16th Annual American Studies Summer Institute Promoting Transparent and Accountable Academic Leadership

16th Annual American Studies Summer Institute Promoting Transparent and Accountable Academic Leadership

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is pleased to announce the 16th American Studies Summer Institute, “Promoting Transparent and Accountable Academic Leadership,” that will focus on academic integrity and good governance. This event will take place at the U.S. Embassy’s new American center “America House” in Kyiv from June 3-5, 2015. University lecturers, researchers, NGO leaders, lawyers, and journalists from throughout Ukraine are invited to apply. Participants will be selected on a competitive basis.

More information: http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/…/current-programs-and-grants.…

Natalia Yasko | Information Assistant

U.S. Embassy | 4 Igor Sikorsky St., Kyiv, Ukraine

4 (380-44) 521 – 5652 | Fax (380-44) 521 – 5575

June 1 in the History of the American Cinema

June 1, 1926

Birth Name Norma Jeane Mortenson

Los Angeles, California, USA

Marilyn Monroe - American actress

More: 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000054/bio - bio

http://news.moviefone.com/2015/05/29/marilyn-monroe-facts/ - Marilyn Monroe Facts: 25 Things You Don't Know

http://www.refinery29.com/…/87…/movies-about-marilyn-monroe… - 12 Stars Who've Dared To Play Marilyn Monroe

http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123…

June Discussions -1 - An Image of a Woman of the 21st Century

What does it take to be a woman in the 21st century?

Join us for a discussion on "An Image of a Woman of the 21st Century" with Kate S.

Where: WOA Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev.

When: June 4, 2015 at 5.30 pm.

A Discussion on 'Words'. Are Women Really Better at Language?

It was a great discussion on 'Words' with Natalia M. We spoke about words, their origin and meanings. We spelled tongue twisters and сalled to our mind interesting stories about word usage, discussed women's abilities to speak and other questions: Remember the situation when 1 word greatly changed your mood? Life circle of a word (birth, become popular, change meaning, die). Have you ever invented a word? What very interesting word have you heard? What is the relation between thoughts and words? What appears first: a word or a thought? How do children understand their parents not knowing a word? Do we need to say a lot of words to be understood? Can we change reality just changing the words we use? What do you need to do to make words our friends? Are there good or bad words? Why/ Why not? Are there words more important than others? What do you want to hear from your beloved?

A Discussion on 'Social Entrepreneurship' with Serhii B.

Reminder

Join us for a Discussion with Nataliia M. 

When: May 30, 2014 at 10.30 am.

Where: WOA Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev.

The final meeting with Antonin N. at WOA Center. Looking forward to hearing from you and waiting for a good news. Have a safe journey.

A Discussion on 'Social Entrepreneurship' with Serhii B.

Join us for the unique discussion led by Serhii B. 

Where: Window on America Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev.

When: May 28, 5.30 pm.

Serhii B.: "...we need to locate weak, ineffective points in our town life and think how it can be improved; to motivate people and to contribute to better life here; it is about social Entrepreneurship. There are public funding organizations that can provide money for beneficial purposes, how to attract their attention, and do something useful for the society. We need to make a positive change in our society".

Новини від Open World Ukraine

Інформуємо Вас про початок проведення стипендіального конкурсу для внутрішньо переміщених осіб з Донецької та Луганської областей і проживаючих на цих територіях, а також для внутрішньо переміщених осіб з тимчасово окупованої території Автономної Республіки Крим та м. Севастополя, на здобуття стипендій на участь в програмі Європейського Форуму Альпбаха в Австрії, що відбудеться з 19 серпня по 04 вересня 2015 року.

Більше про проект: http://unistudy.org.ua/alpbach-scholarships/

Гра дарує море задоволення, заряджає бадьорістю духу і гарним настроєм

Життя поступово змінюється і вносить корективи і в сферу обслуговування. Ще декілька років тому дитячий куточок в закладах громадського користування був забаганкою. На сьогоднішній день це вже необхідність. У нашому місті таких дитячих майданчиків чи кімнат чимало, куди можна дітям прийти і провести час граючись. Це безпосереднє спілкування, під час якого вчишся певним нормам поведінки. Ми вже давно відвикли від настільних ігор, конструктурів, дартс, і навіть для дітей соціальні мережі стали другою реальністю, яку "не ввімкнувши вранці", наражаєшся на неприємності. Цікаво, що дотепер дартс є традиційною грою, у яку грають у пабах Великобританії, Нідерландів, Скандинавських країн, США і деяких інших. Крім цього, у дартс грають і на професійному рівні. Ми сьогодні вчились грати у цю гру, вивчаючи правила. І не тільки у цю. Таки лего вабить кожну дитину. Так приємно бачити, коли дитячі руки створюють щось нове.

Movie Night - "The Pursuit of Happyness"

This time the participants of the Movie Night enjoyed watching an American biographical drama movie. 

'The Pursuit of Happyness' is a film based on Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film features Will Smith as Gardner, a homeless salesman. Smith's son Jaden Smith co-stars, making his film debut as Gardner's son, Christopher Jr. Will Smith and Jaden Smith later appeared together in the movie “After Earth”.

The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the best-selling memoir written by Gardner with Quincy Troupe. For his performance, Smith was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

The unusual spelling of the film's title comes from a mural that Gardner sees on the wall outside the daycare facility his son attends. He complains to the owner of the daycare that "happiness" is incorrectly spelled as "happyness" and needs to be changed.

Здається, комусь можна подарувати радість життя....

A Discussion on "To Be Ukrainian" with Nadiia H.

English Club 23 May 2015 

To be Ukrainians 

Leader: Nadiia H. 

Those who came for this discussion shared their ideas on advantages and disadvantages of living in Ukraine and any stereotypes about Ukrainians. We spoke about customs and ancient traditions that we have in Ukraine, the best Ukrainian books to read and Ukrainian movies to watch, etc. In a nutshell, we started our parade of embroidery shirts here at the Center.

Warming-up:

1. Would you like to live in another country for the rest of your life? Why/ Why not? Where? 

2. What Ukrainian cities or towns are very special to you? Which ones are not popular with visitors? 3. What are advantages and disadvantages of living in Ukraine? 

Discussion: 1. What are the main features that distinguish Ukrainians from other nations? Which of them wouldn’t you like to have? 

2. Do you know any stereotypes about Ukrainians? Are they offensive? What about anecdotes? 

3. What are the funniest customs and traditions do we have? Did you face with very weird ones? What is your attitude to the parade of embroidery shirts? Should we have a tradition to wear them more often than twice a year? 

4. Are you fond of reading Ukrainian literature and watching Ukrainian films? Why/ why not? 

5. What Ukrainian inventions and discoveries can you mention? Why have most of them been made abroad? 

6. Is it easy to be a Ukrainian patriot in other countries? Why/ why not? 

7. Do you believe that turning our Flag upside down will help Ukraine cope with all the problems? 

Schedule: May 28, 2015 at 5.30 pm - Serhii Bilozor, May 30, 2015 at 10.30 am - Natalia M. Box of Ideas: do you have any suggestions for summer activities? We are ready to implement them into reality

A Discussion on Internet Addiction with Lisle K.

Reminder

Join us for a Discussion on 'To Be Ukrainians' with Nadiia H. on May 23, 2015 at 10.30 am.
Where: Window on America Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev. 

You are invited for the Movie Night with Natalia M. 

When: May 24, 2015 at 4.30 pm. 

Where: WOA Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev. 

'The Pursuit of Happyness/ Gabriele  

Gabriele Muccino directs one of the most difficult movies a director can: a story of one's life. Chris Gardner's autobiography entitled "The Pursuit of Happyness" is required reading with all of the incredible, remarcable, traumatic and miracuolus ups and despairing downs of the 51year-olds life, and it is not fair to compare this film, which is inspired by a true story, we are told at its very start, to Mr. Gardner's book'. But...

http://www.popcornreel.com/htm/pursuitrev.htm

Movie Night with Olha M.

A Discussion on 'Mistakes' with Olha S.

It is a great discussion on 'Mistakes'. You don't understand what you have now until you're old and do not make any mistake in your life.

Презентація відео-робіт "Міжкультурної молодіжної студії"

Запрошуємо на наступну презентацію відео-робіт "Міжкультурної молодіжної студії", що відбудеться 16 травня о 10:30 в Інформаційному Центрі "Вікно в Америку", відділ документів іноземними мовами Вінницької ОУНБ ім. К.А. Тімірязєва.

Разом з ведучими Антоніном Н. та Ярославом Г. ви матиме можливість обговорити теми, які стали об'єктом тривалої роботи волонтерів та знайшли своє відображення у відео. 

Чекаємо на Вас. Робоча мова - англійська.

Join us for a Discussion "Mistakes" with Olha S. as a leader. 

When: May 14, 2015 at 5.30 pm.

Where: Window on America Center, Vinnytsia RUR named after K.A. Timiriazev.

Reminder

English Club - Intermediate Level.

You are invited for a discussion on 'Summer Holidays and Your Plans' with Kate S. 

When: May 12, 2015 at 5.45 pm.

Where: Window on America Center, Vinnytsia RUR Library named after K.A. Timiriazev.

It is a day to give more hugs to your mum.

Happy Mother's Day.

Shaping the Way We Teach English

Registration is now open for the Shaping the Way We Teach English, 2: Paths to Success in English Language Teaching (ELT) Massive Online Open Course which will begin on May 11. 

This is the second of the two-part Shaping the Way We Teach English series. The first part was the Landscape of English Language Teaching which is not a prerequisite for Paths to Success in ELT.

Aimed at English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, both those who are intending to pursue this field as a career and those already working in the field who would like to revise and refresh their methods and approaches. The materials and approaches presented should complement college courses such as Introduction to TEFL/TESOL Methods.

To register, please visit: https://www.coursera.org/course/shaping2paths

This five-week course explores important aspects of teaching English as a second or foreign language. The goal of this course is to help you become a better teacher. By the end of this course, you should be able to explain how the various materials and approaches presented will lead to better language learning; you will be able to choose appropriate materials and apply varied classroom activities to improve your students’ study of English. You will also be able to better evaluate both your own and other teachers’ practices.

Course Syllabus

Topics for Paths to Success in English Language Teaching include:

Week 1: Integrating skills and using tasks to motivate learners; project overview, introductions

Week 2: Alternative assessment that shows what learners can do with language; lesson plan phase 1 is due

Week 3: Incorporating individual learning differences in instruction; peer and self-evaluations are due

Week 4: Ideas for effective classroom management; final lesson plan is due

Week 5: Improving practice with reflective teaching; final peer and self-evaluations are due

- See more at: https://americanspaces.state.gov/home/calendar/7389?period=2015-05&almanac=false#sthash.ZN0IJ7LS.dpuf

A Discussion on 'Higher Education in Ukraine' with Ihor S.

This discussion lists a number of problems with contemporary higher education in Ukraine with acknowledgement of progress already being made and offers the solution of greater accountability. The conclusion warrants further discussion what improvements and changes should be provided in future. The participants present their concerns under three umbrella headings – a quality of instruction, an outcome transparency, and a financial aid. Going further will likely require greater discussion on innovative teaching methods. The leader of this activity is Ihor S.

Join us on May 5, 2015 at 5.45 pm for a Presentation "Discover the World". The participants of the English Club (Intermediate Level) will share their impressions on travelling in various countries and on different continents. 

Leader: Kate S.

Where: WOA Center, Vinnytsia RUR named after K.A. Timiriazev.

More: 56-27-44.

БІБЛІОТЕКА USAID: ЯК ОТРИМАТИ ІНФОРМАЦІЮ ВІД ВЛАДИ

Пропонуємо для громадських активістів брошуру створену у рамках програми USAID "Громадяни в дії" з описом основних інструментів отримання публічної інформації, а саме:

- як зробити інформаціцний запит;

- як знайти інформацію на веб-сайті органу влади;

- як проводити особисте спостереження за роботою колегіальних органів влади.

Брошуру можна завантажити за посиланням

http://www.ucipr.kiev.ua/…/buklet-iak-otrimati-informatciiu…

30 квітня - Міжнародний День джазу

30 квітня - Міжнародний День джазу

Музичним вечором «Джазові імпровізації» та обговоренням теми «Music, Ego, Identity, and Mindset” завершились «Дні Америки у Вінниці» в Інформаційному Центрі «Вікно в Америку». Mikael L. подарував усім бажаючим чудові джазові композиції.