An article by Vera DeBuchananne, Open World Program Manager for Alumni Coordination

"How is Governor Schwarzenegger doing?" was the greeting I heard on arriving in Altai Territory for Open World's youth alumni forum. I soon learned that people there feel a certain kinship with Californians: Altai's new governor, Mikhail Yevdokimov, is also an actor/entertainer.

Actually, Altai has more in common with California than I anticipated. Good roads get you quickly between well-laid-out cities, and mountain ranges frame lush valleys. Even the mountains in both places share something: evocative native names and legends.

The stunning scenery was an unexpected side-benefit of having Altai Territory host the forum. It had been chosen as the venue because Open World has a number of especially active alumni there who are either "youth" themselves or who focus on youth issues. (Unlike Americans, who generally apply the term "youth" to the 14-21 age range, Russians specifically refer to youth as those between the ages of 18 and 35.)

Among the first to welcome me to Altai Territory was Open World alumna Irina Perova, then the deputy chair of the regional administration's youth committee. Her committee is very involved in overseeing implementation of legislation Altai Territory passed in 2001 guaranteeing that youth receive health care, education and other basics needed to succeed in life and work. A driving force behind the conference, Irina had successfully enlisted the cooperation and participation of Altai authorities, NGOs, businesses, and Open World alumni.

I was there not only as Open World's alumni coordinator, but also as program manager for our youth issues theme, which we incorporated into our U.S. programming at the urging of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow and former ambassador and current Open World trustee James F. Collins. Our U.S. programs are intended to support participants' efforts to help youth become healthy, self-sufficient, and contributing members of Russian society — and even to become its future leaders. So listening to some of Siberia's most active youth experts — and seeing some of their programs on the ground — was an invaluable experience for me.

Like Irina, many of the alumni I met sit on regional and municipal youth committees. The closest U.S. equivalent are parks and recreation departments, but the Russian versions serve just those defined as "youth," yet have a broader mission. Committee officials described to me how, in addition to organizing sports, they work with universities and student unions, hold essay-writing competitions, and involve youth in municipal decision-making.

This governmental focus on 18- to 35-year-olds may be a uniquely Russian approach to grooming future leaders. And the work that our alumni carry out in youth committees is considered important enough to lead to even greater opportunities. Conference co-organizer Irina Perova has left Barnaul for Moscow to take a new position with energy giant United Energy Systems. We at Open World wish Irina the best of luck and hope to see her sometime in the Russian capital!

Published by The PBN Company for the Open World Leadership Center, whose Open World Program has hosted nearly 9,000 citizens from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan since its inception in 1999. The Center is an independent legislative branch agency that works cooperatively with the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. executive and judicial branch agencies. For additional information, please visit the Open World Leadership Center's website at www.openworld.gov or contact the office at +1 202-707-8943.