Pre-Arrival Programming

A welcome packet will be sent to Fellows before their arrival and will contain a summary of Fellowship activities to take place in the United States and will include relevant background reading, to be completed in advance of Orientation, necessary logistical information, and information about the Host Program to which each Fellow has been assigned. Contact information for members of the first class of Fellows who have previously agreed to speak with prospective Fellows about their experiences will also be included.

Orientation

In addition to Orientation and their four-week placement, Fellows must attend approximately six weeks of intensive learning rotations. Topics for these rotations have been selected; however, they may be modified in response to the needs and interests of the Fellows. The following are the tentative topics:

• Development & Communications
• Research and Evidence-based practice
• Government Affairs/International Law/Policy Advocacy
• Leadership and Management
• International Development
• Sports and Special Olympics Divisioning
• Major Events and World Games
• Nonprofit Management
• U.S. Culture and Cross-Cultural Dialogue

These rotations will provide in-depth training in an area beyond the focus of each Fellow's primary placement. They will be run primarily by Special Olympics headquarters staff, but may also include sessions from worldwide Special Olympics staff, as well as outside experts. These trainings may occur at Special Olympics headquarters and at locations around the United States.

The closing week's activities will include concluding/debriefing activities to collect lessons learned and promising practices. One of these activities will involve a discussion of diversity issues as observed in the United States in comparison to the Fellow's home countries and of the impact of diversity on service delivery and policy promotion in those countries. Fellows will also write a paper about how their learning might be applied to address relevant situations in the home country.

Host Program Placement

Fellows will be placed in a Host Program for approximately four weeks of the Fellowship. The Host Program selection process will be competitive and will feature representation from a racially, culturally and geographically diverse cross-section of the U.S. Host Program placements, as noted, will be made based on an individual Fellow's learning objectives and on the abilities of Host Programs to address these needs. While a formal Mentor will be designated before the Fellows' arrival, multiple “sub-Mentors” may be selected by Host Programs to assist in developing their Fellows' experience.

At least one conference call will be scheduled with the Fellows and Mentors midway through the placement, to assess progress, adjust individualized learning plans as constraints or new opportunities arise, and to negotiate and resolve any interpersonal conflicts or misunderstandings. At least one conference call will also be scheduled with the home country Special Olympics Program to adjust Fellowship Project planning and development. Special Olympics headquarters staff will conduct site visits to Fellows in their Host Programs as needed to provide additional support.

The Fellowship Project

Example of a Fellowship Experience from Year 1

Masha Belikova is the PR manager for SO Kazakhstan and served as a Fellow in Special Olympics Texas. She brought to the program a background in non-profit public relations and developed a Fellowship Project proposal to create a robust Web-based resource for Special Olympics Kazakhstan, to be filled with stories and pictures taken at local events across the country. This resource is intended to energize regional and local offices by influencing the most dynamic young members of society to become engaged as Special Olympics volunteers.

Masha arrived in the United States with a Fellowship Project proposal, developed in collaboration with Special Olympics Kazakhstan, and had already shared her vision during several conference calls with her U.S. Host Program Mentor and Special Olympics, during which time an individualized learning plan was developed. In addition to participating in Orientation and rotations at Special Olympics headquarters, Masha was placed in Special Olympics Texas, which has a thriving volunteer base and a successful track record at effectively and creatively recruiting new athletes and supporters. These qualities made Special Olympics Texas a good match for Masha and her learning objectives.

While in her Host Program, Masha supported PR and media activities for two major state-wide events, the Law Enforcement Torch Run Kick-Off and the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games and also had the opportunity to travel to a number of local events around the state. She worked closely with her Mentor, Special Olympics Texas staff, athletes, board members and volunteers and saw first-hand how success was measured and achieved in one of the U.S.'s most sophisticated Programs.

Masha is currently working to recruit volunteers for her Fellowship Project back in Kazakhstan and plans to utilize the new connections she has made in Texas and at Special Olympics headquarters to support her efforts and as of November 2008, has already identified five volunteer leaders from the Atyrau, Ust - Kamenogorsk, Uralsk, Kustanai and Almaty regions of Kazakhstan. Together, they have recruited more than 525 participants to the site. She is also working with a local IT specialist to set up a new Web site for her home country Special Olympics Program.