What to know about the delegation from Dubno, Ukraine coming to Oxford this month

Delegates from Oxford’s sister city will spend Sept. 16-26 in Ohio

Six delegates from Oxford’s sister city of Dubno, Ukraine, will visit the United States from Sept. 16-26 to cultivate the long-term relationship between the two cities. 

The goal of this visit is to enhance “trade, economic development, infrastructure and regional security,” said Jessica Greene, assistant city manager for the City of Oxford. 

Additionally, the visit aims to help “Ukrainian cities improve their export capabilities, diversify supply chains, and bolster economic resilience,” according to a press release sent by Greene.

Greene said that the visit will be an experience for learning, sharing cultures and explaining how government education programs work.

The visit is part of the Open World Program, which supports 10-day professional exchanges “built on the foundational values of authentic communication and immersive cultural experiences,” according to its website.  

The United States Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL) is funding the visit through a $12,737 grant and covering the cost of flights, according to Greene. The City of Oxford is also receiving support from Enjoy Oxford, the Oxford Rotary Club, and Miami University’s Havighurst Center and the Menard Family Center for Democracy.

The City of Oxford has found six homes for each delegate to stay during their 6-day stay in Oxford. 

“The goal is for the delegates to share a home of a local resident, meet their family and experience a bit of ‘at home life’ in the United States,” Greene said. “This is not an Airbnb-style stay. The goal is engagement, relationship building and cultural exchange.”

Greene said this will be the first visit from the Dubno delegation, and it marks a strong step in the relationship between the sister cities. 

Dubno and Oxford became sister cities in 2023, through Sister Cities International, a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 as “a network that would be a champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world.” The program has since expanded to more than 2,000 partnerships in 500 communities, according to previous reporting by the Journal News.

Also, Oxford and Differdange, Luxembourg have been sister cities since 2017.

“I really believe that any time you can build relationships across countries and across cultures, it reminds us that we are all just people and we all have families (and) we all have interests,” Greene said. “We all have communities in which we live, and we’re not so different.”

Meet the delegates

The six delegates arriving in Oxford in September are from various fields, including education and government.

Natalia Ivanytska, 42, is the head of Education Department for the Dubno City Council; Viktor Nedashkovskyy, 41, is the secretary to council for the Dubno City Council; Mariana Oleksandrivna, 34, is the first deputy head of the administration for the Dubno District State Administration of Rivne Region; Tetyana Simchuk, 43, is the facilitator for the delegation and the principal officer for the Department for International Cooperation and European Integration of the Rivne Regional State Administration; Serhii Skoroplias, 32, is the deputy director for administration and development for the Rivne Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education; and Kateryna Yakunina, 39, is the assistant to the rector of strategic development and quality assurance in education at the National University of Ostroh Academy.

This will be the first visit to the United States for delegates Ivanytska, Oleksandrivna and Yakunina.

Ceremonial flag

A ceremonial flag was commissioned by the City of Oxford to commemorate the visit. The flag’s design was reviewed and approved by the Oxford City Council during a meeting on Sept. 1.

The city plans to print and fly the flag over the Uptown Parks during the week of the delegation’s visit.

According to the city’s survey, the winning flag is in the swallowtail burgee shape, in homage to the Ohio state flag. The hexagon at the center of the flag symbolizes the city’s history with beekeeping, while suggesting that Oxford is a “hidden gem.”

The eight red boxes surrounding each side of the hexagon stand for the city’s red bricks and convey “community, belonging, and a safe, welcoming place for all,” according to the survey. The radiating patina-colored stripes of the flag portray Oxford as a “crossroads” between people and ideas.

The white stripes in between the larger stripes are intended to evoke “the framework of a wiikiaami (a traditional dome-shaped dwelling) as viewed from above.” This addition notes that Oxford stands on the homelands of the Myaamia people and celebrates the Myaamia Center’s work in cultural revitalization.

Schedule

The six delegates will arrive in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16 and spend two days in the nation’s capital working with COIL, where 32 hours of educational programming will take place.  

Greene said the programming will consist of education on Oxford, local government and public information.

“It’s all about our form of government and how we implement it,” Greene said.

Following these two days, the delegates will arrive in Oxford on Sept. 18 and attend Talawanda High School’s first home football game. 

On Sept. 19, the delegates will begin their day by exploring Oxford with their host families. Then, they will attend the city’s Peace Pole installation, led by the Rotary Club of Oxford, and visit Oxford’s OXtoberfest in the evening.

On Sept. 20, the delegates will spend time at the Oxford Senior Center and tour Cincinnati.

On Sept. 21, the delegates will spend the day learning about local government in Oxford, touring the Oxford Police Station and city-owned facilities (the Oxford Municipal Building, the Oxford Water Treatment Plant and the Oxford Fire Station) and viewing a demonstration from the Butler County Emergency Management Command team.

On Sept. 22, the delegates will spend time in Columbus to learn more about state legislative processes and the history of state government. 

On Sept. 23, the delegates will spend the day at Miami University and receive a presentation from Stephen Norris, the director of the Havighurst Center for East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. Following this, the delegates will visit the Myaamia Center to learn about its work. The delegates will also visit the McGuffey Museum and have a meeting with Miami President Gregory Crawford and ASPIRE Vice President Randi Thomas.

On Sept. 24, the delegates will spend time learning about the Talawanda School District and Oxford Parks and Recreation. Later, they’ll visit the Bee Ecological Center and learn about the city’s history with beekeeping and its importance to modern agriculture. 

On Sept. 25, the delegates will visit the Butler Tech Vocational School and Air Force Museum, where they will receive a tour of the Butler Tech Aviation Center.

To conclude the day and the trip, the delegates will attend a closing ceremony and dinner at the Oxford Community Arts Center.

On Sept. 26, the delegates will fly back to Dubno.