Conducting a true exchange
Not only did US trainers come prepared with numerous topics to present to their Russian colleagues, but Project Harmony staff, together with local partners, put together an itinerary that allowed the trainers to really see the kind of original drug prevention initiatives and youth activities taking place in Velikiy Novgorod. One such program is a young sailors program that allows students to learn the ins and outs of sailing. The program motivates them to keep their grades up to stay in the program and to stay out of trouble while gaining valuable skills. All of the US trainers noted that this kind of unique program would be valuable in Rochester and potentially possible due to the rivers in the area and it's proximity to Lake Ontario.

This approach also helped raise the profile of Russian specialists the trainers met with. One common misperception among Russians is that their own law enforcement, education and social services systems are of extremely low quality. During interviews on television and radio and with print journalists, the US trainers remarked on the high caliber of the professionals they had met with and brought up specific examples of programs and organizations that had particularly impressed them. These statements, without exception, always made it into the final cut of each new broadcast or article.

Truancy Program
During the Phase II of this program (May 2001), US trainers introduced Rochester's Truancy Reduction and Assessment Center and Intervention Program to law enforcement and education professionals in Velikiy Novgorod. During Phase III (October 2001) the Russian delegation that visited Rochester further examined the program and decided they could use Rochester's experience and would start a similar pilot program of their own. By the arrival of the Phase IV delegation (April 2002), all of the red tape to do this had been cleared and the program had been approved. US trainer Michael Marcano helped start Rochester's Truancy Intervention Program and helped drum up support in Velikiy Novgorod by presenting this program at various venues and providing information for professionals citywide.

DARE Demonstrations
Per the request of Phase III alumni, Officer Marcano prepared a DARE lesson to teach in classrooms or to other groups of children in order to demonstrate positive interaction between the police and children. His presentations and the program's history were impressive and interesting to all of the professionals in the field, especially as many of them are working through Project Harmony's Juvenile Drug Enforcement and Prevention Program to implement a Russian drug prevention curriculum in schools. More than once Officer Marcano's demonstration lessons were followed by comments from Russian specialists that echoed the thought: "If our law enforcement officers could interact with children this way, we would have far fewer problems."

Meeting with Northern micro-region of the City
and the NGO "No to Alcoholism and Drugs"
On Thursday, April 11, the entire US delegation and all 3 Project Harmony Staff went to visit the Northern micro-region of the City of Velikiy Novgorod and the NGO "No to Alcoholism and Drugs" at their community center on the outskirts of town. During this meeting the delegation got into heated and in-depth discussions about community building, drug prevention, social services and working with law enforcement. Sometimes the US delegates and Russian participants forgot about their need for interpreters. At one point, Marjorie Lefler, who has limited survival Russian, began her answer to a very detailed question from her Russian colleague before it was interpreted. She actually understood the question. The level of communication was very high and the thirst for information from this particular organization and their enthusiasm for what they do for their community allowed them to overcome the language barrier.