CKSCP Activity
 

Focus on Inclusive Education                                                                                                                        February 2020

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CKSCP Board Members Susan Neaman and Bob Herring and retired Cincinnati Public School Adminisrator Pat Cleveland traveled to our Sister City to attend the celebration of the Kharkiv City Day, meet with Kharkiv educators to discuss inclusive education to talk about what’s working in Kharkiv and to share what’s worked for schools in Cincinnati.
 

Schools in Ukraine have begun to include students with special needs and are looking for methods that have proved effective. Pat Cleveland’s years with Cincinnati Public Schools serving students with disabilities provided her with information and experience that will be helpful.  The CKSCP Delegation left Kharkiv with the beginning of a plan to follow up with additional professional development opportunities for the Kharkiv teachers.

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Plans are in place to host a delegation of educators and administrators from Kharkiv in the fall of 2020 to meet inclusive educators in Cincinnati.  The trip was caneled due to the COVID-19 virus.

Baseball - Cincinnati & Kharkiv                                                                                                        Summer 2019

Baseball has come to Kharkiv and “Boys (and Girls) of Summer” are eager to learn about the game.  The CKSCP Delegation that attended the Celebration of the Day of the City had the opportunity to meet with the players.

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Their plan for baseball in Kharkiv includes the following:

• training for the coaches on the techniques and strategies for player development.

• learning the finer points of field maintenance

• recruiting additional players to expand the number of teams.

• teaching K-12 students about the game.

• making baseball one of the great summer pastimes in Kharkiv.

The coaching staff had planned to come to Cincinnati to learn “all things baseball’ in early in 2018.  CKSCP had created a program with the Reds, Cincinnati Recreation Commission and Knothole.  Contacts were made with high school and university programs.  Cincinnati was ready to share with them everything they wanted to know about baseball.  Unfortunately, they could not obtain visas from the US Government since they don’t have “anchors” in Kharkiv, e.g., property, children, etc. to guarantee their return to Ukraine.  CKSCP is working on “Plan B” to support their efforts to bring baseball to Kharkiv.

Baseball was introduced to Kharkiv at the city’s Sports Festival in Gorky Park.  Kids of all ages took up the glove and tried their best.  Kharkiv’s Mayor Kernis stopped by to wish the team well.

Open World Delegation Looked at Homelessness and Children in Poverty                     March 2017                                                
The team of five young professionals and one facilitator arrived in Cincinnati March 17 and spent a week meeting with social service agencies that work with the homeless and seek solutions to childhood poverty.  The CKSP Committee headed by Susan Neaman along with Mike Burns, Frank Clark, Bob Derge, Jr. and Gail Bason put together a program that connected the Kharkivites with representatives from local agencies to share best practices as well as an opportunity to serve a hot meal at the Christ Church Cathedral Soup Kitchen.

The delegates visited the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Valley Interfaith, Lighthouse Youth Services, United Way, Cincinnati COOKS, Anna Louise Inn, Cincinnati Works, City Gospel Mission, the Lord's Gym, Catholic Charities, Center for Respite Care, Strategies to End Homelessness and Meals on Wheels.  

Open World is a program sponsored by the United States Congress that brings young professionals from eastern Europe and central Asia to study best practices in cities across the United States.  CKSCP has worked with Open World since 2003.