Global Center of Greater Cincinnati

Be an Ambassador to the World for Cincinnati USA!

Community Connections

The Community Connections program offers home-stay based practical training opportunities in the U.S. for entrepreneurs, local government officials, legal professionals, non-governmental organization leaders and other professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine,Turkmenistan and The Kyrgyz Republic. The goal of this program is to "Promote public diplomacy through the exchange of cutural ideas and values among visitors, U.S. families and local community host organizations".

There are two programs within Community Connections.

Business Groups: These visitors speak English and therefore require no interpreter. They are usually small to medium sized business owners, experienced managers, or entrepreneurs. The visitors are placed with an American business during their term of internship to learn about American business practises.
Professional Groups: Professioanal visitors are usually emerging leaders or leaders in their respective fields. They come to study exisiting institutions and how they are run. For instance, we recently had a group studying electoral campaigns. Most of these visitors speak little or no English so US trained translators are offered.

Local community host organizations arrange internships for participants based on interests and experience. Companies offering internships range from small, family-run enterprises to major, multi-national "Fortune 500" corporations.

The goals of the Community Connections program are to:

Provide participants with professional training and exposure to day-to-day functioning of a free market system;
Encourage public-private partnerships in Europe/Eurasia by including private sector and government participants;
Create links between U.S. and Europe/Eurasia regions and communities.

Where you fit in...

As a citizen ambassador, you have the opportunity to make a difference in your own way as the face of America.

You help break down barriers
You aide the national effort to favorably influence a positive world view of America.

By hosting a visitor in your friendly home or accommodating company, YOU assist in erasing the world view of the "ugly American" one visitor at a time...

How Community Connections is funded

Funding for Community Connections is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Grants are awarded to community-based, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations and cover expenses such as participant airfare, modest per diem for participants during their U.S. stay, administrative expenses necessary for program operations, and local transportation during the program. Almost all of the funds awarded to local community organizations are spent in the local community.

Recruitment is carried out overseas by U.S. organizations with representation in those countries. All participants are recruited through an open, competitive, merit-based selection process that includes three stages: completion of an application, review of the application by a committee of experts in the particular fields of interest (business, NGO, legal, etc.), and an in-person interview conducted by members of the professional community.

Selected participants are then placed with community organizations in the U.S. that will prepare the program for the participants, including arranging a hands-on internship with volunteer companies and organizations of similar interest and housing with U.S. families that volunteer to open their homes to the participants.

To see the latest Community Connections participants, please click here and if you or your company would like to host a visitor, please contact us at: 513-621-2320 or email us at: info@globalcincinnati.org

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