On May 28, 2009, Community Connections staff conducted the Tier 1 orientation for the Media Advocacy group at the Vere Palace hotel in Tbilisi. The orientation is an essential component of the Community Connections program, which serves to introduce the program, discuss its objectives and rules, as well as help participants set expectations for their stay in the US.

At the orientation, Community Connections program staff conducted a series of activities that emphasized the importance of teamwork. During the sessions, participants identified their professional community strengths and weaknesses, and formulated individual program goals for their stay the US.

One of the important aspects of the Community Connections program is that participants live with their US host families. In order to introduce the US lifestyle and family culture to participants, Community Connections program staff conducted cross–cultural sessions, which addressed culture shock, stereotypes about the US and review of American and Georgian cultures by utilizing the feedback from previous Community Connections alumni.

The Media Advocacy group from Georgia will be traveling to the US from June 24 to July 15, 2009 and will be hosted by the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The Community Connections participants will have an opportunity to learn about a wide range of issues related to protecting the freedom of speech, media independence, professional ethics, objective reporting, self censorship, and media employment issues.

The Tier 2 orientation for the Media Advocacy group is scheduled for June 23, 2009 at the PH International’s office in Tbilisi, Georgia.