An alliance to develop and maintain
ties between New Yorks Capital Region and the City and Oblast of Tula, Russia
Vision
We are a grass-roots, not-for-profit volunteer organization composed of citizens of Albany and the surrounding Capital Region of New York State, partnered with citizens of Tula, Russia. We have come together to provide mutual support and inspiration and to carry on a long-term program dedicated to the growth and well-being of both communities.
In this era of dramatic change on a global scale, we have learned that the most powerful tool for the improvement of humankind is the direct sharing of knowledge, resources and trust among communities and individuals. This is the guiding principle of the Albany-Tula Alliance. Long before "globalization" was a buzz word, the Albany-Tula Alliance embarked upon building a foundation of trust leading to a shared future.
Our active organization thrives on inventiveness and creative problem-solving. We have a proud history of mobilizing widely disparate resources to collaborate on projects that improve people's lives - including our own - in the process of working with the citizens of Tula.
We also serve as a model of how a group of citizens, with modem technology and old-fashioned hard work, can be productive members of the global village and contribute to the internationalization of our regions.
Strategies
Since 1991, when the former Soviet Union began to move toward a revitalized economy and a democratic form of government, the Alliance has facilitated exchanges with citizens of Tula in several areas. Our ever-widening partnerships with both people and institutions have led to mutual improvement in the quality of our personal and professional lives, and in the celebration of our common humanity.
Business and Economic Development
Strengthen the market economy of the City of Tula and the Tula region through business-related technical assistance, entrepreneurial training and education. Facilitate mutual trade and technology transfer. Enhance business-to-business relationships.
Promote international understanding and tolerance of differences between Tula and the Capital Region. Expand distance learning. Share the best educational practices from both cities. Encourage bridges in education and the arts as powerful means for creating an environment for a better life.
Support health and clinical officials as well as leaders in both government and education in their efforts to improve the health and environment for the people of Tula and, especially, the children. Sponsor exchanges of health and scientific professionals to advance the health and well-being for both regions.
Promote the rule of law, the value of public service and the importance of citizen participation in government. Support exchanges of law professors, judges and local officials. Assist
in accessing government grants. Sponsor mutually beneficial conferences.
Tourism
Tours to Tula and other Russian cities have been organized by the Alliance. Arrangements are made through local travel professionals and are offered at attractive rates. In a recent tour, a small group from the Capital Region visited Tula and delivered a citation, gifts, and monetary awards to Tula educational institutions as part of the Tula's 850th anniversary celebration.
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Projects 1991-2006
Donated thousands of articles of clothing and bedding through our Family-to-Family program that helped citizens of Tula get through that first cold winter after the fall of Communism.
Hosted and subsidized over 40 interns and fellows at such Capital Region industries as the Times Union, banks (including SEFCU, Troy Savings Bank and Key Bank), Empire State Development, YMCA, Albany Medical Center, MySmartSimulations, Autotask, Logical Net, The Desmond Hotel, the Ft. Orange Club and Northwestern Mutual.
Advanced business start-ups and ongoing partnerships in Tula, including offshore programming and pre-fabricated housing.
Sponsored over 50 visits by leading Tula educators to the Capital Region and more than 30 visits by our educators to Tula.
Funded and hosted a visit by two Russian cosmonauts for RPI's 150th Anniversary and Space Week in 1999. The cosmonauts spoke with thousands of area school children.
Forged an ongoing relationship between the State University of New York at Cobleskill and Tula's International Academy of Tourism.
Helped foster understanding of the jury trial concept, new to Russia in 2002, with an exchange of judges and professors of law from Albany Law School.
Assisted Tula in creating one of the first managed care systems in Russia and the first clinics in all of Russia to offer outpatient preventative and primary care health, providing healthcare to over 60,000 children and adults in Tula.
Sponsored conferences on lead toxicity, gerontology and maternal and infant care.
Delivered thousands of books on American literature, history and government and the free market economy.
Established an annual writing contest for Russian and American university and high school students.
Funded several visits by musicians from Tula who premiered a new orchestral work with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and performed concerts for over 9,000 Capital Region students.
Exhibited paintings by American and Russian children in over 60 Capital Region locations, with a new collection nearly every year since 1992.
Led team visits in both directions of officials in public health, engineering and water departments to discuss environmental remediation, public water supply issues and technologies.
Hosted four Open World Leadership groups focused on health care, business development and the environment.
For more information, call 518-270-1130, ext. 204.
Email gshaye@albany.edu or albanytula@nycap.rr.com.
