ADDRESS BY THE CLUB'S PRESIDENT

Andrei Sharonov YDFP Fellow (1993) President of the Russian-Canadian Club of President's Fellows (since 1998) Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation Executive Secretary of the Federal Commission for the Training of Executives and Managers of the National Economy of the Russian Federation

 

This year our Club celebrated its sixth anniversary. Now, as 10 years of the YDF Program isа coming to an end, I would like to share my vision of what the Club has done over the past 6 years and how it might develop in the future. The Club's mission is to establish a new value system and interaction between people, to create a new mentality for people living in a democratic society, and to develop and strengthen bilateral ties between Russia and Canada.а

 

To fulfill this mission the Club has followed these strategic principles:

• The Club is a place for communication; exchange of views;а mutual assistance to people who actively participate in RussiaТs reforms, who understand the need for change in this country, and who hold a civic stand as far as the future of the Russian society is concerned;
• The Club's activities have been developed to satisfy various needs and interests of its members;

╖         The Club assists its members in their business and professional careers, in implementing their projects and organizing various events on the basis of solidarity;

• The Club's members provide mutual assistance in order to meet challenges in business, professional careers and personal lives;
• The Club assists its members in developing business, professional, cultural and personal ties with Canadian organizations and partners.

These strategic principles were established in 1998 and have become known as the ClubТs Program.а Club members and YDFP Fellows developed the Program. It remains relevant. We have increased in numbers, a new generation of the YDFP Fellows has brought new ideas and aspirations, and new opportunities have arisen.а Club members have recognized that the time of change in Russia has come.

 

Canadian experience gained by the YDFP Fellows should be used more effectively in Russia. The Russian-Canadian Club of President's Fellows has a network that can provide support to this process.а The Club is a unique organization, whose members, in addition to being trained in Canada, represent many Russian regions as well as many different professional and social backgrounds. An open and friendly atmosphere is the ClubТs trademark. Club members can always rely upon each other, for help and support in realizing plans and initiatives.

 

Today, as the YDF Program comes to an end, our key strategic goal is to use the Club's human and professional potential to promote transformations. The Club is an organization of a new type: we are becoming an interregional public organization. This makes us redefine our purpose to support joint activities and approaches to cooperation.

 

The future does not come out of the blue. We are shaping it by examining the experience gained through the YDF Program and by promoting the desired changes in a purposeful way. If we implement our plans together, acting as a united organization, we will achieve success. Success for everyone.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Andrei Sharonov,

President