Shaping Participatory Democracy Professional Fellows Program

Meeting Councilmember Emmanuel Remy

This month, though a partnership with Great Lakes Consortium for International Training & Development, US Together’s International Program hosted two delegates from the Shaping Participatory Democracy Professional Fellows Program. The program, which is funded by the State Department, provides short-term, intensive professional development experience in the United States. It has placed two international professionals with US Together: Andrea Kutlíková (Slovakia) and Tsvetelina Petrova (Bulgaria). Andrea works with refugees and minorities at an non-governmental organization in Slovakia, as well as co-manages a community center that promotes tolerance of minorities. Tsvetelina works for the mayor of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, and has created various social projects, with a special focus on children and orphans.

            While in Ohio, our International Program has prepared numerous events and activities for the fellows. They have met with Ohio-based organizations both in Columbus and Cleveland to learn about community organization, volunteerism, social enterprise, and local government. This is aimed at broadening their knowledge on how American social services operate and exchanging ideas of best practices. They also spent time at US Together’s offices and got a first-hand look into the various programs and services that we provide. On top of that, Andrea and Tsvetelina were able to spend their free time seeing some of Ohio’s most famous attractions, such as the Circleville Pumpkin Show, COSI, and the Columbus Museum of Art. As their training here continues, stay tuned for more updates!