GMF - The German Marshall Fund of the United States - Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

The week of March 4, the spring cohort of 2013’s European and American Marshall Memorial Fellows (MMF) were in Washington, DC to begin their fellowships. While in DC, the cohorts got the chance to meet each other and participate in an orientation that prepared them for their roles as travelling Fellows. The European Fellows also took part in a series of meetings with professionals from a diverse range of sectors in order to get an overview of the city’s political and social institutions. Meetings included a discussion of European and American values with American University’s Professor Gary Weaver; an introduction to lobbying in the United States with Guido Zucconi of AHRI; a visit to DC’s Central Union Mission to learn about volunteerism in the US; a workshop on networking by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institutes’ George Walker; an overview of Capitol Hill and the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s work with the Commission’s Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, Fred Turner; a visit to the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School; and a conversation with Politico’s Assistant Managing Editor, Beth Frerking. The highlight of the week’s events was a welcome reception held on Thursday, March 7, 2013. The reception, entitled “The Power of Fellowship,” was attended by former MMFs from the community and staff members from the German Marshall Fund. Opening remarks were given by Ivan Vejvoda, GMF’s Vice President of Programs, who compared the lifelong relationships MMF Fellows were about to forge on their trips to the lasting bonds he formed with fellow freedom fighters in Serbia.