Success stories:
Alexandru Godoroja '07 won UGRAD scholarship competition and will spend this academic year in Maryville College, Department of Business, Tennessee.
Valeriu Gonta '09 won an ERASMUS scholarship and he will be studying at Konstanz University, Germany for one semester in 2011.
Dorin Hamuraru '08 will continue his studies at Lucian Blaga University from Sibiu, Romania.
Cristina Poleacovschi '05 will continue her Master studies at Huntsville University from Alabama.
Roman Sorocan '09 got accepted at American University in Bulgaria.
Valeria Svart '07 was awarded a scholarship for her Geoecology studies at the University of Potsdam from the Heinrich Boell Foundation - The Foundation of the German Green Party.
Dinu Turcanu '10 will publish his first poetry book at the end of October. Four out of forty poems are in English.

Alumni of the month: Alexandr Hriptun '08 for his dedication and commitment during FLEX 2010 recruitment period.

Upcoming events:
October month: VFPM preparations - the coordinating team of this project will elaborate the working plan and will announce the application process very soon!
October, 9 First City Representative meeting - our five CRs together with Alumni coordinator, will get together for a planning meeting. The main goal of the activity is to organize a FLEX event calendar for the whole year.
October, 9 Dina Ceri '10 and her church youth group from Nisporeni will take some clothes donations to a group of socially vulnerable children in Marinici village.
October 11-15 Video shooting of FLEX Alumni R3 Application instructions - a group of innovative Alumni will make a short movie on how to correctly complete the R3 Application. The technical support will be offered by American Resource Center.
October, 16 at Leo Grand Convention Center (77 Mitropolitul Varlaam str.) will take place the annual Alumni Congress. Already at its VIII edition Alumni Congress aims to get together Alumni of all exchange programs sponsored by US Government and share the successes of our big community.

Events:
FLEX Alumni Reunion
On September 18, 25 Alumni gathered at the American Councils office to share their ideas and learn about new opportunities and scholarships. Most of the people that attended the event were young fellows of fresh returned FLEX '10 generation. Alumni had the chance to hear about NYUAD (New York University of Abu Dhabi) and the developing projects in our community, like Village of Future Project Managers (VFPM) and Video project for a R3 Application instructions. Ludmila Bilevschi ‘97 Alumni and Speakers Specialist from US Embassy in Moldova, recruited volunteers for the upcoming Alumni Congress. It's a great chance for Alumni to be able to get involved in the organization of such a big event in the entire Alumni Community. Olesea Brinza '06 shared the idea of having our own team of FLEX reporters. Their materials could be published on American Councils (AC) website or eventually in Bradley Herald. The idea seemed very interesting, especially for Alumni that are studying Journalism or a preparing to embrace this field of study in the future. Also, Vitalie Dascal, Alumnus of a SOROS scholarship program presented to the Alumni group a pilot anti-corruption educational game that he and David Jesse (AC Country Director) would like to develop for high school students. The purpose of this project is to raise the awareness among young people about our governmental systems and the corruption issue in our society. Victoria Tataru ‘01 Program Assistant at the National Democratic Institute held a presentation of a developing NGO in our community (CDA -Creative Development Association). The NGO represents the evolution of the present Alumni Board, responsible for different Alumni project within the community.
FLEX AC Conference
During September 24-26, Natalia Andreev '07 attended the FLEX Alumni Coordinator Conference in Moscow. It is the annual event designed for Alumni Coordinators of all Eurasia. A lot of informative trainings, innovative ideas and suggestions were shared among young and inspired Coordinators. The Conference goal is to train the Alumni Coordinators and to create those exclusive networks that will keep our communities active. We also had the chance to present BBU project, one of the best project organized in our community. During the upcoming year he hope to be able to maintain our project good traditions as long as establishing new ones.

Alumni Successes:

Nadejda Sergheeva '07 was accepted to Villanova University in USA.

Ana Chirita '04 organized the Ideal University summer camp to organize democratic student election into the student senate of three university in Moldova.

Olsea Brinza '06 was selected to be a trainer for Ideal University summer camp.

Alumni Activities:

Pre-Departure Orientation English as a Foreign Language (EFL):

EFL summer camp was organized by American Councils (AC) and American Language Center (ALC). The program started on the 6^th of July in Chisinau. Aliona Gorenco '94, EFL program supervisor , Irina Nicorici '99 FLEX Program Coordinator, Natalia Andreev '07, the program coordinator and her logistic assistants Andrei Cusnir '07, Sanda Barba '08 and Victoria Mihalachi, '06 were in charge of organizing different entertaining activities and English courses that will bring the students closer to American culture, were they can interact with their mentors and become more confident before they hit the road to America. Fourteen mentors helped the students work on their power point country presentations.

The most popular activities during EFL were American picnics and the 4th of July party. The picnic was organized in American style, with barbecue, hot dogs, peanut butter and marshmallows. The participants also had the opportunity to have a pizza and "placinta"(traditional Moldovan food) party.

The program ended on the 23^rd of July with a Farewell party where the participants could show what they learned during a month.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

Re-entry Seminar for  FLEX '09:

Re-entry Seminar took place in Chisinau on 17^th of July at U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center.Cristina Poleacovschi '05 and Irina Nicorici '99 organized the event with the help of local FLEX alumni: Dan Donici '08, Iulia Pislaru '08 and Ecaterina Lutisina '08. Overall the thirty one FLEX alumni present at the seminar assisted to seven sessions conducted by Cristina Poleacovschi '05, Olesea Brinza '06, Irina Nicorici '96 and David Jesse.

The new FLEX alumni learned about what changed expected them at home and how to deal with it, what a reverse cultural chock means and what new opportunities the have in the alumni community. During the sessions they were welcomed back by Sharon Ketchum, the Assistant Public Affair Officer. Ludmila Bilevschi, the director of Alumni Resource Center and Mariana Chiriacov, the Information Resource Center presented useful information about both centers and encouraged the new alumni to use it. The seminar ended with a pizza party and making the Traveling Flag.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

Clean up in Straseni:

Olesea Brinza FLEX '06, Ruxanda Barba FLEX '06 and Cristina Poleacovschi '05 organized a clean up day in Straseni on the 24^th of July.  Twenty active FLEX alumni participated in the event.

The clean up took place at a local Straseni park.  The place is usually dirty from people leaving all the trash after having picnics. It is not the first time the alumni have organized this type of activity in Straseni. Last year a group of FLEX alumni  organized the same event in Straseni. From locals' feedback clean up the park was a good example and also people could enjoy their time in a cleaner place.

It is important to do such small activities not only because we need the places around us to be cleaner and to protect the environment, but also to give people an example of volunteering and working for the community. The clean up was followed by a wonderful picnic where the alumni socialized and remembered old good time in USA!

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

*We will be happy to get more success stories from you, so, feel free to contact our FLEX Alumni Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi at: flexalumni.moldova@gmail.com

Alumni Successes:

Artiom Iacunin '03 has graduated from Riga Graduate School of Law, Public International Law and Human Rights

Ana Plugaru '05 was selected to be a facilitator for the Open World program.

Alexandru Godorja '07 was selected as a treasurer for the project- Democratic Elections in ASEM Students Senate.

Natalia Andreev '07 and Doina Colac '09 were selected to participate in the CUC (Ce? Unde? Cind?) intelectual game organized by the Moldovan Club of Intelectual Games.

Roma Sorocan '09 was a LADOM observer during the Parliament elections.

Corina Bogdan '09 (Orhei), Valentina Casina '09 (Edinet), Cristina Caraus '09 (Soroca), Alina Diacenco '09 (Anenii Noi), Veronica Eremia '09 (Cahul), Dorin Gaibu '09 (Ceadir Lunga), and Lidia Sanduleac '09 (Ungheni) were selected as FLEX City Representatives.

Alumni Activities:

Vadul lui Voda Retreat.

Alexei Ciuperca '98 and Andrei Cusnir '07 participated in the retreat organized by Alexandru Gonta, UGRAD alumnus and Daniela Munca, MUSKIE alumna at Vadul lui Voda on the 1st of August. It was a small reunion for all the USG sponsored scholarships programs alumni. The retreat included a Career Development program where the alumni shared their experience about getting hired at companies like Orange, Microsoft, and American Councils. In the evening the alumni organized a team building activity and decided that this type of activity should definitely take place more often.

Ideal university:

"Ideal University" is a summer course for the senate of three universities Academy of Economics Studies, State University and UCCM.  The third edition of this course took place at Vadul Lui Voda and started on 27^th of July and ended on the 2^nd of August.Olesea Brinza '06, Mihaela Ciocanu '05, Ana Chirita '04 and Lilia Fusa '04 were the trainers of the course. The Ideal University gathered fifty participants and its goal was to train the students on democratic practices for their university senates elections.  Dan Donici '08 and Alexandru Godoroja '07 participated at the course and from their feedbacks the course was very helpful and interesting.

Change Summer Camp:

Ecaterina Lutisina '08 (Balti) and Daria Ursol '08 (Soroca) organized a summer camp for the "Drumul spre Casa" center for social vulnerable children (Balti) and Azimut center (Soroca). Olesea Branza '06 (Tiraspol), Marina Buciuc  '07, Natalia Croitor '09 (Anenii Noi), Dan Donici '08, Olesea Fortuna '96, Sergiu Railean '08, Roman Sorocan '09 were the trainers of the program. Peace Corps volunteers and Outdood Leadrship Center contributed for the project to be a success. The main activites organized during the camp were: team building, football games, clubs(art, theatre and dances), psychology sessions and other useful leadership activities. The children were satisfied and the organizers encourage the summer camp to take place again next year.

Projecting Bridges Between Us (BBU):

Cristina Poleacovschi '05 and Olga Zolotco UGRAD '08, the project coordinators organized a meeting for the BBU facilitators. The meeting took place at the Alumni Resource Center on the 20^th of August. Artiom Iacunin '03, Angela Motpan '07, and Polina Ceastuhina UGRAD '09, the facilitators of the project were presented an outline of the project. At the meeting the alumni analyzed the former BBU and brainstormed how to make the project better. In the end they came to the conclusion that the main general trainings for the project should be: My Community, Project Management (twice), Career Development, and Healthy Lifestyle. Also important organizational BBU project activities decisions were made. The meeting ended with a small pizza party.

City Representative Train the Trainers(TtT):

Cristina Poleacovschi, the FLEX Alumni Coordinator opened the City Representatives position on the 10^th of August. Corina Bogdan '09 (Orhei), Valentina Casina '09 (Edinet), Cristina Caraus '09 (Soroca), Alina Diaconu '09 (Anenii Noi), Veronica Eremia '09 (Cahul), Dorin Gaibu '09 (Ceadir Lunga), and Lidia Sanduleac '09 (Ungheni) were selected as FLEX City Representatives.

The meeting took place at Alumni Resource Center and the representatives were introduced to their position tasks and were taught how to write a professional email, write an event report and how to organize a project. The representatives planned to apply for the $3000 Alumni Grant at the end of the year .

Hiking at the Curchi Monastery:

Olesea Brinza '06, The Central Region Representative has organized a tour at the Curchi Monastry on the . Natalia Andreev'06, Sanda Barba '08, Artiom Iacunin'03, Cristina Poleacovschi '05, Victoria Tataru '01 and other USG sponsored scholarships alumni have participated in the event. Outdoor Leadership Center facilitated the event. The trip started with a visit at the beautiful Curchi Monastry followed by a six km hike through the Moldova woods. During the hike the alumni participated in a team building activity and had a small picnic. At the end of the trip the team visited a boar farm and the Alexandru Donici museum house.

Basketball Game in Chisinau

Olesea Brinza '06, The Central Region Representative gathered FLEX and UGRAD alumni for a sports event on the 30^th of August.The game took place at a local sports center and the eleven alumni present there divided into two teams. Initially the event was planned for a basketball game, still the teams decided to play a soccer game also. After the game the alumni went to Anenii Noi where they worked on planning of the "Best Buddies" educational project for an orphanage in Chisinau.

Sports event in Cahul:

On August 27, 2009, when Moldova celebrates its Independence Day the Alumni Board organized a sports tournament in Cahul.Lilia Fusa '04, Teo Graur '05,and  Diana Vicol '09 organized the activity.

At the event the participants had the opportunity to choose one of the three sports: ping-pong, chess, and volleyball. Every sport station was assigned a professional referee and the tournament begun. Meanwhile, the younger children had the opportunity to play and draw under the supervision of a project volunteer. At the end of the tournament, the winners were awarded certificates and prizes (Moldovan Flags).

During this event, alumni also made plans for the next event, the Southern region Alumni Summit, which will take place in September. They also discussed about ways of improving the participation of other alumni who are not active in the community.

*We will be happy to get more success stories from you, so, feel free to contact our FLEX Alumni Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi at: flexalumni.moldova@gmail.com

Success Stories:

Natalia Andreev '07 was selected as the Director of Communication for the Alumni Board.

Valentina Brega '04 was hired for European Management Solutions.

Andrei Cusnir '07, Viorel Dilion '08 , and Dan Donici '08 were chosen as the best FLEX alumni at the Alumni Congress.

Cristina Druta '08 was selected to be the Secretary for the Alumni Board.

Alexandru Godorja '07 was selected to be the Treasurer for the Alumni Board.

Dorin Hamuraru '09 and his high school team placed the 3rd at the "Do you speak European?"Contest.

Cristina Poleacovschi '05 was selected as the American Councils FLEX Alumni Coordinator of the month.

Lidia Sanduleac '09 placed the third at the Regional Track Competition

Alumni Activities:

Clean up in Ungheni:

On the 6^th of October a group of volunteers accompanied by Lidia Sanduleac '09, Ungheni City Representative cleaned up a regional park in Ungheni. Volunteers brought posters saying : " Recycle!" , "Go Green",  "Use the Trash Cans!" and taped them on the trees. Students worked hard and Ana Podaru , a local volunteer mentioned "We should have a clean up every 24th day of the month , because the Mother-Earth gets a month older on that date." As trash bags , volunteers brought used plastic bags. The activity was followed by a discussion over a movie at American Corner in Ungheni.

English Classes at an Orphanage in Orhei:

Corina Bogdan '09, Orhei City Representative and Dumitrita Doaga '09 (Orhei) has started teaching English at an orphanage in Orhei on the 7^th of October. It is a long term project that the alumni have planned on doing. At the beginning of the project the students were given notebooks and pencils for their classes. The set was offered by the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center.

October was the month the alumni helped the children from the orphanage with their basic English skills. The alumni aimed to help the children because their English knowledge is poor. The project will continue until the end of the school year 2009-2010 and will take place once a week for an hour.  As a result 40 students will improve their English skills.

Berko Lake Clean up in Edinet:

On October 10, a clean up of the lake "Berkino"  took place in Edinet. The event was organized and coordinated by Valentina Casina'09, Edinet City Representative and Roman Sorocan'09. Anastasia Ciumac '09, Pavel Florea'09 and eight NGO "Junii" volunteers took part in the activity.

The clean up took place in the lake "Berkino" area-the most popular rest area in the Edinet city. Every summer many people spend their time swimming and tanning on the lake's shore. The place is usually dirty from people leaving all the trash after having picnics. Alumni decided to organize this project not only to clean the area, but also to show people how important is to protect the environment and give an example of volunteering and working for the community.

One of the participants said: ".Volunteering today, showed me how dirty is this place and how it turned to be very hard to make it clean again. I promise after this activity, I will never leave the trash in here and will ask my friends to do the same!"

After the event the alumni socialized and shared their stories about American life with volunteers. "Curierul de Edinet", local newspaper, published the article describing the event.

Alumni Congress:

On the 17^th of October the 7^th Alumni Congress took place in Chisinau. Around 270 alumni of different USG sponsored scholarships including FLEX were present at the event. During the event the alumni brainstormed ideas for possible community projects for the next year. Andrei Cusnir '07, Viorel Dilion '08, and Dan Donici '08 were given The Best Alumni Award. At the end of the event all the alumni voted for the 2009-2010 Alumni Congress Council. Natalia Andreev '07 was elected to be the Communication Director, Cristina Druta '08 was elected to be the Secretary and Alexandru Godoroja '07 was elected as Treasurer.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

Clean-Up in Ceadir-Lunga:

Dorin Gaibu'09, Ceadir Lunga City Representative and Ciprian Mocanu'09 (Cimislia) organized a clean up in Ceadir Lunga followed up by a picnic on the 19^th of October. Eight local volunteers participated in the project- all of them students from "Orizont" high school. "Orizont" high school administration provided with transportation and some project materials.

The project was chosen by the alumni because it was necessary to clean-up that place in the city, where most of the people come for picnics and leave a lot of garbage. The volunteers collected 12 bags of trash and they made sure in the future people can come and enjoy their time.

Bridges Between Us Project Management Session:

On the 24^th of October another session of Bridges Between Us took place for the '08 and '09 alumni. The session entitled Project Management part 1 included  three main trainings: Leadership and Team Management, conducted by David Jesse, How to make a Research, conducted by Patricia Ciorici, Muskie alumna  and Training, Seminar, Workshop Management conducted by Cristina Poleacovschi '05. At the beginning of the session the BBU teams had to present their homework in the most environmental way possible. Being environmental friendly is an important part of taking the final decision on the best BBU team. During this session the team started to get to know each other better and work together closer. Since they learned how to make a seminar/training during the session, the teams will need to do a presentation during the International Education Week as homework.

Fun Activities at a Community Center in Cahul:

Veronica Eremia '09 organized fun activities starting with 28^th of October at the community center in Colibasi. The event was offered to the children that come from poor families. The event was held with the help of 5 students from "Vasile Alecsandri" lyceum. The day included fun games including teaching interesting information about USA and a movie party sponsored by Ana Eremia, the director of the center. The activities were held for 4 days. Children said that such a big activity put a smile on their faces.

Best Buddies Halloween:

Marina Buciuc '07 and Cristina Poleacovschi '05 participated in organizing Halloween for the Boarding School Number 2 from Chisinau. The event is a part of the Best Buddies project leaded by UGRAD alumni and it took place on the 29^th of October. The organizers decorated the room in a Halloween style and rented costumes for both the children and volunteers. During the event the children played fun games and took a lot of pictures since they were impressed by their costumes. Natalia Andreev '07 took interviews from the children and made a short movie on the event as a project for her Video Courses. From children's feedbacks the event was a success since they said it's important to get attention not only on Christmas but during other holidays also.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

Halloween Pumpkin Carving and Scavenger Hunt:

Marina Buciuc '07, Mihaela Ciocanu '05, Teo Graur '05, Dorin Hamuraru '09, Ecaterina Lutisina '08, Cristina Poleacovschi '05, Victoria Tataru '01, and Daria Ursol '08 (Soroca)participated in the Halloween Pumpkin Carving organized on the 30^th of October at the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center (ARC). The alumni had a competition for the best pumpkin decided by the ARC staff.

The event was followed by a Scavenger Hunt around Chisinau and Trick or Treating. Fifteen alumni divided into 3 teams had to Trick or Treat the American Language Center at American Councils and run for their Scavenger Hunt downtown Chisinau. The winning team got tickets for a movie, the second team won tickets to the theatre and the last team won chocolates. The teams decided that next year the Halloween should keep up like this and maybe be organized even in a corn field.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

*We will be happy to get more success stories from you, so, feel free to contact our FLEX Alumni Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi at: flexalumni.moldova@gmail.com

Success Stories:

Natalia Andreev '07 has successfully completed the Southeast Media and TV Training.

Cristina Caraus '09 was elected as the member of the Regional Junior Council of Soroca.

Dorin Hamuraru '09 won the Chisinau debate competition "Problemele Comunitatii pot fi solutionate prin implicarea tinerilor" (Teenagers Problems can be Solved with Teenagers' Involvement).

Dorin Hamuraru '09 placed the second at the "The Best Debate Speakers" contest in Chisinau.

Dorin Hamuraru '09 places the first the Ciocana (Chisinau district) English Olympiad.

Cristina Poleacovschi '05 participated at the International Association of Civil Engineers Students conference that took place in Istanbul.

Alumni Activities:

Stress Effects Seminar:

Natalia Andreev '07 organized the "Un somn linistit-un examen reusit"(A silent sleep-a successful exam) social campaign at the State University of Moldova. The campaign took place between the 30^th of November and the 12^th of December and was dedicated to the students so they can get ready better for the winter exams. During the campaign Natalia Andreev '07 and the students from the Journalism faculty hanged posters about stress effects, published handouts and organized a movie night. The goal of the campaign was to prevent stress before exams so that the students would earn better grades. The handouts included statistical data about stress and its consequences on brain performance. As a result five hundred students were informed about the topic and were better prepared to pass the exams.

Christmas Party at the Orhei Orphanage:

This December Corina Bogdan '09 and Dumitrita Doaga '09 continued the English classes at the Orhei orphanage. The alumni aimed to help the children, because they lacked good English skills. The goals were partially met, because there is still work needed for their English skills to improve. The project will continue until the end of the school year, once a week for an hour.  The alumni trained around forty students. This month as a part of the project the alumni organized a Christmas party on the 23^rd December for the children from the orphanage. The party included Christmas carols followed by a pizza party. The children didn't expect a surprise party and that got them really excited about it.

Youth AIDS Seminar in Anenii Noi:

Alina Diacenco '09, the Anenii Noi City Representative organized the Youth AIDS seminar on the 4^th of December. Twenty two high school students gathered to learn about HIV infection - a significant problem among Anenii Noi residents. The project took place at "M. Eminescu" high school in Anenii Noi where students watched a Power Point presentation about the HIV effects. Moreover they were informed how to protect themselves and what to do in case of infection. The goal of the project was to help teenagers become better prepared for the future life and know how to act in certain situations. As a result the students got informed and in this way they are ready to make a difference about the HIV problem - a worldwide issue.

Winter Charity Bazaar:

On the 5^th of December, the 13^th edition of the Winter Charity Bazaar was organized in Moldova. The International Women Fund of Moldova, the organizers of the event, brought partners, donors and volunteers to contribute to the charity. Peace Corps and foreign embassies participate at the bazaar every year. The money fundraised from selling different countries traditional souvenirs and food goes to charity.

Natalia Andreev '07, Dorin Hamuraru '08, Ana Plugaru '05, Sergiu Raileanu '08, and Daria Ursol '09 volunteered at the event. They participated in preparing the event and selling lottery tickets. Natasa Andreev '07 and  Dorin Hamuraru '08 interviewed the alumni who participated at the bazaar and will publish the final article about the event in the Alumni News. The winter charity bazaar was a good opportunity for a Christmas Fundraising but also for the Flex alumni to get together.

Ride Planet Earth in Edinet:

On the 6^th of December a seminar about importance of being environment-friendly was implemented in Edinet. Being inspired of Ride Planet Earth Events-the story of a journey to start Cycle Change and stop Climate Change (http://rideplanetearth.org) Flex Alumni decided to organize a seminar and to invite volunteers from different schools to watch the "Planet Earth" movie. The event was organized and coordinated by Valentina Casina'09(Edinet City Representative) with the help of Roman Sorocan'09. Two Flex Alumni Anastasia Ciumac '09, Pavel Florea'09, 12 students (from lyceum D. Cantemir, School #1, lyceum Pan Halipa, lyceum M. Eminescu and 7 NGO "Junii" volunteers took part in this activity.

During the seminar Valentina Casina'09 and Roman Sorocan'09 talked about existence of many environmental problems that lead to Climate Change. They emphasized the importance of being environment- friendly by the means of reducing, reusing and recycling (RRR) .Flex alumni offered to watch the movie "Planet Earth", that was in English, but had Romanian sub-titles in order to be understandable for everybody. The movie had a big impact on students; some of them took CD copies and decided to watch "Planet Earth" together with parents and friends.

Anatoli Moroz, NGO "Junii" volunteer said: "It made me want to go and plant a flower or tree. That will be the first thing I'll do when I get home."

Local CPT "Salve" offered the place where students were offered the refreshments. Newspaper of lyceum D. Cantemir published an article describing this event.

Ride Planet Earth in Soroca:

The Ride Planet Earth seminar took place in Soroca, on the 7^th of December. The seminar covered the environmental problems "How can we make a difference?!" discussion. Cristina Caraus '09 and Ana Dragan '09 organized the event at which twenty-two high school students and a teacher participated. The discussion of the environment issues and pollution included a brainstorming for the ideas that can solve the existing world situation. The result of the activity is that the students got acquainted with the pollution problems around the world and they follow to spread the awareness around.

Soroca Christmas Fundraising:

A Fundraising Project took place in Soroca during the 21^st of December and 24^th December. Ursol Daria '08 and Caraus Cristina '09 organized the event with the help of other twenty local volunteers. The project included three main parts: taking pictures with Santa in the high school, organizing a all-winners lottery and organizing the clothes and toys donation for the Azimut orphanage. The money from taking the pictures and selling the lottery tickets went to buying presents, candies and chocolates for the children. Afterwards the FLEX alumni, the volunteers including the director of the "C.Stere" lyceum followed by Santa Claus went to the Azimut orphanage and gave away the fundraised donations. The children were thankful as the event brought a Christmas spirit in their souls.

Best Buddies Christmas:

On the 24^th of December Andrei Cusnir '07 and a group of UGRAD students celebrated Christmas at the Boarding School 2 in Chisinau. The event is also a part of the Best Buddies project that includes a Computer, English, Leadership and Drama club at the school.

The volunteers came up with a Christmas program for the children and with the money raised for the event they bought presents. Andrei Cusnir '07 was Santa Claus and he was the one to give away the presents, play with the children and take pictures. The event ended with a dinner, playing games and listening toChristmas music.

Eco Grant Training:

On the 28^th December, six Bridges Between Us (BBU) team representatives participated in a training for Grant Writing at the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center (ARC). Ludmila Bilevschi, the director of ARC conducted the training for the alumni. Corina Bogdan '09, Veronica Eremia '09, Dmitri Gramatchi '09, Ecaterina Lutisina '08, Roman Sorocan '09 and Daria Ursol '08 were present at the training. One of the BBU requirements for each team is to organize a cleanup project. The cleanup projects will be sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and the alumni need to submit a separate proposal in order to obtain the funds. At the training Ludmila Bilevschi gave the alumni tips on how to submit a successful proposal and directed them through each step of the application. The deadline for submitting the application is the next BBU session which will take place in January.

*We will be happy to get more success stories from you, so, feel free to contact our FLEX Alumni Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi at: flexalumni.moldova@gmail.com

Success stories:

Corina Bogdan '09 placed the 1^st at the Alecu Russo high school English Olympiad and 2^nd at the high school  Biology Olympiad.

Mihaela Ciocanu '05 was accepted for the Consultant Social Problems position at the World Bank Moldova.

Lidia Sanduleac '09 won a Studies Abroad exchange scholarship that placed her in Sibiu for a week.

Lidia Sanduleac '09 placed the 1^st at the V.Alecsandri high school English Olympiad.

Roman Sorocan '09 placed the 1^st at the Edinet high school English Olympiad.

Activities:

"Donate a book to the library!" in Edinet:

Valentina Casina'09, Anastasia Ciumac'09 and Roman Sorocan'09 organized the 10 day fundraising campaign that started on the 11^th of January as a part of the Bridges Between Us project. The alumni used the idea that the most important "treasure" is knowledge and this is why they decided to fundraise books and donate them to the local library, instead of fundraising money.

The idea of fundraising came from the team's experience. Since a lot of books are not available online the alumni went to the library to get ready for their exams. The alumni were told that the library doesn't have the books they needed, since many books were lost or some of them were not returned by students. Therefore they decided to address this problem to the schools and start a fundraising campaign. Multiple articles were published with the call to donate books to the local library. Team representatives gathered books from 8.30 am until 5.00 pm every day. Many students and teachers responded to the call and as a result 115 books were donated to the local library.

Movie Night at ARC:

On the 20^th of January  around 10 alumni and non-alumni attended the Movie Night that took place  at U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center. Initially the alumni planed to watch "Hotel Rwanda"- a movie based on the African 1994 genocide, but because of some technical problems they switched to "The Island" movie. "The Island" has a slight connection to the organ trafficking problem that is a big issue for Moldova. The alumni had a discussion about the problem and mentioned some sad facts about organ trafficking in Moldova. The Movie Night was not only a fun activity spent in an American style with popcorn and soda, but also a good opportunity for the alumni to talk about the project they are involved in and possible future ideas. The alumni decided they need to repeat the activity and insisted that next time they meet "Hotel Rwanda" will be a must- see.

Fundraising in Colibasi:

On the 21st of January, Veronica Eremia'09 together with students from her high school in v. Colibasi organized a fundraising event called "Give and you will receive back tenfold". Veronica Eremia '09 together with students from her high school combined an American tradition to their fundraising campaign.  Organizers went caroling around the city, singing U.S. and Moldavian songs as they asked community members to donate money to help children from low-income families in the city. The children were very happy to see the gifts and that somebody did something special to make them happy for Christmas.

Rock Charity Concert:

The Chisinau BBU team arranged a fundraising rock concert for children with disabilities from the Speranta Center. Dorin Hamuraru'09, Ecaterina Lutisina '08, and Sergiu Railean '08 organized the event. Natalia Andreev '07 (Straseni), Alexandru Godoroja  '07, Cristina Poleacovschi '05, Roman Sorocan '09 (Edinet), and Daria Ursol '08 (Soroca) together with two UGRAD alumni organized the event, which hosted over 350 alumni and community members at the 50/50 Club.  Six local rock bands volunteered to participate at the concert, among them Sergiu Railean '08's band In Fall. The concert took place on the 22nd of January and brought in over $600 to financially assist with the organization of a journalism summer camp for children with disabilities. Alumni, ecstatic about the success of the project plan on holding an even larger event, possibly rock a festival with the help of the larger FLEX alumni community.

(*The pictures are available in our Photo Gallery)

Balkan Case Challenge and Global Village Presentation:

Cristina Poleacovschi has organized a presentation of the Balkan Case Challenge Competition and Global Village summer camp. The presentation took place at The U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center on the 28th of January. Andrei Cusnir '07, Dorin Hamuraru '09, Ecaterina Lutisina '08, and Ala Merjdanov'99 were the FLEX alumni that were present at the Global Village presentation. Cristina Poleacovschi explained the alumni how they can get a scholarship and presented the advantages of the summer school. Irina Aga, the Local Balkan Case Challenge Coordinator explained the UGRAD and FLEX alumni present at the event about the Business, IT and Law competition that takes place locally and then internationally in Viena. Most of the alumni decided they will apply for the Balkan Case Challenge Competition that will take place in April in Chisinau.

English Club at "Speranta":

Marina Buciuc '08 and Andrei Cusnir '08 started an English club at the Chisinau based Speranta center that hosts children with disabilities. The project is aimed to be long term and has two main goals:  teach the students English that will be helpful for their future career and also encourage them to apply for FLEX next year. The English Club is organized once a week for two groups of students-an intermediate and a beginners club. There are around ten students that participate in the club and that were tested in December. The alumni have had strong experience with their assistant position during the EFL summer camp and also went through training classes from American Language Center teachers before the club activity began. The project has the goal to have native speakers as invitees every month and organize special celebrations for traditional holidays.

*We will be happy to get more success stories from you, so, feel free to contact our FLEX Alumni Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi at: flexalumni.moldova@gmail.com

Success Stories:

Natalia Andreev '07 - was the designer of americancouncils.md this year.  The website won the Web Top Award for the best Education website (http://webtop.md/) in Moldova.

Valentina Casina '09 won the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center for organizing a cleanup event in Edinet.

Veronica Eremia '09 won the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center for organizing a cleanup event in Cahul.

Alexandru Godoroja '07 won the GYSD grant for organizing a planting tree event in Chisinau.

Lidia Sanduleac '09 won the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center for organizing a cleanup event in Ungheni.

Daria Ursol '09 won the U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center for organizing a cleanup event in Soroca.

Activities:

English Classes at "Speranta" Center:

Marina Buciuc '07 and Andrei Cusnir '07 has started volunteering as teachers at Speranta center for physically challenged children on March 1. Every Saturday the alumni organize the activity for one hour and a half for 12 students. The beginners club is lead by Andrei Cusnir '07 and the intermediate one is lead by Marina Buciuc '07. They prepare games, practice reading articles from recent American newspapers so that the students can have a taste of "real" English and do grammar exercises. Monthly, the alumni plan to invite a guest speaker, preferably a native English speaker and this month Daniel Vicario, an exchange student to Moldova was the first guest speaker for the project. Daniel told the students about his home and his college life back in the States, explained some of the traditions of his family and shared his impressions of his experience in Russia and Moldova. The children enjoyed talking to Daniel and the following week they kept asking when they would have a guest speaker again. The English classes at "Speranta" is a long term project and has the goal to increase the participants chances in obtaining a job and their chances for the FLEX competition.

Model United Nation in Moldova:

Alexandru Godoroja '07, Mihai Popsoi '05, Olga Bogdan, UGRAD '09 and Tatiana Juravscaia, UGRAD '09 have started Model United Nations in Moldova on March 3 at U.S. Embassy Alumni Resource Center. The projectaimed to develop a greater awareness of the complexities of the world's problems, the need to find cooperative solutions, and the important role that the U.N. plays in the search for these solutions. The project included a 6-week learning forum about the United Nations structure, role, rules of procedure and resolution writing, negotiations and public speaking, diplomatic strategies and bloc politics through sessions/trainings/video conference during March that will be applied afterwards in the Security Council simulation.  The project is targeted towards 30 university students and the delegates will, thus, engage in a simulation of the United Nations system by learning about global diplomacy through the lens of current issues and challenges.

Alexandru Godoroja '07, the Web Design Responsible has created the Model United Nations Moldova blog (http://munmd.wordpress.com/) so the event is better advertised and constantly updated for participants to get informed better. Mihai Popsoi '05, the Conference Responsible has conducted the Lifecycle of decisions at the United Nations session on March 13 and will be responsible for the big event- Security Council Simulation that will take place in Chisinau starting with April 15.

International Women Day in Balti:

March 8 the International Day of Women was a special day for the local orphanage in Balti. Olga Cobilas '09 and 8 volunteers from the "George Cosbuc" high school made a surprise to the children from the orphanage and organized a small event for the girls. They organized a fundraising of dresses for the girls as a sign of celebrating Women's Day.

At the orphanage the volunteers have planned a big event dedicated to the women. They have organized different painting games, fun games and the special part of the event was at the end when the boys have recited poetries for the ladies. The strong part of the project is that Olga Cobilas '09 has made it sustainable and she has visited the orphanage frequently. This has made the children happy and got them closer to the volunteers.

Chisinau-Taskent Video Conference:

Natalia Andreev '07, Andrei Cusnir '07, Lilia Fusa '04,  Dorin Hamuraru '09 and  Angelica Motpan '07 took part in the conference organized at the Alumni Resource Center by the Muskie alumna Daniela Munca on March 18.

The Conference started with a short presentation of each alumni and their field of activity. After that, Lilia Fusa '04 talked about annual projects and events that take place in the Moldovan alumni community. Natalia Andreev '07 was the next one to present her activity and contribution to the community. Beside the activism in a lot of alumni Projects, her main role is to conduct and to organize the Alumni Newsletter. It is an important instrument that keeps the community informed with the most recent activities that take place in the alumni community from the whole country. Natalia spoke about the evolution of the newspaper saying that from its first black and white edition it became now a well designed and with a professional touch to its structure and it is a tool that is uniting approximately 3000 alumni.  Mariana Oprea, an UGRAD alumni and the Logistics Assistant for Business for Youth 2010 edition spoke about the Business for Youth Project. It is organized by the FLEX community and is designed for students who are willing to develop their abilities and skills in the field of business. It is a big opportunity for the 25 participant to advance their knowledge in business development and initiation, business plan management, financial support and marketing with several professional trainers who have a tremendous professional background and experience. The best business plan in the end will be awarded and the winners will get free business consulting for their future business initiation. Angela Motpan '07 continued the presentation with the annual Bridges Between Us Project organized for fresh FLEX alumni returned from the US. The goal of the Project is to prepare the alumni with the necessary for them skills in the project management and career development. Dorin Hamuraru '09 is the one who successfully finished the BBU Project and already implemented his and his teammate's idea in practice. Together with his BBU team he organized the Rock Charity Concert oriented  in the benefit for children with disabilities from the "Speranta Center". The Concert united approximately 300 people. All the funds from the event will go for the summer camp of Journalism for children with disabilities from "Speranta Center". Andrei Cusnir '07 talked about the English Club Project that takes place at the moment and is oriented also for children with disabilities from "Speranta" Center. The Objective of the Project is to increase students knowledge in English so they can apply and participate in FLEX and for their future carriers.

Alumni Community from Uzbekistan also shared their ideas and Projects that are developing their region. The event was very interesting in its way because it motivated alumni from both sides to contribute to the alumni community and far beyond its borders. It strengthened the relationship between alumni from both countries and contributed to further development in both regions and to intercultural exchange.

Business for Youth (BFY) 3^rd Edition Planning and Promotion:

Natalia Andreev '07, Communication Manager, Andrei Cusnir '07, Logistics Assistant,  Alexandru Godoroja '07, Project Coordinator, Cristina Poleacovschi '05, Administrative Coordinator and Olesea Fortuna '96, BFY Consultant have initiated the promotion period of BFY 3^rd edition on March 24. The team has planned the trainings of Business Start Up, Business Plan Writing, Strategic Management, Project Management, and Financial Management, Finance your Business, Smart Marketing, Business Writing and New Forms of Competition that will take place in April for 25 students. The team has initiated the Promo period for late March and included: creating a Facebook group, BFY blog (http://bfy2010.wordpress.com/), USG sponsored scholarships alumni website (http://usalumni.md/ ), spreading BFY posters at the local universities, creating a banner and advertising it through other social networks in Moldova. The alumni have initiated the application process and organized weekly meeting for planning the event better. The team has recruited business professionals among which Fulbright alumni, FinComBank, American Councils, Peace Corps, World Bank Moldova, and Nestle managers. The team has finished the planning process and is getting ready for organizing the logistics and the Opening Event for BFY on April 17.

Beautiful Saturday for Physically Challenged Children:

On March 27 Natalia Andreev '07, Andrei Cusnir '07, Cristina Poleacovschi '05 and Sergiu Railean '08 have organized a special day for 10 physically challenged children from "Speranta" Center. Before the event the alumni fundraised supplies and games for the children and decided to make a surprise for them. They organized a panel where the alumni shared their American experience to the children. The discussion was in English since the children are trying to improve their English skills. Alumni brought pictures in order to make their presentations more interesting and bought cookies and juice to make the day more special. At the end of the event the alumni gave out the fundraised supplies and games and divided the team into two and competed for the best making puzzle team. That was fun both for alumni and for the children. The alumni came up with the idea to organize a movie night at U.S Embassy Alumni Resource Center in April.

Easter Celebration at "Azimut" Orphanage:

On March 31 Daria Ursol '08 has organized a Easter Celebrating event for her "Constantin Stere" high school and the "Azimut" orphanage of Soroca. Daria and 10 students of the high school gathered together to paint Easter eggs. Each class from the 4^th to the 10^th gave their best designed egg that was given later to the "Azimut" orphanage.  Besides making this a big event in the school, Daria and her volunteers have tried to make it as special as possible for the children from Azimut so they made posters and prepared fun games. The children were very happy both about the Easter present and that the volunteers organize events like this each holiday.