It’s hard to believe all that has transpired between the Capital Region and Tula since the Alliance began in 1991. What started as a humanitarian effort to aid Tulans during the economic hardships that accompanied the dissolution of the Soviet Union has blossomed through the years into rich exchanges of teenagers, college professors, environmentalists, musicians, teachers, medical doctors, government representatives, librarians, scientists, and businesspeople — in both directions. In recent years, a new generation of citizens is engaged and fostering outreach to young people through elementary and secondary schools.
Through Others’ Eyes
In these hard times, it takes a little extra dedication to invest oneself in friendships afar. But the process has never been more rewarding. To watch last summer’s young essay winners speak with lighted faces of their stay with Tulans, or to listen to recent visitors here from Tula, is to know afresh why we work so hard at the Alliance.
We are energized to encourage ourselves and fellow citizens to become aware of the world as seen through the eyes of others far away. It is too easy to get swept up in our media-fed daily lives and never really step out of ourselves to know our neighbors — be they close by or far away. The Alliance helps us do that stepping out. We are no longer dealing with stereotypes of Russians or Americans, respectively, but with individual human beings we have met ourselves, who are as intelligent, caring, good-humored and friendly as people in our own neighborhoods.
Join the Celebration—Spread the Word!
We’ve planned a rich set of activities this year to celebrate the friendship of our two regions. Our goal is to spread the word to new friends, including young people, and to encourage them to become involved. Plans include:
A transatlantic musical collaboration staged at The College of St. Rose
The dedication of our commemorative statue in Tricentennial Park, Albany
A student essay contest on space exploration
An Olympiad competition for area students to test their knowledge about Russia
A River Cruise and Tour of St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Tula
An environmental health online conference
Getting to Know You, a retrospective exhibition showcasing efforts in education, business, science and medicine, and the arts
A performance by The Singing Anchors for our Songs at Sunset fundraiser.
To sign up for our remaining events this year, please visit www.test.albanytula.org/events.