Keystone Human Services - Comprehensive community based mental retardation, mental health, autism and early intervention services

Keystone Global Vision

International Professional Exchanges

Since the 1990s, Keystone has welcomed students, professionals and human services delegates from Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and beyond to learn and collaborate through our International Practical Exchange Program. Global training and professional development partnerships are not only some of the most effective means to distribute resources but also a prime avenue to foster international relationships with people and organizations who fundamentally understand the vision of community-based human services.

Along with our own International Professional Exchange Program, Keystone Human Services and our affiliate agencies partner with a diverse selection of exchange programs designed to accommodate individuals in every stage of professional development. Keystone currently participates in the following programs:

Grant Programs

Open World Leadership Center: Grant Program through United States Library of Congress; The Open World program is a professional exchange program between the United States and the countries of Eurasia and the Baltic States that emphasizes hands-on, community-based collaborations – making it an ideal avenue for KHS's international outreach. Established by Congress in 1999, the Open World Leadership Center sponsors week-long exchange delegations designated to correspond with the participating delegates' professional or civic work, exposing them to ideas and practices they can adapt to their own situations. Keystone has hosted groups of human services leaders from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Perm, Vladimir, Yakutia, Novosibirsk and Pskov, as well as other regions across the Russian Federation. The visits focused on issues surrounding child welfare, elder care, disability rights, special education, and the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and other medical conditions prevalent in Russia.; View more information on Keystone's Open World delegations.
Special American Business Internship Training Program (SABIT): Grant Program through United States Department of Commerce; Sponsored by the International Trade Administration, the SABIT program is a 13-week internship program for mid- to upper-level business professionals from Russian and Eurasian regions. Geared toward social services management, the program hones the skills necessary to develop and manage an effective business plan, and participants receive intensive training in key areas such as finance, human resources, new business development, compliance, public relations, ethics and information systems. Participants in the SABIT program tend to be human services leaders in their home countries, and the ultimate objective is for these leaders to use their own knowledge and their Keystone training to develop business plans for service development consistent with the needs of their region. The General Directors of Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association and the Keystone Social-Educational Foundation for Social Assistance to Children and Families in Russia are both SABIT program alumni.

International Internship Programs

Pennsylvania Partnerships Abroad, Ltd.: Pennsylvania Partnerships Abroad, Ltd., a nonprofit organization established in 1990, sponsors a business internship program through which master's students from the University of Economics in Wroclaw, Poland participate in a semester of professional training with a Central Pennsylvania business or organization. Keystone works with both PPA and universities in Poland to host these pre-professional interns, whose concentrations of study are generally in economics, business management or computer science. Keystone has been a participating organization since 2002, providing students the opportunity to learn about and participate in the operation and management of a services-oriented nonprofit organization.