THE OPEN WORLD RUSSIAN DELEGATION Friendship Force of Kern County recently hosted eight Russian journalists as part of a program supported by the Open World Leadership Center. The Center allows emerging leaders from Russia and other Eurasian countries to experience various aspects of American democracy and civil society in action. The all female delegation participated in a program called “Accountable Governance: Media/Journalism. This program allowed the delegates, all of whom were in some phase of journalism, to meet and discuss how their American counterparts functioned. They met with newspaper publishers and reporters, television news directors and other media outlets and explored how they coexist and work together with different county and city governments, private social organizations and law enforcement agencies. The program for the delegates included meeting members of the city council in Shafter, CA, the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office, Goodwill Industries, the Kern County Board of Supervisors, the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern Community College, The Rotary Club of Bakersfield, the Bakersfield Californian, the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce as well as the Kern Press Club. Discussions included panel discussions, informal interviews, small group presentations, large group gatherings and a variety of spontaneous meetings. The Russians came to understand that there is a close relationship between governmental agencies and private foundations of many kinds., that we really do have a degree of freedom of the press not found in Russia and that the range of personal freedoms overlay the way that organizations of all kinds operate.  The delegates were impressed with the size of budgets of both governmental and private agencies. The extent and variety of equipment used in daily operations also impressed them. One delegate commented that the level of volunteer involvement was a surprise. In Europe or Russia people are more closed and live for themselves. People here, she said, were more open. All the delegates were impressed by the amount of time the Americans spent with them and  feel it reflects a deep tradition in the society. Friendship Force of Kern County is pleased to have been able to develop the program and to have opened their homes to the Russian delegation. Both the delegates and the Friendship Force of Kern County enjoyed this unique opportunity to meet and come to know people from another area of the world.