The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs awarded a $325,000 grant for an educational and cultural exchange program, "Young Turkey/ Young America: A New Relationship for a New Age," between Bahçeşehir University and UConn, which will begin in June 2012.
This project will allow UConn to advance our institutional commitment to global citizenship and global competence," said Roy Pietro, associate director of UConn's Center for Continuing Studies and the principle investigator for the exchange program.
The partnership formed between the American Studies Center located at Turkey's Bahçeşehir University and UConn's Global Training and Development Institute (GDTI), involves plans to set up job shadows, workshops and cultural experiences in both countries. This program is geared toward promoting professional development in emerging grassroots leaders and will select 24- to 35- year-old employees from non-profit, grassroots or government agencies, 16 from each country.
"One of the workshops, "Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Turkey Society and Workplace Culture," will be a roundtable cross-cultural discussion of Turkish business practices and work culture, as well as business practices and work culture in the U.S.," said Mary Lou Sullivan, publicity and marketing manager at UConn's Center for Continuing Studies.
Turkish participants will be matched with a U.S. agency or workplace for three days. The program will be comparable to their occupation in Turkey, and likewise, U.S. participants will be set up with corresponding Turkish job shadows. The selected Turkish exchange participants will embark on culturally enhancing trips to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Gettysburg and a site in Inner city New Haven. The program aims to educate young adults in the ways each country is working to address social justice issues and help economically disadvantaged communities so that they can potentially employ similar ideas upon return.
UConn alumni working in related leadership positions are able to apply. Campus events will be held in which current UConn students can attend.
Upon expiration of the grant, a social networking platform through UConn will let participants from both countries continue to collaborate and support each other in their efforts to give assistance to marginalized communities. Mini-grants will be supplied for projects that the exchange participants will plan and administer for the purpose of promoting social change.
"There is a new book out, "Little Bets" by Peter Sims, which talks about how big change often is the by-product of small discoveries and initiatives. I think these students will be planting their little bets, through their mini-grants, that can bring substantial social change to their country," said Director of UConn's Non-Profit Leadership Program and Co-Principal Investigator on the grant Dr. David Garvey.
There are numerous other programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program that are funded by the State Department, and a total of 50,000 participants both American and foreign are selected each year.
"The overarching goal of "Young Turkey/ Young America" is to develop grassroots initiatives that positively impact people's lives, in order to create a bi-lateral community of practice in grassroots leadership while strengthening the ties between the U.S. and Turkey," said Pietro.
