Since its founding by Congress in 1999, the Open World Program has enabled more than 14,000 current and future Eurasian leaders to experience American democracy, civil society and community life; work with their American counterparts; stay in American homes; and gain new ideas and inspiration for implementing change back home.
Open World currently operates exchanges for participants from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Moldovans meet the ocean, September 2009
Our Open World/SDDC collaborative goals are to build mutual understanding between the United States and participating countries, to create a network of emerging Eurasian leaders dedicated to effecting positive change in their home countries, and to connect these leaders with their American professional colleagues and hosts who are interested in post-visit cooperation and collaboration that will generate concrete results.
Since 1999, the delegates coming to us via this program range from first-time mayors to veteran journalists, from nonprofit directors to small-business advocates, and from political activists to high-court judges. We also work with non-English speaking, young, up-and-coming, political and civic leaders at all levels of government. They are mostly first-time-ever visitors to the United States.
Each visit focuses on a set theme that relates directly to the delegates’ profession or civic work. The design of the program is hands on. Typical activities might include watching jury selection, sitting in on newspaper editorial meetings, and observing political candidates on the campaign trail.
Want to get involved? Host a visitor!
Open World delegates come for 10 days and are invited to stay in our San Diego homes.
If hosting one or two of our Open World visitors sounds like a fun adventure and a great act of service, please contact our Director of Programs, Enrique Meza
Open World visitors stay in members’homes while in San Diego. Here host Martin meets Gregory from Moldova for the first time.
