Overnight Hosting Opportunities

			international visitor program
			Overnight Hosting

Overnight Hosting: Open World

The U.S. Congress-authorized Open World Program at the Library of Congress brings emerging Russian leaders to communities across the United States to expose them to American democracy and free enterprise in action.

During intensive short-term visits, participants learn about the responsibilities of and interrelationships between the three branches and different levels (federal, state, and local) of the US government. They also learn how the U.S. private and nonprofit sectors help meet social and civic needs. Participants engage in hands-on experiences, direct observation, and substantive exchange with their professional counterparts. Open World visitors have, for example, campaigned door-to-door with political candidates, attended city council meetings, accompanied police on patrols, joined newspaper editorial staff meetings, and observed the jury selection process.

The Americans who host Open World visitors or participate in their community-based programs in turn have the opportunity to hear about the new Russia from the people who are helping to shape it.

Upcoming Community Connections Groups

A group of 10 visitors from Khabarovsk, Russia will be in Oregon from Thursday, May 17 through Thursday, June 7.Their program will focus on forestry management and corporate-social ecological responsibility. The visitors are representatives of local government, businesses, natural resource management organizations, leaders of regional think tanks and other stakeholders involved in social responsibility and community development. The majority of the program will be spent in Portland area; however, the group will be in Central Oregon from May 23- May 27.

A group of 10 from Azerbaijan will be in Oregon from Wednesday, July 11 through Wednesday, August 1. Their program will focus on rural finance and agriculture. Visitors are representatives from Ministry of Economic Development, NGOs dealing with banking, Ministry of Agriculture, and regional economic development departments. The majority of their program will be spent in Portland area; however, we plan to take the visitors for a four-day stay in Pendleton.