VZCZCXRO8833
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0306/01 0781007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191007Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8552
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000306 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) 
INFO SCA/PPD (VAN DE VATE), EUR/ACE (BAILEY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PREL TX
SUBJECT: ALUMNI REUNION 
 
REFERENCE: ASHGABAT 00257 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Post's 2007 alumni reunion, which included alumni from a 
range of U.S. Government-sponsored academic and professional 
exchange programs, demonstrated that such events continue to provide 
needed psychological, professional and academic support to 
Turkmenistan's growing alumni community.  In contrast with past 
years' reunions, this event, held January 27-28, brought in a 
diverse group of varying age, experience, language and expectations. 
 Heated debate during the reunion revealed both a hunger for 
self-government and deep frustration over the difficulties 
independent groups faced in communicating with each other across 
Turkmenistan and in achieving legal recognition or permission for 
community activities.  These difficulties in turn highlighted the 
positive impact alumni were having through small-scale action in 
their communities, and the leadership skills the younger alumni in 
particular gained from their experience in the United States. 
 
A Gathering of Expectations 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Post sought to break the traditional "reunion" mold with 
this year's conference, emphasizing both the traditional aspects of 
reunions -- networking, comradery and personal development -- as 
well as reinforcing a sense of community obligation and history. 
The alumni reunion, supported in the past three years by PAS and its 
implementing partners ACCELS and IREX, has favored English-speaking 
and younger alumni - those who participate in the academic exchange 
programs such as Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program and the 
one-year undergraduate UGRAD program in particular.  Given the 
unique social and political pressures U.S. program alumni experience 
upon return to Turkmenistan -- where there are few opportunities for 
academic, professional or civic development -- post regularly 
reaches out to alumni to reinforce the alumni network and to ensure 
that the skills, knowledge and confidence alumni gain in the United 
States are put to their greatest use. 
 
¶3.  (U) Nearly 110 alumni from throughout Turkmenistan and 
representing most locally administered U.S.-sponsored educational 
and professional exchange programs gathered at the President Hotel 
in Ashgabat for the two-day reunion.  With the introduction of the 
Community Connections program and a growing pool of alumni from the 
International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Teaching Excellence 
and Achievement (TEA) and other programs for adults, Turkmenistan's 
alumni profile is changing, although the FLEX high school exchange 
continues to produce the majority of Turkmenistan's alumni.  This 
year, FLEX alumni comprised less than half the participants (just 
over 40), followed by 19 Community Connections alumni from this 
one-year-old program; ten alumni each from the Teaching Excellence 
and Achievement and Undergraduate Exchange Programs and seven or 
fewer alumni of the Muskie Graduate Fellowship, Fulbright Scholars 
program, International Visitor Leadership Program, Junior Faculty 
Development Program and others. 
 
¶4.  (U) Because of the pressures placed on independent actors and 
the psychological barriers to non-state-sanctioned activity in 
Turkmenistan, alumni are reticent to discuss the politics of their 
communities with the embassy or even among themselves as a 
community.  Rifts within the main group attempting to establish an 
alumni community have been apparent for several years, as the group 
attempted to hold together and push forward efforts to register 
formally as an association -- first on the national level and then 
on the welayat and, finally, merely the Ashgabat City level -- still 
without success.  The current Alumni Association board agreed, even 
with these rifts, to present its work and expectations to alumni who 
have never before attended an alumni reunion, many of whom had no 
prior knowledge of the years of work that has been committed already 
to the founding of an Alumni Association.  The reaction was 
immediate and not always positive, but indicated an intense desire 
for increased communication and a need to reexamine the needs and 
expectations of Turkmenistan's growing -- and increasingly diverse 
-- alumni community. 
 
ALUMNI PROJECTS STRESS COMMUNITY COHESION, EDUCATION 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5.  (U) Apart from several sessions on the topic of an alumni 
association, the conference included a seminar on effective grant 
proposal writing.  This session also underlined the purpose of the 
community action grant programs administered by the embassy and 
other international donors such as the Organization for Security and 
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and emphasized that a "good" project 
is not necessarily expensive or high-profile.  Indeed, many of the 
embassy's most effective grants have gone to support very 
inexpensive, simple projects such as public health seminars for 
at-risk youth or vocational training for small groups of women 
wishing to increase their personal independence and be able to make 
 
ASHGABAT 00000306  002 OF 002 
 
 
a living. 
 
¶6.  (U) Breakout sessions on health, youth issues, minority groups 
and education followed, in which participants discussed and formed 
draft project proposals on the given theme.  Among projects 
formulated during these sessions, which participants later presented 
in the general closing session: an etrap-level training program on 
anemia prevention; a project to mainstream disabled youth through 
sports programs, and computer and English training; the founding of 
an independent teacher training institute; and establishment of a 
youth resource center/leadership institute in Mary Welayat that 
would emphasize English language, computer and other professional 
skills.  (Note:  This proposal envisioned a center that sounded very 
much like another American Corner, but would serve a farming 
community far outside of Mary city where the American Corner is 
located.  End Note.) 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶7.  (U) A side effect of this alumni reunion was that groups of 
adults and teenagers mixed on equal footing as leaders who must work 
together to achieve common goals in their communities.  In the 
breakout proposal writing session on youth issues, FLEX alumni were 
heard dispelling misconceptions held by their older peers about 
their willingness to lead and work.  Such discussion also helps to 
dispel some of the sense of elitism of which programs such as FLEX 
are accused in Turkmenistan.  The emphasis on communication with the 
larger community is another avenue to counter such misconceptions 
and rumors about the programs, their purpose, and the beneficial 
effect they have on participants.  Post believes such issues will 
become less pronounced as the community expands, more of 
Turkmenistan's citizens travel abroad and gain exposure to the 
outside world, and perhaps as the Government of Turkmenistan begins 
to examine the idea of large-scale host government-funded exchange 
programs.  Ultimately, it is fear of the unknown and of instability 
that drives government efforts to obstruct post-sponsored 
programming, including exchanges.  End Comment. 
 
¶8.  (U) Dushanbe minimize considered. 
 
TROUTMAN