Kyivans had the chance to join a call with outer space at America House on Oct. 25, 2017.
The U. S. cultural center in the Ukrainian capital organized a live web chat with NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik as he floated in the International Space Station.
Unsurprisingly, the event was packed.
This is just one of about 800 events that America House hosts every year, including lectures, workshops, film screenings, concerts and art exhibits, aimed to educate, share American culture and build bridges between Ukraine and the U. S. All of them are free.
In the spirit of building bridges, America House invited Leonid Kadeniuk, the first astronaut of independent Ukraine, to the meeting with Bresnik.
Kadeniuk, now deceased, went to space on board NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia as part of a scientific collaboration between the two countries in 1997.
What America House does is not as far-reaching as supporting Ukrainian astronauts, but it definitely inspires future ones, as well scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, activists and all kinds of young professionals since 2015.
“We opened in the sort of post-Maidan time as a way to support civil society and the emerging leaders of Ukraine,” America House director Christi Anne Hofland told the Kyiv Post, referring to the EuroMaidan revolution, a popular uprising that drove Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych from power on Feb. 22, 2014.
America House Kyiv is a project administered by the international nonprofit organization IREX that specializes in global education and development, but it gets funding from the U.S. Department of State. It is one of the largest American outreach centers globally, and a flagship for the Ukrainian regional Window on America cultural hubs.
However, the team members of America House are mostly Ukrainians, with only the director and an English-language fellow being Americans. There is also a constant flow of volunteers from the U. S. Embassy, Fulbright, Peace Corps and other U.S. government-funded programs.
“You can’t be working to build bridges between Americans and Ukrainians if you don’t have a team of Americans and Ukrainians working together,” Hofland says.
Hofland first came to Ukraine in 1995 as an 11-year daughter of a Fulbright academic and professional exchange program fellow in Kharkiv.
In 2008, she herself came on a Fulbright fellowship to set-up an art therapy program at a children’s rehabilitation center in Odesa. Later she came back again to teach English at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.
“Ukraine is this place that just sort of catches people! And once you come here, you keep coming back,” she says.
When asked about projects she is most proud of at America House, Hofland is at a loss — there are so many. Having an average of 15 programs and events happening every week, over the four years America House had close to 3,000 projects.
Besides various English-learning classes, there are youth leadership programs for school and university students with series of trainings and mentorship. There are talks from U.S. inspirational speakers, like combat survivor Shilo Harris and Paralympics champion Oksana Masters, free for anyone to attend.
America House has a Maker Space where students and entrepreneurs can experiment and create prototypes for their projects using 3D printers and scanners, vinyl cutters, hardware and software for coding, creating music, video and photo editing. The House also hosts business and start-up incubators with lectures from leading coaches in the U.S.
“It’s amazing when you structure a program where people meet regularly and build a community of success stories. Someone gets a new job, a promotion or a business partner; someone comes to America House and as a result goes to study at Harvard. These are things we’re most proud of — seeing the results,” Hofland says.
America House is also a natural meeting place for many American expatriates living in Kyiv. Besides involving them in mentoring and teaching English, the House organized a Ukrainian speaking club for foreigners wanting to learn the language.
One currently running monthly program is “Walk With Locals,” where Ukrainian volunteers and students organize unique tours for foreigners around Kyiv, “Murals in Kyiv,” for example.
“It’s a really good way to see a different part of the city and learn local tips. Being able to go with local people on these tours that are English-speaking, that have themes and are really fascinating is very nice,” Betsy Fawcett, an American teaching English in Kyiv, told the Kyiv Post.
Traditionally, on a weekend around the Fourth of July, America House invites people who have gone through its programs and newcomers to celebrate the U. S. Independence Day. Hofland also says that it’s a day to celebrate their visitors’ success.
This year, the party takes place on July 7 and has a theme “All American Independence Day.” It will have a team of animators dressed as famous American characters, yard and board games, art projects and other activities. Six bands will perform live, including one made up of U.S. diplomats.
“We try to create the Fourth of July celebration just like in the U.S. — a backyard barbeque, live music, hamburgers and hot dogs, so that our Ukrainian friends can have a feeling and atmosphere of what it’s like in the U.S. and our American friends can feel at home,” Hofland says.
