Last July, when we won a grant from the US Embassy in Moscow to bring 10 Russian journalists to the US I had no idea what the year would bring.  Sure, I knew the Olympics in Sochi would be a big deal, but no one could have predicted Edward Snowden seeking asylum or the fighting in Crimea that has set up frosty relations between our countries. The relationship between the US and Russia is back in the news in a big way, which makes it as interesting a time as ever for the group to be here.

The journalists that are coming are all under 35, they hail from big cities and small towns (some as far as an 8-hour flight from Moscow), they work in television, newspaper, radio, and online, and in addition to having meetings, they’ll also spend one day shadowing American journalists who work in similar fields. This is the ultimate goal of this exchange– to connect American and Russian peers in order to build closer relationships–because how cool would it be if a local reporter in Irkutsk could email her friend who works for The Washington Post to get advice?  Or if a WAMU reporter could contact his friend who lives in St. Petersburg for perspective on a story?  Very cool, obviously, but also extremely valuable for both people.

I’ll be posting photos and tweeting under the hashtag #acyplRMD– so follow along and see what happens!

Libby Rosenbaum is the vice president of programs and communications at ACYPL. This will be her first time escorting an international delegation.