alumni

 “There is wide gap between communities and NGOs. I feel Serve 4 Change can fill this gap and act as a bridge between communities and organizations, which will later empower people,” says Salamat. His youth-led organization, Serve 4 Change, is directly enhancing local capacity and giving voice to the true needs of communities in rural Gilgit-Baltistan. “I believe our issues are not big, but they are significant.”

The lady at the Khan-Uul District Citizen’s Hall, a “Senior Specialist Citizen’s Representative,” was supposed to be showing us around the building. We had an appointment all set up and we were on time. She, however, was blabbing with some locals while we cooled our heels on hard chairs in the Hall for maybe half an hour. I was annoyed -- until I understood what was really happening -- but I am getting way ahead of the story.

Right now, nearly 5,000 leaders in cities, towns, and villages across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus are working to advance democracy, spur economic growth, reduce poverty, improve health, bolster community services, protect the environment and human rights, and promote gender equality. These alumni from 20 years of the Muskie Program are using the new technical skills and professional knowledge gained from their studies in the United States to develop their countries and communities.  Fifty percent of the alumni are working in the public and non-profit sectors. Together they form a network of change-makers forging strong ties with the United States and improving their societies from the inside.

Growing up in the United States, it seemed like everyone was volunteering all of the time and the spirit of volunteerism was something I took for granted.