This blog has been created to mark the September/October 2006 study tour of Ukraine organised by the 21st Century Trust in collaboration with the John Smith Memorial Trust and in partnership with Asquith and Granovski Associates. (The views expressed in this blog don't represent those of the organisations involved with the study tour. They're simply the thoughts and impressions of the contributors.)
This blog is tied to a one-off event. So it's probably going to be live for a fairly short time. The idea is to capture and discuss the thoughts and impressions of people involved with this study tour, and to note down some of what we learn for others to share. And discuss and dispute.
I've been to quite a few 21st Century Trust events, and they are life-changing affairs. There are quite a few non-profits and foundations out there that promote high brow discussions of serious issues by earnest young over-achievers. The Trust is rather different. First off, they don't let you off with a forty eight hour think-in punctuated by bouts of Blackberryitis. To become a Trust fellow, you have to spend eight or nine days holed away in an Oxford college or a German castle with twenty people, a fresh daily supply of learned experts, and no chance of escape. You really, really get to know the other Fellows through sharing rooms, meals and intense political discussion for about eighteen hours a day. It could be hell. It's not. Somehow, the Trust has developed a magical algorithm for sorting through the CVs of its accomplished applicants to pick the fun ones. And the impeccable chairing, coaxing and finessing of John Lotherington, our doughty study tour leader, should mean that the trip goes smoothly in every possible way.
We'll be arriving in Kiev on Monday, 25 September and having several days of lectures and discussions with ministers, MPs, journalists, diplomats and political scientists. There'll also be a day of work-shadowing John Smith Fellows and other Ukrainians that match the professional interests of each participant. And we'll have a weekend in Yalta for a visit to the Livadia Palace where Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met for the Yalta Conference. It's going to be a fantastic experience.
So do check back into this blog over the next couple of weeks. We'll be meeting some very informed people (and I type very fast so take very comprehensive notes!) and hopefully we'll have plenty of posts from participants on the study tour and others associated with the Trust. And if you're interested in taking part in the discussion, drop me an email at maria dot farrell at gmail dot com.
Of course, if you want to know about Ukraine, nothing beats talking to a proper Ukrainian. Here are some Ukrainian blogs written in English that I've been following for the last year:
Many thanks for creating this platform where we can leave some cyber
footprints! For now, I have only one concern: this blog server TypePad only
offers 30-day free trial for opening a blog before charging annual price,
and I presume if without follow-up payment, the site will be simply
cancelled? If so, why don't we simply choose a FREE blog provider such as
www.blogger.com or http://wordpress.org/, and even when after our trip
everyone stops blogging in this particular site, at least it can be still
there as a lovely reminder of our trip? This is my current concern, for
all your reference... and see you soon!
Posted by: Lin Gu | September 23, 2006 at 01:02 AM
Hi Lin Gu,
We're going with TypePad because it has extra functionality we need - especially multiple authors. And don't worry about the site being cancelled, I'm looking after the account myself so the site will carry on indefinitely. Cheers, Maria
Posted by: Maria | September 23, 2006 at 05:39 AM