Organized by the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI)

Article by the President of CCI:
http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2014/04/russia-report-putin-.html

Dear friends and colleagues,

I invite you to come with me to Russia on a Citizen2Citizen “information gathering” trip May 30 to June 15, 2015.

As you know, the political challenges between our two countries have seldom been more caustic and sensationalized.  If the political elites and media sensationalists of both nations can’t give an accurate picture of the political and social challenges between America and Russia, then it’s time for citizens to get involved again––time to for us to travel to get a sense of what’s going on for ourselves.

My vision for this May/June trip is:  our first priority is to meet with as many Russians, Ukrainians and other nationalities as possible.

The trip is scheduled to go first to Moscow, then to Volgograd, next to Ekaterinburg out in the Ural mountains, and last to St.Petersburg.  In all of these cities, CCI literally has endless connections with Russian people from students to business owners, journalists, city managers, teachers, medical doctors, lawyers, judges, scientists, musicians, historians and more.  We will break off and go in small groups to homes, schools, businesses, Rotary clubs, hospitals and universities.   For some sessions we will all attend presentations with Q&A with historians, journalists, cultural leaders and political figures.  Each day will be a top-rate educational experience.  Among these priorities we will build in cultural events, visits to a palace or two with excellent guide-historians and take in exquisite performances of ballet and symphony.  In each city we will have city tours of Russia’s architectural accomplishments, both modern and Tsarist.

I can without question, guarantee that this trip will be the most information-rich travel experience to Russia this year––or any year since the 1980s.   I know the scope of other excursions and schedules––but this trip will be one-of-a lifetime.  If it seems to me and our Board of Directors to be useful to repeat, this first trip will become the model for future Citizen2Citizen groups that will go to numerous sets of cities throughout Russia’s regions.

As you may know, one lone trip of 24 ordinary Americans at the height of the Cold War in 1983 started the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI. ) It began our 30-year history of working between the two countries to build bridges and increase the level of discourse between our peoples and our leaders. During those years we counseled with Congress members, routinely met with U.S. Ambassadors and Consul Generals, were received in the Kremlin twice by top advisors to Putin––and I received a White House appointment under Clinton to watch over U.S. funding for business development going into Russia.  Among several self-help programs and projects, we developed and ran multi-million dollar programs to help Russian entrepreneurs learn how to build small businesses during the 1990s and 2000s. Today 6,000 of our Russian business alumni who trained in over 400 American cities are successful and spread across 71 of Russia’s 89 regions.

I have high hopes that this May/June trip will launch a new citizen-level thrust again,  now that we admittedly are in an extremely dangerous and unanticipated Cold War II.

This trip will be open to any age group, but stamina and ability to stay on one’s feet all day long will be a prerequisite, also the ability to handle one’s own luggage.  Much more information will be given to those who wish to consider being part of this effort to reduce tension between our two nations.

Please email me for additional information or to get your application for the trip.

With hope for renewed understanding between our two peoples,

Sharon Tennison
President and Founder
Center for Citizen Initiatives
820 N. Delaware St.
San Mateo, CA 94401

650-458-8115

Email:  sharon (at) ccisf (dot) org

Author:  The Power of Impossible Ideas
Site: www.ccisf.org (under revision)
Blog:  www.russiaotherpointsofview.com
Rotary Club of Palo Alto, CA.