Monday, November 26, 2012
The Ukrainian students weren’t the only ones who came away fulfilled. Host families, mentors and their families back home all gained from the experience.
The group of Ukrainian students visiting Hopkins has had no shortage of experiences since the students arrived Oct. 31. The youth—whose visit was part of an exchange program with Hopkins’ sister city, Boryspil—got to experience Halloween, Election Day, Thanksgiving and, of course, Black Friday. They toured the state Capitol, local companies and Hopkins facilities. And they developed plans for how they can be leaders back in their home country. But the teens weren’t the only ones enriched by the experience. The support network around them—host families, stateside mentors who talked with them about their experiences and their families back home—all benefited. Read below to see how the program affected a representative from each of those …
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The students visited Spirit of Hope United Methodist to pack books that Children’s Chance is shipping to Kiev.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
- James Warden
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Sunday, November 18, 2012
The students visiting from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil have done a lot since they traveled to Minnesota from Ukraine. They’ve seen the state’s landmarks, toured major businesses and shadowed local students at Hopkins schools. And on Sunday, they loaded boxes into a shipping container. The boxes weren’t just about manual labor, though. Hopkins nonprofit Children’s Chance is shipping 25,000 books to the Ukraine to help people there learn English. So the Boryspil students sang hymns and listened to the message at the Spirit of Hope United Methodist service in Golden Valley and then loaded 486 boxes into a cargo container destined for Kiev. Children’s Chance has been delivering books to other countries since 1979. It’s made shipments to …
Friday, November 9, 2012
Ninth grader Dmytro Deyneko, who’s from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil, praised a process so many American take for granted.
Americans have no shortage of complaints about their electoral system: There are too many negative ads. There’s too much money. The campaigns are too contentious. But that’s not the way a visiting Ukrainian student from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil sees it. Ninth grader Dmytro Deyneko is one of several Ukrainian students in the community as part of The Ukraine/Minnesota Civic Leadership Engagement Program for Youth. The students are attending local schools, participating in civic leadership development activities and sharing their thoughts with the Minnesota youth. As part of the program, Deyneko got to observe this year’s election process. When the City Council officially welcomed the students Wednesday, Deyneko took that as an …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Last-minute changes forced some families to drop out.
Organizers of the upcoming sister city visit are looking for more host families to step in for those families whose schedules couldn’t accommodate the last-minute changes brought on by visa difficulties. The Ukraine/Minnesota Civic Leadership Engagement Program for Youth brings young civic leaders together to learn from one another. Boryspil students learn about community engagement in Minnesota, and the American students learn about “challenges faced in an emerging democracy,” according to a description of the program. The students will attend local schools, participate in civic leadership development activities and share their perspectives, hopes and challenges with the Minnesota youth. Families must willing to provide a bed and daily …
Friday, October 19, 2012
After having their visas denied, visitors from the Ukrainian city of Boryspil are now cleared to come to Hopkins.
The visit from Boryspil students is a go. After denying visas for 17 youth and three chaperones from Hopkins’ sister city back in August, the State Department changed its position and granted visas to the group Thursday. Now the Ukrainian visitors are scrambling to get tickets for a four-week visit targeted to begin Oct. 29. “We’re very excited No. 1—overwhelmed No. 2,” joked Irina Fursman, vice president of executive search firm Brimeyer Fursman and one of the sister city organizers. The State Department originally denied the visa request because it said the group needed student exchange visas instead. Those visas are more expensive and require going through an organization specially licensed as “Student and Exchange Visitor Program …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The State Department says the Ukrainian students need a different type of visa in order to visit Minnesota.
The U.S. Embassy is standing in the way of a Hopkins sister city exchange trip that is supposed to happen this fall, according to program organizers. Although the embassy granted security clearance for the Ukrainians who are supposed to visit Minnesota between Sept. 15 and Oct. 13, it denied their request for visitors visas because it said they need student exchange visas instead, said Richard Fursman, president of executive search firm Brimeyer Fursman and one of the sister city organizers. “It is completely baffling,” Fursman said. The Ukraine/Minnesota Civic Leadership Engagement Program for Youth is intended to bring young civic leaders together to learn from one another. Students from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil learn about …
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Patch is inviting residents from both Hopkins and Boryspil to share photos of their communities in order to get to know one another.
Hopkins and its sister city, Borispil, are forging bonds step by step. The partnership began when Mayor Gene Maxwell visited the Ukrainian city last year. It continued when a Ukrainian delegation visited Hopkins in September. And it will take yet another step forward when a group of Boryspil teens visit Hopkins for a month this fall. But few are lucky enough to go on one of these visits. That’s why Patch wants to help people from these two cities get to know one another better. We’re inviting readers from both Boryspil and Hopkins to share photos of their favorite local landmarks, hangouts and vistas with sister city residents across the globe. Do you have a favorite park? Is there a can’t-miss entrée in your favorite restaurant? Do you …
Friday, June 1, 2012
Organizers are looking for 20 families willing to provide a place for Ukrainian youth to stay when they visit this fall.
Hopkins is seeking families to host 18 students and two adult chaperones from its Ukrainian sister city during their visit here Sept. 15 through Oct. 13. The Ukraine/Minnesota Civic Leadership Engagement Program for Youth brings young civic leaders together to learn from one another. Boryspil students learn about community engagement in Minnesota, and the American students learn about “challenges faced in an emerging democracy,” according to a description of the program. The students will attend local schools, participate in civic leadership development activities and share their perspectives, hopes and challenges with the Minnesota youth. (Click on the PDFs to the right of this article for full details.) Organizers are looking for 20 …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Students from the Ukrainian city of Boryspil will visit Hopkins in the fall.
Hopkins’ friendship with its Ukrainian sister city will continue this fall when 18 students and two adult chaperones from Boryspil will visit the community. The students will visit Hopkins schools, participate in civic leadership development opportunities and share their experiences with Minnesota youth, according to a city announcement. Hopkins is looking for families to host the visitors. Families with students of a similar age who reside in the Hopkins school district are preferred. All students are proficient in English and interested in learning about Minnesota. Those who are interested can contact Deb Sperling at Hopkins City Hall or by e-mail at dsperling@hopkinsmn.com. She will put you in contact with the trip organizers. Stay up…
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Hopkins gave its sister city Boryspil permission to use The Depot name for a teen center there.
Reid Madden has big dreams for The Depot Coffee House. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the Hopkins junior pronounced that the teen-centered facility was going “multi-galactic.” Madden’s ambitions might be a bit grandiose, but The Depot is on the verge of making a multinational jump. Following a visit to Minnesota in September, Hopkins’ Ukrainian sister city of Boryspil is getting ready to launch its own version of The Depot. “The people in the (Boryspil) delegation were amazed by it, I think,” said Alex Aronovich, chairman of The Depot’s youth-led board. The excitement started building before the Ukrainian visitors ever set foot in Hopkins. Mayor Gene Maxwell described the city-owned teen center during his visit to Boryspil with a civic…
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Depot Coffee House
9451 Excelsior Blvd, Hopkins, MN
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