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02 March 2006
"Future Leaders" Alumni Promoting Civic Responsibility at Home
FLEX graduates from Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan discuss their experiences
Washington -- Three Eurasian alumni from the State Department’s Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program say their experience in the United States changed their outlook and lives in positive ways.
Elena Schitova from Barnaul, Russia; Dmytro Say from Mykolayiv, Ukraine; and Asel Murzatova from Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan, returned to the United States recently to discuss strides they have made promoting democracy and civic participation in their respective countries.
“The FLEX program shows a different perspective on how people could be equal, regardless of their background,” said Schitova during a February 28 roundtable discussion at the State Department. “The year in the U.S. gave me self-confidence and made me believe I had the power to change the world around me.”
Operated by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the FLEX program was established in 1992 to give secondary students from the countries of the former Soviet Union an opportunity to experience life in a democratic society in order to promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia.
Schitova, a 1995 FLEX program participant in Joliet, Illinois, is the executive director of the Women’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization located in Barnaul in southern Siberia, Russia, dedicated to preventing violence against women and children.
She has worked with Amnesty International and other international organizations on preventing domestic violence and has published numerous articles and booklets. Schitova was nominated as one of the “10 Women of the World” by Marie Claire magazine in December 2004, and received an award for “facing domestic violence.”
Say, a 2001 FLEX participant in Hampton, Virginia, said his year in America played a key role in his life. “My experiences there gave me a new perspective on life. It shows you a different approach to different things,” he commented.
Since returning to Ukraine, Say has organized various projects over the last four years for disadvantaged children living in orphanages and for the mentally challenged living in boarding schools. Activities have included computer literacy classes, movie excursions and the organization of computer donations for these institutions.
“I’m trying to change how the disabled are treated in Ukraine to give kids with disabilities more possibilities to improve their outlook on the world,” he said. Say is a senior majoring in English at Mohyla State University in Mykolayiv.
Murzatova was a participant in the 2002 FLEX program in Lancaster, California, near Los Angeles.
“Through the FLEX program, I feel like people are growing, learning, and changing,” she said, adding that she has gained personal confidence and independence as a result of her year in the United States.
She said her family is very proud and supportive of her activities after seeing the people she has helped in Kyrgyzstan.
Murzatova currently works as the assistant to the country director of the Alpine Fund in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan -- a nonprofit organization working to improve youth independence and leadership -- and is also a student at American University-Central Asia in Bishkek.
She has received grants from the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan and the FLEX program to conduct a series of leadership seminars that helped local students increase their personal and professional skills. She also has served as a test administrator for the Kyrgyz National Testing project, an effort focused on increasing transparency and fairness in the educational system of Kyrgyzstan.
According to Schitova, the best outcome of FLEX program for her has been relationships gained during her time in the United States. "The friendships between the people and my host family is something I will never forget,” she said.
Over the past decade, more than 14,000 young people have spent one academic year attending schools and living with host families throughout the United States through the FLEX program, and many today are making important contributions to the development of their countries.
Additional information on the FLEX program is available on the State Department Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
