american councils moldova newsletter march 2013

Inside this issue:

March 2013 American Councils Moldova Newsletter March 2013

American Councils Moldova Newsletter March 2013

American Councils Moldova Country Director David

Jesse’s anniversary interview on

Free Europe Radio Station

Being part of the American Councils - Moldova team all these years was exciting, and challeng-ing. We were responsible for launching new programs such as Legislative Fellows and Access mi-cro-scholarships, while keeping our larger, more established programs like Future Leaders Ex-change and Open World healthy and well-managed. This year was significant because it marked 20 years of our presence in Moldova. Over the last 20 years, I am pleased to share that American Councils - Moldova has established and maintained a reputation for integrity, performance and ac-countability. We have also experienced steady, managed growth, with a current staff of almost 40 full and part-time professionals working throughout the country on eight unique programs. It has been my pleasure to be part of this team and to promote educational opportunities for almost 4 years as the Country Director, mostly because I am frequently inspired by my colleagues and our participants, so I can't wait to see what new developments will come in 2013!

American Councils Moldova cel-ebrated its 20th Anniversary

"Effective Teaching and Class-room Management for To-be Teachers of English" Project

FLEX alumna from Moldova se-lected to attend Civic Education Workshop in DC

Access Micro scholarship Anni-versary Event Access Youth in Action country wide flash mob

US Ambassador William H. Moser visits Moldovan Access students in Cahul and Ceadir-Lunga

Honorable Alumni of the Month of February

American Councils Moldova celebrated its 20th Anniversary


On February 22nd, Moldovan university professors, school

teachers, NGO leaders, Open World, Legislative Fellows,

FLEX, Access and Carnegie alumni, US Embassy, World

Bank, IREX, USAID officials, as well as governmental

representatives were invited you to join American Coun-

cils Moldova team to celebrate its 20th Anniversary Event.

Over 160 registered participants attended the event, which

started at 12.00 pm, when Country Director David Jesse

opened the anniversary event with a welcome speech, fol-

lowed by a short presentation of our projects and activities in 2012 and the recognition of our best FLEX, LFP,

OW, Access and Carnegie alumni. At 1.00 pm the American Language Center staff introduced the first edi-

tion of the "Modern Trends and Resources for Teachers of Modern Languages" Journal and invited Moldo-

van teachers and university professors, as well as researchers in the education field to submit their contribu-

tions for the second edition due May 2013.

The event continued with a series of workshops and train-

ings moderated by American Councils Moldova staff on

teaching methodology and professional development op-

portunities for educators, entitled Best Moldovan Brands:

Facebook Business English Group Project, Overview of

Online TESOL Certification Courses, Creating a Capzles

Student Project, Teaching Advanced English through

news, Applying for a graduate scholarship - opportuni-

ties for Moldovan educators.

Two of our American Language Center (http://alc.md/)

instructors taught two parallel English Demo Classes for beginners and our Russian language instructor orga-

nized a separate workshop on non traditional methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language. FLEX, Car-

negie, LFP and OW Program Officers held informative sessions on the programs they administer, while a team

of energetic, enthusiastic volunteers wearing American Councils

- for 20 years in Moldova T-shirts helped guide visitors around

and serve refreshments to all participants.

The same day, our teenage Access English Micro scholarship stu-

dents from 6 different cities around Moldova conducted a Flash

Mob to celebrate our anniversary on a country wide scale.

Another important part if the anniversary event was the launch of

a 6 week project for 3rd and 4th year pedagogical and English

language and literature students interested to become EFL teach-

ers entitled "Effective Teaching and Classroom Management for To-be Teachers of English" under the guid-

ance of FLEX alumni community, raising the total number of beneficiaries up to around 200.

In period February-March 2013 Future Leaders Exchange Alumni Com-

munity in Moldova under American Councils for International Educa-

tion: ACTR/ACCELS organizes a six-weeks long training for 15-20

current 3rd and 4th year students of the Faculties of Foreign Languages

of the universities in Chisinau who specialize in teaching English.

The “Effective Teaching and Classroom Management for To-be

Teachers of English” project trainers list American Language Center

instructors, Muskie alumni, Fulbright scholars, as well as lecturers from

Moldovan universities.

The Project was officially opened with a welcome speech by David Jes-

se, American Councils Country Director who talked about the role of

educators, self-motivation and modern students profiles.

Trainings take place each Saturday, two seminars per day, hour and a

half each, with a break between seminars. The purpose of the training is

to equip the future teachers of English with basic class management

techniques and methodologies for effective teaching.

The start date was February 23rd. There is NO participation fee.

The topics of seminars are:

Professional ethics and teacher-student relationship

Class management and discipline

Communication, motivation and class participation

Self-evaluation, reflection and time management

Teaching basics for a novice teacher

Identifying and understanding the needs of a learner and learning

styles and how this understanding can maximize learning

Thinking Skills - what are they and how to inculcate them through-

out the classroom Active learning - methodologies to make teaching

more interactive, involving and more meaningful

Cooperative learning - how to get the best out of peer to peer inter-

actions and to multiply learning using groups

Lesson planning and teacher's resources: following curriculum and

finding a balance between required and additional material

Free 6 week training for 3rd/4th Foreign Language and Pedagogical students


FLEX Program Alumni Community under

the American Councils for International

Education:

February-March 2013 training

"Effective Teaching and Classroom Man-

agement for To-be Teachers of English"

On March 17-23, 2013, American Councils for International Education, in partnership with the American

Civics Center, hosted 100 FLEX program exchange student for the Civic Education Workshop (CEW). CEW

is a one-week program in Washington, D.C. funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and

Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program gives participants, chosen through a competitive application process, an

opportunity to gain a better understanding of some of the core concepts and values of U.S. society and culture.

The participants will be joined by three FLEX program Alumni, whose academic and professional achieve-

ments and commitment to service since completing their FLEX year have distinguished them in their alumni

communities. They will accompany CEW participants to events, and discuss their experiences on the program

and the impact it has had on their lives.

Marina Buciuc ‘07

Kewaunee, Wisconsin / Chisinau, Moldova

After the FLEX program Marina became actively involved

in projects to assist people who are socially vulnerable. She

took part in the FLEX English Language Camp, she spear-

headed the Best Buddies project to connect U.S. Govern-

ment alumni with local orphans, and she led English lan-

guage classes for children with physical disabilities.

Civic Education Workshop Brings FLEX Community Together


In 2010, Marina organized the Run against Domestic Violence FLEX Alumni Grant Project to raise aware-

ness of the issue and organizations that assist victims of domestic violence in Moldova. Marina was chosen

to study biomedical science at Minnesota State University in Mankato in 2011 as part of the Global

UGRAD program. She interned at the Arc of Minnesota Southwest where she worked with community

members with mental and developmental disabilities, noting, “This experience erased the word “disability”

from my vocabulary, since there is no limit to human abilities whether you are physically and/or mentally

challenged.” Marina is currently halfway through medical school training at Nicolae Testemiteanu State

Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Moldova. Her projects achieve positive long-term results for the

development of her community and country.

Access Micro scholarship Anniversary Event Access Youth in Action country wide flash mob


To celebrate American Councils 20th anniversary Access Micro-

scholarship Program participants and alumni organized the “Access

Youth in Action” Flash mob in 6 regions around Moldova. On Feb-

ruary 22nd, 3p.m. 6 groups of teenagers joined by a total of almost

400 participants, gathered simultaneously in Ungheni, Balti, Cahul,

Comrat, Chisinau and Varnita/Bender to encourage Moldovan youth

look for opportunities to study, such as those offered by American

Councils and all its exchange programs: Open World, LFP, Carne-

gie, FLEX.

The event was advertised through a promotional video posted on our web site and popular social networks.

Each region organized the event in a special way, delivering a unique message through dance performances, posters,

flags and thematic songs.

In Balti the event took place simultaneously

in two places: “Vasile Alecsandri” Lyceum

and the center of the city. 25 teenagers and

primary school children joined by 20 Access

students distributed flags and posters with the

American Councils symbols and logos.

Varnita/Bender group prepared posters with

different educational and motivational mes-

sages such as “We have a chance to have a

good future, that's why we learn English at

the American Councils” or "ACCESS makes

you understand that only together people rep-

resent a very strong power".

In Cahul over 150 participants

lit Sky Lanterns carrying

names of one of the education-

al programs administered by

American Councils in Moldo-

va.

In Comrat Access students dis-

tributed posters on educational

opportunities offered by Amer-

ican Councils Moldova. The

event was a real success and

received attention from local

mass media.

In Ungheni participants formed the

puzzle USA flag as a sign of grati-

tude for the US Embassy for the

opportunity to study English within

Access Micro scholarship Program.

In Chisinau 45 teenagers from

“Mihai Eminescu” Lyceum drew

posters on the importance of educa-

tion which included American

Councils programs logos and creat-

ed handmade paper bracelets dis-

playing messages such as such

messages as “Be Active!”, “Get

Involved!”, “Study More”.

US Ambassador William H. Moser visits Moldovan Access students in Cahul and Ceadir-Lunga

the game show Jeopardy, in

which the Ambassador participat-

ed. The Ambassador later fielded

several questions from the Ac-

cess participants, who asked him

about his career and how they

can be successful in life. Access

provides after-school English in-

struction to underprivileged chil-

dren throughout Moldova. Cur-

rently, there are about 120 stu-

dents enrolled.

Ambassador William H. Moser

spent part of yesterday afternoon

with about 40 youth from Cahul

and Ceadir-Lunga who are stu-

dents and alumni of the Embassy

-funded Access micro-

scholarship program. During the

get-together, which took place at

the Sergei Rachmaninoff Lyce-

um (high school), the youth gave

several presentations on local

culture then played a version of


On March, 20 (on the March Equinox) Access pro-

gram joined “Talking Kites Around the World”

iEARN project , a universal movement enhancing

the important values, such as tolerance, acceptance

of the "other", love, co-existence, listening, choosing

dialog over force, universal solidarity etc. among

participants from all over the world. This way, Ac-

cess students from all 6 regions made kites to fly as a

massive tribute dedicated to advancing the cultural

and social dialog, a symbol of bridging the gap and

understanding the "other."

While making kites each group has used original

shapes, a rainbow of colors and unusual decorative

materials; such way transmitting worldwide their

messages. Thus, the romantic kite of students from

Ungheni, the happiest Sponge Bob kite of Balti, the

lovable kite of Varnita/Bender students or the crea-

tive ones from Cahul, Chisinau and Comrat flew into

the sky to tell everybody how beautiful the world

should be.

Moreover, this action inspired greatly Rodica Acu-

lov, an English teacher from “Mihai Eminescu” Ly-

ceum, Cimislia, who motivated her students to deco-

rate and fly Talking Kites. The most wonderful mes-

sages were sent by the kindergarten kids from Cimis-

lia who drew valuable pictures of a world with peace

they hope, dream and want to live forever.

Access program joined “Talking Kites Around the World” iEARN project

American Councils Moldova Publishes EFL Teachers Journal

sional preparation, curriculum de-

sign and development, instruction-

al methods, materials, and tech-

niques and professional standards.

American Language Center

(ALC) staff are highly-qualified

instructors trained to integrate

Content Based Instructions, Task

Based Instruction, and Project

Based Teaching in their practices.

Some of ALC’s corporate clients

are Ministry of Education of Mol-

dova, Coca-Cola Moldova,

Moldtelecom, Chisinau City Hall,

Philip Morris International, Nestle

Moldova, and Mobias Bank.

The American Language Center,

a subsidiary of American Coun-

cils Moldova, recently published

its first edition of the English as a

Foreign Language (EFL) Teach-

ers Journal to provide Moldovan

EFL educators with a practical

teaching resource. This first edi-

tion, titled “Modern Trends and

Resources for Teachers of For-

eign Languages Journal,” aggre-

gates a collection of cross-

disciplinary articles in areas in-

cluding psychology, sociology of

language learning and teaching,

testing and evaluation, profes-


This year American Language Center has opened

two new branch offices, in Edinet and Cahul. In Edi-

net 14 students have shown interest in taking English

courses; therefore 2 groups were created on beginner

and elementary levels, respectively. In Cahul 8 stu-

dents were registered with a beginning level; the

courses are held in the afternoon. The semester dura-

tion is 4 months, from February till May and con-

tains 64 academic hours. In Ungheni 31 student was

interested in studying English this time; the semester

also lasts 4 months. The teachers from the 3 regions

took a training focused on innovative teaching tech-

niques and usage of authentic didactic materials in-

cluding video, audio materials. The ALC teacher-

trainers emphasized that the content of the course

should be focused not only on general English study

process, but also develop students’ essential skills

for becoming successful in today’s world such as

critical thinking, problem solving, communication

and collaboration. The General English Course Pro-

gram is designed to teach students how to communi-

cate effectively and fluently in English. All of the

four skills are taught - reading, writing, listening and

speaking – with a particular emphasis on oral com-

munication. Courses cover the language aspects in

everyday situations, from basic survival skills at the

beginner's level to the fluent communication at ad-

vanced level. Taking into consideration the fact that

one of the strategic purposes of the American Lan-

guage Center is to expand its business to three more

regions: Balti, Causeni, Soroca in 2013; the Center is

continually working on opening new opportunities

for personal and professional development.

New ALC offices in Edinet (North) and Cahul (South)

In 2012 Mrs Vragaleva was

one of the three Legislative

Fellows Program’s Alumni

from the second generation

of fellows from the Repub-

lic of Moldova. During her

fellowship at the Pennsyl-

vania State Senator Mike

Brubaker’s office, Mrs

Vragaleva was involved in

a lot of activities connected

with her background educa-

tion (mainly finance) and

professional activity

(taxation) activities which

were highly mediated on

Pennsylvanian Tv stations

and in local newspapers.

After her return, Mrs

Vragaleva was promoted

from the superior tax in-

spector to Head of Direct

Taxation Administration

Department at the Main

State Tax Inspectorate of

the Republic of Moldova–

position which brought her

to the middle management

level in one of the most

powerful organization in

the country.

Her education background

includes a master degree in

economics from the Acade-

my of Economic Studies of

Moldova and one in law

from the Academy of Pub-

lic Administration under the

President of the Republic of

Moldova. Now she is a sec-

ond year Economy and

Management PhD student

at the Academy of Scienc-

es of Moldova.

Mrs Vragaleva is actively

involved in various pro-

jects– she is an active

member of Censors Com-

mittee in the Moldovan

Intellectual Games Club,

member of International

Management Research

Association (based in Lon-

don, UK), member of In-

ternational Organization of

Tax Administration (based

in Budapest, Hungary),

member of Alternative

Economic Discussion Club

(IDEA), member of Mol-

dovan Orator Club, and a

founder of Proplus Debate

Club.

Parliamentary Assembly

of the Council of Europe.

Currently, she is the Co-

Founder of Women Demo-

cratic Network Chapter

within the Parliament.

Mrs Palihovici graduated

Moldova State University

with a degree in History,

and was the first one to

bring investments in youth

projects from Moldova.

She is the author of a num-

ber of studies and reports

on youth policy, gender

policy and child rights ad-

vocacy.

In 2012 Mrs Palihovici ac-

tively collaborated with

other alumni, a great exam-

ple being her involvement

as a mentor and volunteer

in he LeaderSHE and Inspir

-o projects implemented by

Open World alumna Olga

Melniciuc http://

www.leadershe.md/; In the

second round of the project

LeaderSHE, Mrs Palihovici

is actively involved as

its Ambassador.

Starting with 2011, Mrs

Palihovici has acted as the

Head of Delegation of the

Republic of Moldova to the

As the President of the

Women Organization

within the Liberal Demo-

cratic Party, Mrs Palihovi-

ci launched a series of leg-

islative initiatives on the

social protection of chil-

dren, people with disabili-

ties, gender issues and

youth.

She is the author of the

legislative initiative to pro-

mote and encourage wom-

en participation in the po-

litical life in Moldova.


Veronica Vragaleva,

Head Direct taxation

administration

Department, General

Department of Taxes. The

Main State Tax

Inspectorate under the

Ministry of Finance


Open World Program Alumna

PFP/LFP Alumna

Liliana Palihovici,

Deputy Speaker of

Moldovan Parliament

Vice president of the

Liberal Democratic Party

of Moldova

http://www.leadershe.md/

http://www.leadershe.md/

http://www.leadershe.md/ambassadress.html

Dr. Neagu supports and maintains IRIM’s

national and international reputation.

She is an expert in higher education poli-

cies and procedures.

Leads collaborative partnerships with US

educational institutions.

Participates in external working groups.

Designs and develops innovative educa-

tional approaches for both undergraduate

and postgraduate programs in order to

boost critical thinking, foster debate and

encourage intellectual reasoning.

Dr. Neagu is a member of the depart-

mental planning team that determines

academic programs.

She works on improving teaching meth-

odologies and content for the Foreign

Languages’ Department.

Dr. Neagu provides guidance and career

advice to students.

Identifies and investigates new areas of

research utilizing modern research

methodologies.

She mentors and guides the Model Unit-

ed Nations – an IRIM-based three-year

project.

2015;

November, 2012– active

involvement in

organization of Access

Final Award Ceremony;

November, 2012–

January, 2013– assisting

and helping new Access

students from Ungheni in

their learning and

extracurricular activities;

December, 2012– took

an active part in

organizing and

participating in the Youth

September-November,

2012– Coordinator of

Access community-

service project “Making

big changes starting with

the smallest one”,

implemented in Ungheni;

September, 2012–

member of “Ungheni

District Strategy for

Youth” Committee

aimed to elaborate the

activities for youth

development and active

involvement in

community life for 2013-

Volleyball Competition

held in Ungheni;

January, 2013–

successfully participated

in the “Georghe Asachi”

Lyceum English Contest

and won a leading place

due to acquired

knowledge and skills in

Access program;



Carnegie Alumna

Veronica Neagu,

Professor, PhD (Philology)

Vice Rector at the Institute

of International Relations of

Moldova (IRIM)

Visiting scholar in a number

of Western universities

(France, USA, UK)

Access Alumna

Chercheja Luminița,

student of “Gheorghe

Asachi “ Lyceum,

Ungheni Access Alumni,

Ungheni - Access group,

2010-2012

76 Kogalniceanu St.

Chisinau, Moldova

MD-2009

Phone: (+373 22) 22-58-60

Fax: (+373 22) 23-48-73

E-mail: [email protected]


In February 2013, students and teachers from Moldovan universities had the possibility

to attend the Faceconomics. Like it!, book presentation written by Aldous Mina. Face-

conomics is a theory designed in 2006 and developed in a book project in 2010. It is a

perfect example of the multiplication effect consisting of users from different countries

and training the world community for the cultural, social, business and politic develop-

ment and an international structure centered on the globalization of the markets.

Launching FACECONOMICS by Aldous Mina

We are on the web!

www.americancouncils.md

“To catch the

reader's attention,

place an interesting

sentence or quote

from the story

here.”

Aldous Mina

Author of Faceconomics, Like It!, a macro/micro economics social and

economic development adaptation utilizing social media to influence

changes in market development worldwide.

Founder and president of the Premier Global Council Group, a global

enterprise which uses the attributes and advantages of the last

generation of digital technology and internet as instruments in social

media for global affairs.

Founder of the International Business Council Foundation, an affairs

oriented organization consolidating the penetration and growth market

in the global trade.

american councils moldova newsletter march 2013

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