CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The Congressional Office for International Leadership (formerly known as the Open World Leadership Center), an agency of the U.S. Congress, will send a delegation of young women from local governments across Armenia to Cambridge, Massachusetts from October 13-21, 2023. The group consists of five delegates who currently serve on local councils and will be accompanied by a bicultural and lingual facilitator and an interpreter. While in the Cambridge area, the Open World program participants will be hosted by the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA). The delegation will stay in the homes of local residents who serve as hospitality hosts.
Prior to their arrival in Cambridge, the participants will have completed an orientation in Washington, D.C.
In the Cambridge area, delegates will collaborate on best practices for good governance and advancement of women’s leadership. Delegates will meet staff of U.S. Representative Katherine Clark (MA-DISTRICT #5), local leaders in Cambridge and other communities and state legislators. Additional activities will include a visit to Tufts University Tisch College of Civic Life, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Women and Public Policy program, meetings with the MA Caucus of Women Legislators and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and a social/networking event with the AGBU Young Professionals group. In addition, the delegates will participate in a panel discussion on “Advancing Women’s Leadership in Local Government in Armenia” at NAASR on Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. that is open to the public.
More than 30,000 current and future leaders from partner countries have participated in the Open World program, which offers one of the most effective U.S. exchange programs to promote mutually beneficial options for depolarized engagement between future national leaders. It is a unique but no less powerful tool for Congress to engage legislatures in critical regions of the world.
The Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association, Inc. (CYSCA) is a sister city association between Cambridge, Massachusetts and Yerevan, the capital city of the Republic of Armenia. CYSCA is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization that for over thirty-five years has been actively engaged in a wide variety of citizen exchanges, including Open World exchanges, U.S. State Department “Community Connections” programs for professionals, youth exchanges and many other educational, cultural, humanitarian and philanthropic projects with its sister city based on shared values.
Founded in 1999 by Congress, the Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL) maintains a vast network of more than 30,000 alumni in partner countries. Its Open World program supports legislative diplomacy efforts for members of Congress by conducting exchanges that establish authentic communication and enduring relations that are maintained through its extensive alumni network. Program participants are provided with exposure to the work of Congress, American politics, accountable governance and volunteerism while being home hosted by American families.