Visit of Kansas City volunteers

Q & A session

Visit of Kansas City volunteers to Gabfest Club.

This afternoon the WOA Dnipro city was visited by young American volunteer from Kansas city. The guests presented their home state to the members of the Gabfest and answered the Club members’ questions. They also shared their impressions about travelling around Ukraine during their missionary activities.

Participant number- 20 persons.

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Diversity Visa Presentation and anouther events in DniproWOA

September, 19/20 – Activate English Group 3.9. – Good and bad news
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language.
The Activate English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk readers in year 2016.
The Activate English Group was created for people who have been studying English for several years, but are too shy to speak. The objective of the course is to activate the passive knowledge and enable the students of English to express themselves in English no matter how small might be their vocabulary.
All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Participants number – 24 persons.

September, 21 – Wednesday Movie Club at #DniproWOA
Today our movie session was unusual. As a rule we watch feature films, but this time our Australian friends Eric with Irina offered a unique opportunity to watch documentary movies about Australia, each of them last for ten or fifteen minutes. These movies were about Australian nature, sanctuaries, zoos and an old part or Sidney. It was really amazing to watch these movies and then discussed them.
Participants number – 23 persons.

22-23 вересня – Всеукраїнська науково-практична конференція «Міжнародна діяльність бібліотек як

складова європейського вибору держави» (м.Одеса). Метою конференції було висвітлення пріоритетних напрямів міжнародної діяльності бібліотек України.
Дніпропетровську ОУНБ ім. Первоучителів слов’янських Кирила і Мефодія  на конференції представляли співробітники інформаційно-ресурсного центру «Вікно в Америку» Світлана Усенко і Тамара Гаврилюк. Темами їх доповідей були:
-    Реалізація грантового проекту “Windows Go Biking”: «Велосипед – тренажер для тіла, а книга та читання – тренажер для розуму і душі».
-    Досвід бібліотеки по залученню волонтерства в міжнародні проекти по вивченню європейських мов.
У доповідях йшлося про міжнародні проекти Дніпропетровської ОУНБ, завдяки яким відвідувачі бібліотеки можуть вивчати іноземні мови і знайомитися з культурами світу.
У роботі конференції брали участь фахівці з національних бібліотек, зокрема Національної бібліотеки імені В.І. Вернадського та Національної наукової медичної бібліотеки України. Своїм досвідом поділилися співробітники обласних універсальних наукових бібліотек з 17 областей України. На конференції були присутні представники районних та міських бібліотек, видавництва «Зелена хвиля».
Кількість учасників – 2 особи.
September, 24 – ESC Gabfest: AUSTRALIA & WINE Stories.
This afternoon the GABFEST Club at #DniproWOA gave its floor to our Australian volunteer Mr. Eric who offered to watch and discuss a video about tourist attractions of his Australian home – the Hunter Valley in NSW.
With great interest the Club members watched the film about cow and race horses farms, historic mansions turned into guest houses; jazz, hot air balloons and rodeo festivals; the wild life and beautiful nature of the Hunter Valley.
The highlight and the treasure of the valley is white Australian wine. We watched how it is grown and manufactured. The group was urged to tell Mr. Eric about the Ukrainian wine regions and typical wines. We discussed the qualities of the wine brand produced in Dnipro. Some club members recommended Trans Carpathian wines. We also recommended the Black Sea region wines and discussed their merits. Some information about the historic background of Ukrainian vineyards was provided.
The surprise of the session was the return of our US volunteer Mr. Jason. He brought us a present from his trip to Caucasus region – a book about the Wines of Georgia.
At the end of the session the group was offered a round of “Speed English” prepared by WOA’s volunteer educator O.Myrgorodska.  All the participants were thrilled and were looking forward to their turn to talk to native speakers.
Participant number – 30 persons.
#УкраїнаSpeaking #americanspaces #DniproWOA #Dnipropetrovsk #library #DOUNB #ДОУНБ #Ukraine #EducationalActivities #LearnEnglish #Gabfest #SpeedEnglish

September, 26 – Theodor Dreiser for High School Students.
To observe the anniversary of Theodor Dreiser the WOA staff member T. Gavryliuk   offered a presentation to the 9th year students. The children study at the local school No. 141 with focus on English and other foreign languages.
The Dreiser’s novels from the DOUNB library collection were displayed to the group and the importance of his work was explained. The book trailer for Dreiser’s most popular book “An American Tragedy” was screened and translated by the students. A short discussion about the American dream followed.
The highlight of the session was the conversation about

Dreiser’s trip to the Soviet Union and visit to the Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Odessa and Donetsk (Stalino then). ”Dreiser looks at Russia” book contained his impressions about the Soviet Union. We discussed 16 things that surprised him most.
The students also translated a Dreiser’s quote about happiness and answered the questions of a literary quiz about Th.Dreiser’s novels.
Participants number – 12 persons.

September, 27 – U.S. CONSUL TO DISCUSS DIVERSITY VISAS (GREEN CARD) AND VISA FRAUD ISSUES.
United States Vice-Consul Ed O’Bryan visited Dnipro and gave a presentation on Diversity Visas and visa fraud issues.  The meeting took place at Window on America Center, Dnipro Oblast Research Library, 18 D. Yavornytskyi Ave.During the presentation Mr. O’Bryan explained the process of applying for U.S. diversity visas.  He covered the main aspects of the process and explained what one should do to ensure a fair and transparent application process.  Mr. O’Bryan also discussed visa fraud issues pertaining to agencies that offer services associated with U.S. visa applications and the Green Card Lottery entry process.
Mr. O’Bryan was available to answer any other questions that the audience may have regarding current diversity visa application procedures.
Participants number – 35 persons.
Thank you for visit, Mr.O'Bryan!

September, 27 – Business Visas.
Participants number – 15 persons.

September, 27 – VIP at Course Graduation.
This afternoon the Activate English Group had its last lesson. The surprise visit of the US Vice-Consul in Kyiv Mr. Ed O’Brian thrilled the students.
The age of Activate English learners range from 7 to 80 years. They have introduced themselves to the VIP guest and told him about their professional background.
The Foreign guest asked the Group about the places of interest in Dnipro city and about nice places to eat out with his family. The Ukrainian students were able to present the brief history of Dnipro, its historical monuments (palaces, fortresses, and cathedrals) and popular modern sites. The best buy recommendations included Petrykivka paintings, Millennium chocolate and other gastronomic souvenirs of the region.
The second part of the session was dedicated to the conversation about different types of transport and their respective advantages and disadvantages. The students who attended all 10 lessons of the course received their Certificates of Attendance.
Participants number – 23 persons.
September, 28 – Wednesday Movie Club at 5:00 p.m.
Today our movie session was unusual. As a rule we watch feature films, but this time our Australian friends Eric with Irina offered a unique opportunity to watch documentary movies about Australia, each of them last for ten or fifteen minutes. These movies were about Australian nature, sanctuaries, zoos and an old part or Sidney. It was really amazing to watch these movies and then discussed them.
Participants number – 13 persons.

September, 29 – Basic English.
The Basic Group at Window on America Dnipro was familiarized with the vocabulary to the topic “FOOD”. The text by Ogden showed the students how to operate basic verbs and substitute complex meanings with simple grammatical constructions.
The students shared their stories about “My breakfast”. The home task will a challenge – to describe Ukrainian nature or weather in English.
Instructor: T. Gavryliyuk
Pictures: S.Usenko.
Participants number – 15 persons.


September, 29 – Ukrainian Libraries’ Day: Friends’ Greetings.
 On the eve of the Ukrainian Libraries’ Day (September, 30) the DOUNB Library foreign department staff and "Window on America" (Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) center were greeted by the long-time partners – the teachers and students of the high school №141. The Librarians’ team heard the words of appreciation for all educational events offered to the students within the cooperation project framework. In return the librarians highly appreciated flowers, sweet treats and especially a musical number. The DOUNB Library staff is motivated to plan and present new events for the inquisitive young generation.
Participants number – 6 persons.

Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt

This Wednesday WOA Dnipropetrovsk hosted a round-table discussion of the US Ambassador in Ukraine Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt and Ukrainian participants of different exchange programs between the USA and Ukraine.  
The Ukrainian participants of the meeting represented programs for different age groups and society strata: from “FLEX” for high school students to “Open World” program for professional adults.
After brief introductions the US Ambassador asked the participants to share their opinion on the current economic situation in Ukraine, the association with EU and cooperation with Russia, etc. The participants expressed their concerns and expectations. The Ambassador   emphasized that US wants to see a prosperous Ukraine, it made big investments in Ukraine to promote deeper connectivity with the democratic world.
Some current Ukrainian political issues were also touched upon and many participants expressed their opinion about them. The discussion drifted into the direction of sport s; the audience talked about sport stars and their impact in politics in Ukraine and similar cases in the world. All the participants agreed that only a really democratic leader will be able to change the situation in the Ukrainian politics. To wrap up the discussion the Ambassador urged the participants to be in touch with the Embassy through social networks.
A group photo with the Ambassador Pyatt will be a wonderful memory for all the participants of the discussion.
The after-meeting tea ceremony allowed the participants to build networks with alumni in Dnipropetrovsk and plan common events for the future. Some participants promised to volunteer at the Window on America center and the DOUNB Library.
Number of participants 21 persons (17 Ukrainians + 4 Embassy guests)

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Work and Travel

Dnipropetrovsk WOA Centre hosted the meeting of 2013 "Summer Work and Travel" participants with Vice-Consul of the US Embassy in Kiev Ms. Tamara Sternberg-Greller. Participants from Dnipropetrovsk oblast were invited to discuss their impressions of the visa procedure and the program itself. The Ukrainian students were offered a questionnaire about SWT procedures and were encouraged to share their experiences (both good and not so good). This information was needed to improve the processing of the visa documents and to eliminate potential problems for future participants.
To break the ice the WOA’s student guests were offered snacks and soft drinks. After the Consulate representative’s speech the WOA staff member Tamara Gavryliuk introduced the facility to the students and invited them to join the WOA’s clubs to keep up their language skills. The resources available at the centre were introduced and recommended for those who plan to pursue academic career.
In the informal atmosphere the SWT participants had a chance for networking and finding new friends for future trips to the USA (some people plan to participate in the program one more time).
Number of participants – 25 persons.

U.S. visas

U.S. VICE-CONSUL TO DISCUSS STUDENT AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMS AND U.S. VISA APPLICATION PROCEDURES.
During the discussion Ms. Sternberg explained the process of applying for U.S. visas and was available to questions from the audience immediately following the discussion.
Number of participants –  19 persons.

Financial Session

This afternoon the Gabfest Club had a guest from the US Embassy in Kyiv - Ms. Elisabeth Horst is a Deputy Economic Councilor.
She was asked to talk to the club members about the ways to save money - the financial topic that might be interesting for all club members. Ms. Horst told us many facts and figures about the ways of saving money that exists in the USA. We compared credit card culture in the US and Ukraine   and talked about the good and bad things about plastic money.
The club members were very active and asked many questions. We were lucky to have other American guests in the audience – loyal club friends Mr. Joseph and Mr. Keith.

The atmosphere was enhanced by the presence of the FLEX exchange program participants - Dasha and Nastia who also took an active part in the conversation. Our guest was delighted to see the motivated and interested audience.
The club members shared their thoughts with Ms. Horst after the session and the Club’s chairman Jeff presented a book about Ukraine to her.
The session with the Embassy economists turned out very lively, educational and was enjoyed by all the participants.
Number of participants 22 persons.
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Visit of Mr. Jett Thomason, the US Embassy representative

The Dnipropetrovsk Window on America Center was visited by the Vice Consul of the US Embassy in Kyiv Mr. Jett Thomason and his spouse.
The American guests listened to the facts and figures about the Center. It was created prox. 10 years ago to facilitate free access to information (via Internet) for Ukrainians and to resources for American English learners.
The guests were interested in all aspects of the WOA’s activities: the opening hours, the customers’ categories, the events organized at the facility, the terms and conditions for the use of resources, etc. The WOA’s Head Svitlana Usenko has answered all the questions and illustrated the answers with the photos from the library reports and Blog where 3 year archives are represented.
The honored guests examined the displays proposed at the WOA Center: a book display about the Smithsonian Institution and a photo display about participation in the Work @ Travel student exchange program (by Svitlana Luchitskaya).
Mr. Thomason inquired about the WOA cooperation with the Peace Corp. volunteers in Ukraine. It turned out that Mr. Vice Consul served as a volunteer in different countries of the world (in Africa and Asia).
Mr. Thomason expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation of the US Embassy in Ukraine and the DOUNB Library.

U.S. Cultural Ambassadors in Dnipropetrovsk

On January, 31, 2013 the WOA Centre in Dnipropetrovsk was visited by the US Cultural Ambassadors – Becky Bonner, Tamika Raymond and Nykesha Sales.

All of them are former professional women’s basketball players who came to Ukraine as part of a sports diplomacy exchange program. 

As cultural ambassadors they were happy to talk about any subject with WOA center audience.  This afternoon   the audience comprised people of all ages: school children and teachers from the nearby high school # 23, graduates of the National Metallurgical Academy technical translation faculty, activists of the WOA’s English speaking Club “Gabfest”.

The guests have introduced themselves, showed on the USA map their home states and towns.  They have asked who in the audience had been to the USA. It turned out that 2 persons in the audience visited the USA: the WOA Head Svitlana has been to Chicago in an Open World exchange project; the high school student Nikita has been to New-York with his parents.

After that the Q&A session started.

The guests were asked about their impressions about Ukraine and Dnipropetrovsk city. It turned out that the athletes find the Ukrainian cuisine delicious and particularly enjoyed our traditional beetroot soup “borsch”. The guests didn’t have time for sightseeing. But they have noticed beautiful historic buildings in the downtown and our tree-lined boulevards that impressed them even in winter.

The guests were asked about their way into basketball and told their respective stories. The range of questions about sport ranged from the healthy diet to obligatory doping control in professional basketball. To round up the session the guests told about their impressions of the Ukrainian kids who participated in their “Basketball labs” – professional basketball “master classes” in local schools.

The highlight of the Cultural Ambassadors’ visit was the autograph session and a group photo in the WOA Center.

The meeting with the US athletes impressed all the participants and hopefully inspired the younger generation to lead healthy life style and go in for sports.

Participants – 30 persons.
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