HOW MUCH WILL PEP COST?

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PEP is specifically designed to be a low cost program and has been recognized as one of the most cost-effective programs in the country working with Russia. The majority of the cost is absorbed by CCI (through a grant from the US State Department) and the Russian delegates themselves. What is asked of civic clubs is in-kind donations. Here is how the expenses for a civic club break down:

• Lodging: If each delegate had to stay in a hotel for three weeks, the program would be too expensive to carry out, and not nearly as much fun. Housing for the delegates is instead provided by home hosts, who are not required to be club members. We have many ideas and sample articles with suggestions of how to recruit and secure home hosts. Host families provide meals (breakfast and dinner, plus lunch on weekends) for their guests but are not obligated to pay for social events. Ideally, each home host will house one or two Russians for at least one week of the training program.

• Food: Most meals will be covered by the home hosts and the business hosts (lunch during the week). In the event that a host cannot provide a certain meal, the Russians can pay or a restaurant or supermarket can donate food. We also ask that each group attend a minimum of one club meeting while they are in the US. This is because learning about civic club values is often one of the most beneficial parts of the entire internship. The Russians are always impressed by the generosity of their American hosts and amazed that these civic-minded businesspeople take the time to assist not only their local communities, but also people in a foreign land like Russia. Many are so inspired that they return home with the desire to join or start their own civic club!

• Transportation: International and domestic airfare costs are covered by the Russian participants' fees and arranged by CCI. Hosting clubs are responsible only for local transportation: meeting delegates at the airport, getting them to their business seminars in the mornings, returning them to their home hosts in the evenings, and taking them to weekend and evening social events. The easiest way to coordinate this is to secure the donation of a 15 passenger van, and then arrange for home hosts to drop off and pick up their Russians at a centralized location so that they can all get in the van together to travel to their day's events. Many clubs have also secured free gasoline for the entire three week visit.

• Social: The Russians do want to have fun with their American hosts and are interested in more than just training! As this will probably be their "once in a lifetime" chance to visit your community and the US, they will want to experience as much of the local culture as possible. This, however, does not have to be costly for your club. We do ask that hosting organizations throw a welcome and farewell party. These gatherings, and other social aspects of the program, do not have to be expensive. Potluck parties are just fine! Visiting a local museum, attending a high school football game, taking a walk around downtown, or touring the nearest major city are always fun for everyone involved. You are not prevented from arranging more elaborate social events‹some volunteers have solicited the donation of tickets to concerts, amusement parks, and professional sporting events. The hosting club and individual home hosts do not always have to pay for their Russian guests. The delegates will bring their own spending money and can pay for their own tickets. Please let CCI know ahead of time so that the Russians will know how much extra money to bring.

The amount of money actually spent by a hosting club really depends on how active the membership is in seeking out donations or holding fund-raisers (like a Russian cook-off). With some persistence, a school, rental car agency, car dealership, bus company, gas station, congregation, government entity, or individual can usually be found to provide a van (and gasoline) for no charge (or a discounted rate). Social and food expenses can be covered by sports arenas, theaters, restaurants, supermarkets, and banks, to name a few. Home hosting eliminates the need to pay for hotels.

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