Happy Holiday Season from the In-Country Committee!
Written by Sara Sherman, PCV Ukraine Group 51
Happy Orthodox New Year from the In-Country Committee currently weathering the 20 degree temperatures and holiday season in Ukraine! Most of the current volunteers are busy scattered throughout village homes, town squares and extravagantly decorated major cities celebrating two Christmases, two New Years, and all the holiday celebrations in between, so we decided to write an introductory piece about who we are – the volunteers who have been diligently contributing to the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine’s mission.
As most already know, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine strives to enhance the relationships, exchange of information and support between Ukraine RPCVs, Peace Corps Ukraine supporters and current PCVs and their projects currently taking place in country. The transoceanic channel of information and updates between current PCVs and RPCVs is not an easy connection to withhold considering the lack of open communication and distance between the two groups.
The gateway volunteers who bridge the gap between the RPCV Alliance Board of Directors and the information coming from current PCVs and their projects, administrative updates and new experiences, make up the In-Country Committee (ICC); a group of volunteers from varying corners of the country.
Madeline Senay, a Group 52 Youth Development Volunteer currently serving in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, serves as the Chair of the ICC. Since the founding of the In-Country Committee in parallel with the Alliance in 2018, Madeline presides over all the activities, events, and projects carried out by ICC members. She monitors these ICC activities through weekly check-ins and is responsible for approving final outputs in the process of implementation of any new developments.
With her close proximity to the area of conflict in the east, Madeline is currently developing a project called the “Unity Project” designed to better psychologically support children with parents active in the war, while simultaneously training the local social workers to be better equipped to provide this professional support as well.
Madeline is originally from St. Louis and after more than a year of living in Ukraine, finds true joy and laughter at the stories stemming from conversations and memories of train transportation in platzcart.
Sara Sherman, a Group 51 Youth Development Volunteer currently serving in Rivnenska Oblast, serves as the ICC Communications Representative and the liaison between the ICC and the Communications Board of Directors from the RPCV Alliance. Sara is responsible for collecting data related to in-country news, including volunteer narratives and photos for social media content. Since the realization of the RPCV Alliance newsletter, Sara also reports and writes monthly articles for the publication about topical stories, experiences and administrative updates from current PCVs and Peace Corps Ukraine staff.
Sara is currently working closely with her partner organization on their second inclusive-focused project called “Chance” aimed at providing the proper education for various levels of community members on creating a more inclusive environment through the professional, medical, and social education of disabilities in Ukraine.
Sara, originally from North Texas, plans to extend her service beyond her original COS date of May 2019, admitting her service in Ukraine has been the most socially and professionally rewarding time, and she hopes to continue growing personally alongside her actively changing community.
Emily Keane, a Group 50 TEFL Volunteer currently serving in the Central Cherkaska Oblast, is the official Secretary of the ICC. Emily is responsible for writing the topical agenda for each bi-weekly meeting, as well as taking detailed meeting minutes. After each meeting, Emily sends the updates and requirements for action to the RPCV Alliance for further board discussion. Emily is also in charge of developing the process and reviewing the applications of aspiring volunteers who want to serve with the ICC.
Emily is currently devoting the majority of her time to spreading the implementation of the highly popular, Model United Nations program across Ukraine. After her co-directing position with the national camp, she spent time co-writing the Mini-MUN Manual, conducting and assisting Mini-MUN conferences, and helped found the new MUN Working Group, where she currently serves as the President. The MUN Working Group strives to spread MUN throughout Ukraine by creating American-Ukrainian partnerships, finding supporting organizations and schools, and advocating for MUN through social media channels.
Model United Nations is an authentic simulation of the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council, or other multilateral bodies, which introduces students to the world of diplomacy, negotiation, and decision making.
Emily, originally from Tennessee, extended her service into 2019. She cherishes the relationships she has formed with people from all over Ukraine as well as the countless memories she has made through all of the Peace Corps summer camps that she has been lucky enough to be a part of.
It is with great thanks that we recognize the work that Richard Roman, a Group 49 now RPCV, did with the ICC in a time of initial development of the committee and organization as a whole. Richard has officially moved to Ukraine with his new career as a Program Development and Communications Consultant with the USAID project, Support for Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions. We are excited for his new role and continued devotion to the necessary change taking place in present-day Ukraine.
Richard, with the co-facilitation of Madeline and the assistance form the rest of the ICC and RPCV Alliance, introduced a partnership program with Kinful, a social-emotional learning curriculum that utilizes the technological advancement of virtual reality (VR) equipment. The VR partnership with Kinful provided Peace Corps summer camps all over Ukraine to incorporate social learning methods into their camp schedules for participating youth. The educational modules range from teaching productivity techniques, to motivational skills. The equipment has VR videos from all over the world, exposing the Ukrainian youth to new cultures, scenery, and languages.
As of January 26 2019, the active members of the ICC diligently read through numerous applications for the prospective new ICC member that would be serving as the “Support Coordinator” for the rest of their Peace Corps service. Due to the impressive set of skills and ideas that this PCV expressed through their extensive application, the decision was made to accept Karl Afrikian as the newest member to the ICC
Karl Afrikian, a Volunteer from the newest group, 53, is placed in the Kirovogradska (Kirovograd) Oblast as a Community Development Volunteer. Karl is already comfortable in his role as the “Support Coordinator” for the ICC and will facilitate special projects as proposed by the serving PCV community with the RPCV Alliance. After project approval, he will manage the project implementation for the impact projects as needed. He will also manage communications and media schedules related to ongoing projects to support ICC activities in Ukraine.
In addition to Karl’s ICC-specific responsibilities, he will also serve as the coordinator of the Volunteer Mentorship Program beginning in 2019.
The main goal of the Volunteer Mentorship Program will be to coordinate and enhance the open network of connections made between RPCVs and PCVs who have served or are currently serving in Ukraine. As the Support Coordinator, Karl will be responsible for receiving “mentor” applications from the RPCVs and matching them with current PCVs that also applied to have a mentor.
Karl is approaching his fifth month at his primary site, an NGO focused on promoting city and oblast-wide tolerance and multiculturalism. This summer, Karl will be the co-director of Camp TOBE (Teaching Our Boys to Excel), an all-boys summer camp that teaches Ukrainian boys about topics like gender equality, mental health, and PDM skills.
Karl says he loves walking around the bazaar looking for amazingly fresh fruits and vegetables and talking to the sweet, kind babushkas working the stalls while they ask about who he is, and what Peace Corps is.
The ICC looks forward to further developing the network of Peace Corps Ukraine RPCVs, PCVs, and supporters. The strength of the bonds between the members of our community is vital to the success and effective impact of the work being done to support Ukraine. We appreciate all the support we have had already, and we want to send our greatest thanks to everyone who has come together for the greater cause – Ukraine!
If you wish to hear of any particular updates or stories that are taking place on the ground in Ukraine, please feel free to contact the Communications Coordinator, Sara Sherman at her email: [email protected] with your requests, suggestions, or comments.