The Community Connections Program, managed by the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered by World Learning, is designed to promote public diplomacy through the exchange of cultural ideas and values among participants, U.S. families and local community host organizations. It seeks to establish and strengthen links between communities in the US and in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Since 1996, ICIU has hosted Community Connections program.  The program offers three-four week home-stay practical training opportunities in the U.S. for business and professional leaders from the Newly Independent States (NIS). The goals of the Community Connections Program are to:

• Provide participants with professional training and exposure to day-to-day functioning of a free market system.

• Encourage public-private partnerships in the NIS by including private sector, government and non-government (NGO) participants.

• Create links between the U.S. and NIS regions and communities.

• Business group participants must be able to speak English and participate in individual business internships in areas of business closely related to their areas of expertise.

• Professional group participants are not required to speak English and local interpreters will accompany groups to all professional appointments and scheduled cultural events.

• Non-English speaking participants will be furnished with phrase books to assist with language barriers outside of regular program hours. The Community Connections staff and interpreters are available to assist if a need arises.

• All participants in professional groups work in similar fields and the experience is more group focused, using a variety of training methods.

In 2006-2007, ICIU was selected to administer three separate programs on behalf of USAID and World Learning.  October 26 through November 16, 2006, eleven citizens of Azerbaijan attended the Small Agribusiness in a Market Economy program which was formulated to deliver relevant and high quality education. The Small Agribusiness in a Market Economy program articulated the common interests of the group: marketing, financing, governmental controls, as well as catering to specific individual interests: beekeeping, organic greenhouse and nut production.  Ten Armenian citizens visited Iowa between January 15 and February 5 with the Armenian Young Voters program. This specific program contrasted the lack of youth-oriented voter initiatives in Armenia to the strong perception of the political involvement in Iowa. In June of 2007 ten visitors from Poltava, Ukraine participated in an Agribusiness Program. This program exposed them to local farm co-ops, financing, insurance, and machinery. They were able to make some valuable business connections as well as learn about current trends in agribusiness.