additional details and RSVP today.

In partnership with our friends from Hexico, we are hosting a student from China who is attending Desales High School. John Lin is from Shenzhen, China; he is eighteen years old. We are looking for a family that would welcome him in their home and be able to provide a separate bedroom. We would be able to compensate the hosts.

Please contact Mark Poeppelman at (614) 425-2268 or [email protected].

Anne Lehmann, Oliver Lock, Tim Skinner, Mikalene Guiser, Kathy Moser, Angela Mattler, and Sonya

Afanasyeva

John Lin in front of the Thompson Library at Ohio State.

Page 4

D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 3 _{Page 4}

U ^{PDATE FROM} R ^ICHARD H ^ARRIS

Richard Harris arrived in Columbus in May as part of the Global Partners Program. We thought you would be interested to find out about him and his training program. Richard recently sent us the following note:

I've been living in Columbus for six months now. I am originally from the UK and had been working for the last two years in London, with a background in IT and Finance. I didn't quite know what to expect when I moved to Columbus. Despite not having a language barrier there are still cultural differences that take some adjustment. But I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time in the United States and Columbus, OH.

I'm undertaking my training program at ECOT (Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow), an online school catering to grades K through 12. I found the concept of an online school intriguing as I don't believe we have this type of educational tool for this age range in the UK. Since starting at ECOT, I have been learning about the challenges of running a school online from a business perspective, and a technology stand point. I have also had the pleasure of learning from IQ Innovations, which provides the online

software service that ECOT uses to deliver education to students in their own homes. Working with two companies and two teams has meant I have had an incredibly busy schedule, including working many weekends, but it has all been extremely rewarding. I have been able to build on existing skills and knowledge and I have also picked up new things along the way.

One of the highlights for me so far has been exposure to new technologies. I have been fortunate enough to work on projects that involve the new Google Glass. Next, I will be looking at how the business can grow using mobile technology such as tablets and smart phones, which from a business perspective is new to me.

Socially I've been making friends in and out of work, some of which took me to my first Ohio State football game. The atmosphere was incredible, and I think I was starting to understand the rules by the end of the game. When the weather improves, I'm planning on joining one of the local rowing crews to keep up my hobby from back home.

I haven't had a huge amount of time to see much of the state or country, but I have been able to visit The Great Lakes in Ohio for day trips. During past weekends I have visited Chicago and Cleveland. I'm looking forward to exploring the United States a bit more during the rest of my time here.

Thanks.

Richard Harris at IQ Innovations

Page 5

D e c e m b e r N e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 3 _{Page 5}

C ^{ATCHING UP WITH} F ^OMER P ^ARTICIPANT , A ^BDURAHMON I ^SOQOV

W ^{E ALSO CAUGHT UP WITH} F ^ORMER P ^ARTICIPANT , K ^WAME S ^ARPONG

Abdu trained in Columbus in August, 2013. He was part of the Social Work program. Abdu is a practicing social worker in Tajikistan.

On November 16th,Abdu became the head of the regional department of Social Work in the Sogd region. He was promoted to the position after he made a presentation on his work and training in Columbus. Abdu stated that the department was very interested in the development of Social Work in the United States, and in what he had learned during his training program with CIP this past summer. He is excited to start working as the regional head and hopes to improve the Social Work initiatives in Tajikistan.

Kwame Sarpong returned home to Accra, Ghana in September after training at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. He had been in Columbus since March of this year. Kwame previously participated with CIP in 1995.

In Accra, Kwame works with schools to help them provide programs and services for children with developmental disabilities. Kwame said that he took a few weeks off after returning home to spend with his family and mother in the countryside. He is now busy back at work. Kwame is

developing a project that will create more services for people with developmental disabilities in Ghana. He has been traveling to the countryside to meet and talk with people to discuss his project. He is also working on putting together a board of directors to advise him on the project.

Kwame is thankful for his experiences in Columbus.

He was interested to find the services available to children with disabilities in the United States and he also improved his communication skills by talking with people and making new business contacts. We are certain that Kwame will be successful in implementing the training he discovered in Columbus to help adults with disabilities in Ghana.

Kwame speaking during his country presentation in August Abdurahmon Isoqov

U ^PCOMING E ^VENTS

C

I

OSU Student, Bachelors in International Studies with minors in General Business and Studio Art Sonya Afanasyeva

OSU Student, Masters in Public Administration Nina Lobhanidze

Graduate of Franklin University, Master of Business Administration Daniel Moss

Wright State Graduate, Bachelors in International Business, minor in Chinese Melanie Moore

OSU Student, Bachelors in Social Work Niny Rosso-Reyes

OSU Student, Masters in Social Work

Page 6

CIP T

F

CIP’

?

One lucky winner will receive A signed photo of Matt Calvert!

Submit your answers by email to [email protected]

D ^ECEMBER 10

6:00 pm—8:00 pm

Wurst und Bier German Restaurant 110 Hutchinson Ave.

Columbus, OH 43231

A “Stammtisch” with Dresden Sister Cities

In partnership with Dresden Sister Cities, The Columbus International Program will hold a Stammtisch. A Stammtisch is an informal group meeting, a way to meet people and interact in a comfortable setting. CIP’s visiting social workers from Germany, Anne Lehman, Angela Mattner, and Oliver Lock, will be there. If you haven't met them, this will be a great opportunity to do so. We will also get an opportunity to meet with representatives of Dresden Sister Cities and get to know more about their organization.

There will not be an admission charge, however guests will able to order off the menu and pay accordingly.

Please RSVP by 12/4/13 by calling our office at 221-0034 or email us at [email protected].