Humphrey Fellows participated in an open event hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University where they discussed leadership and politics with former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder. Former Governor Wilder was the first Black governor in the United States in the 20^th century, and during his presentation reflected on his legacy, race issues, and politics in the United States. Fellows had the opportunity to ask him about current events, his advice for leadership, and problem solving.

Humphrey Fellow Hamiss Bizimana volunteered with Hands on Nashville to help clean up the city after severe flooding. Mr. Bizimana volunteered with this organization because he wanted to help the community that had suffered after so warmly welcoming him to the United States. He said “I have been raised in a country (Rwanda) where community members come together (Umuganda) on the last Saturday of every month for a common purpose of community work and complete a difficult task within a short period of time that could not be completed by one person, or which could need more financial resources.” He also said he learned a lot through this activity, such as effective organization with partners, community cohesion, and cultural immersion.  He was featured in an article in the Tennessean due to his efforts.

The entire cohort at Vanderbilt University has been volunteering across Nashville throughout their Fellowship. Their expansive volunteer efforts include working with LP Pencil to sort and stock school supplies; Second Harvest Food Bank to orgamize food donations; Adventure Science Center; One To World where Billal Bouakaz taught students about Algerian culture and geography; Metro Nashville Public Schools where Maria Sulaiman has been tutoring students; and Lipscomb University where Boaz Tsabar has been giving education-focused lectures.

Humphrey alumnus Adam Kurilla is implementing the new practice of Transcending Self Therapy (TST) in the Center for Treatment of Drug Dependencies in the Slovak Republic as part of his Alumni Impact Award. During his time on the Humphrey Fellowship, Mr. Kurilla worked with Dr. Reisweber, the creator of TST, and inspired him to start this new therapy practice in his home institution to help those with alcohol addiction. Using his Alumni Impact Award, he trained clinicians in TST, created a guide in Slovakian, and started a clinical trial of the new practice. The trial will continue through the end of 2021, and the results will be published. Mr. Kurilla is a Clinical Psychologist at the Center for Treatment of Drug Dependencies. He was a 2019-2020 Humphrey Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The 2021 Alumni Impact Award Application will open soon! Be on the lookout in the Newsletter and Humphrey social media for an upcoming announcement!

Humphrey alumna Winnie Naigaga worked with Justice Defenders to teach former prisoners and prison officers about ethics in the workplace. With her guidance, Justice Defenders hope the trainings will foster team cohesion and ensure values and ethos. Their staff, which are 25% formerly incarcerated, are now equipped to carry out their work providing legal education and training. She taught this workshop to 40 practitioners in the field across Uganda, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. She is the head of the Documentation, Research and Law Reporting office at the Judicial Training Institute in Kampala, and is a Judge in Uganda’s Justice System. She was a 2018-2019 Humphrey Fellow at American University.