Oak Park residents Gloria and Bruce Cox did not need a visa or have to suffer jet lag to learn first-hand about the culture of the Republic of Georgia.
Instead, they participated in Open World, a professional exchange program dedicated to creating authentic communication and immersive cultural experiences.
As part of the program, a delegation of five civil and legal activists from Georgia, a former Soviet republic, visited Illinois Aug. 9-17. The program was aimed at providing activists with tools to advance democracy and freedom in Georgia.
One of the delegates, Nati Gelovani, stayed with the Coxes in Oak Park. Gelovani is a lawyer who worked for the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia for many years, where she focused on hate crimes, bias-motivated crimes and gender-based violence. She now works at the NGO Rule of Law Center, where she continues to specialize in the protection of human rights.
The Oak Park couple also hosted the group’s facilitator, Anna Jobava, who works as the Civil Society Organization’s Advisor at the USAID Rule of Law Program.
“We have participated with this program several times in the past,” said Bruce Cox. “We’ve hosted people starting back about six years ago.”
Administered by the Congressional Office for International Leadership, the Open World program brings emerging leaders from partner countries to the United States for 10 days of intensive exchange with professional counterparts. During the program, delegates stay with host families, giving them an intimate view of American life.
Cox said he and his wife were first introduced to Open World by members of their church. Since then, the couple has welcomed into their home delegates from Germany, Uzbekistan, Russia, Columbia and now Georgia.
“You get to host a wide variety of different people, like social workers, lawyers and scientists, from a variety of different countries,” he said.
Activities for the visiting delegates in Illinois were coordinated by the Council of International Programs – Chicago (CIPC), a non-profit international exchange program.
George Palamattam, executive director of CIPC, said the delegates met with an assortment of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Arise Chicago, the Better Government Association, the Beverly Area Planning Association, the Center for Conflict Resolution, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Legal Aid Society, the Metropolitan Planning Council, Mikva Challenge, and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. The group also met with U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL).
“They are invested in learning about best practices here,” Palamattam said. “It’s a comprehensive program and there is no time to waste.”
According to Palamattam, the CIPC coordinates with several groups of visiting delegates each year from a range of different counties and professional backgrounds.
While last week’s group from Georgia consisted of civic and legal activists, a group from Estonia who visited Illinois in June was comprised of professionals from the environmental sustainability sector.
“What they all have in common is that they are leaders or emerging leaders,” he said.
When delegates come to Illinois, the CIPC arranges for them to stay with host families, rather than at hotels.
“Doing this provides Americans an opportunity to build relationships across cultures and national boundaries without leaving their living room,” Palamattam said.
Gloria Cox agreed with that sentiment.
“We like to travel a lot and this is a cool way to explore another culture without having to get a passport and get on a plane,” she said. “It’s a fun and easy thing to do.”
Cox said their guests from Georgia visited the Hemingway Home & Museum, the Oak Park Farmers’ Market and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio.
“They also joined us for a Sunday night dinner at a friend’s house, so they had a chance to just kind of socialize and experience that aspect of life in the Oak Park-River Forest area,” she said.
In particular, Cox enjoyed learning about the food and desserts one of the delegates, who is an avid baker, likes to make.
“We discussed a range of topics and issues, and answered questions they had about life in America,” she said.
Since its inception in 1999, more than 31,000 current and future leaders from partner countries have participated in the Open World program. The program uses congressional leadership and people-to-people engagement to provide foreign visitors with a multi-level federal, state and local introduction to accountable governance and American life. To learn more, visit www.openworld.gov/
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