O S E A S * E U R O P E

USBT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: MYTH OR REALITY?

My name is Viktor Khotim. I am an Overseas Educational Adviser from Belarus. I had a lucky chance to be part of the USBT training Program in fall 1999. As a participant of this program I was really lucky to meet my colleagues from different parts of the world and to learn a lot.

During USBT training I started to understand that this program helps all educational advisers to create the core of professionalism in our specialty. And all participants of this program supported this point of view.

Therefore, while being in the United States, we (Rolando Ribera, Overseas Educational Adviser from Bolivia; Omar Undongo, Overseas Educational Adviser from Senegal and myself) started to think about the need to create a professional association of those lucky advisers who were part of this training. It is interesting but this idea was generated independently in the heads of advisers coming from different continents of the World (South America, Africa and Europe). Our wish is to accumulate valuable knowledge and create the necessary conditions for effective exchange of experience with other educational advisers around the world.

I would like to point that it was wonderful to hold this idea and develop it through the communications between Bolivia-Belarus-Senegal after USBT was finished. Also we had a lucky chance to meet each other during the 52nd NAFSA Conference in San Diego. This conference helped us to create a plan of activities in near future. It was unforgettable when during USBT Alumni reception Mrs. Dorothy Mora (US Department of State Program Officer) gave the chance to present our ideas to other fellow advisers.

The mission of the United States Based Training Alumni Association (USBT AA) is to support Overseas Educational Advisers through the knowledge, skills, financial resources and loyalty of its alumni; to foster a spirit of union between the members of the alumni association and thus carry into their fields of endeavor a spirit of cooperation and fellowship; to communicate and interpret advisers' goals and achievements to others; and to promote a spirit of unity and loyalty among former USBT participants and friends.

ASSOCIATION GOALS

The effect of these goals is to strengthen the USBT Alumni Association so it can continue to fulfill and expand its mission of advising, serving, and involving.

1. Develop alumni programs that foster relationship among alumni and encourage physical, moral, and spiritual growth of the Association.
2. Assist the Association in the growth of its advising, administrative, cultural, and extracurricular activities.
3. Provide financial support to the Association, its members and its programs.
4. Establish a worldwide alumni network.
5. Maintain, update and manage the Alumni Records database and provide access and service to all its users.
6. Maintain an effective administrative and sound financial operation.
7. Create a favorable environment for successful fund raising efforts.
8. Develop and maintain a marketing plan for a strong membership program and other service oriented income areas.
9. Inform our alumni and friends of the progress, achievements and needs of the Association through a comprehensive communications program and provide opportunities for them to contribute to its welfare.
10. Dedicate our efforts and services to develop communication and cooperation among alumni and friends.

Now we are working intensively in order to create a project proposal and plan of our activities. I am impressed of this mutual understanding during this preparation. This fact inspires all of us. We are looking very much for support of our activities from other educational advisers in the world. We hope to finish our documents at the middle of July and then distribute our work among educational advisers for collective discussion.

We hope that USBT Alumni Association will be a reality. We are looking for your support!

Viktor KHOTIM, Belarus
Rolando RIBERA, Bolivia
Omar NDONGO, Senegal

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