The Holodomor Museum team participated in the American International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)

The Holodomor Museum team participated in the large American International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) under the project Memorializing History Through Education and Museums program, funded by the US State Department. The program lasted from February 18 to March 11, 2023.

Spending three weeks in the USA, our specialists – Deputy General Director Anna Sokyrina, Chief Custodian of Funds Maryna Pryn, Head of the Oral History Department of the Holodomor Yulia Kotsur, Head of the Exposition and Exhibition Department Yana Hrynko, Head of the Excursion and Education Department Yana Horodniak and her deputy Olha Vyhodovanets, as well as the coordinator of the content group for work with the project of the main exposition of the second stage from the International Charitable Foundation of the Holodomor Museum Natalia Dziubenko – took part in dozens of meetings with fellow museum workers and representatives of various state and public organizations, visited Washington, Seattle, Philadelphia, Iowa and Chicago.

Our employees gained access to the unique work experience of American colleagues in the memorialization of traumatic history, organization of teamwork on large exhibition projects, management, storage and digitization of the museum collection, and preparation of educational programs on complex and acute social topics. In three weeks, our employees visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington), the Holocaust Museum and Educational Center in Chicago, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in the state of Iowa, the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago and other institutions.

Fundraising and the experience of attracting funds for projects related to the preservation and restoration of historical memory became separate areas of experience exchange during this trip. In wartime conditions, the Museum really needs to have experience in attracting funds from benefactors and patrons.

According to the trip results, employees will apply new knowledge in approaches to work and use the contacts of the US museum specialists to expand cooperation. Information resources of our museum will provide additional information about the results of the trip in the near future.

We are sincerely thankful for the opportunity, experience and organization of the U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) U.S. Department of State Exchange Programs – U.S. Department of State