ISAR is proud of our distinguishing features, integral to how we work, that make us so unique in the environmental advocacy community.
- Reputation and track record in the environmental field. ISAR has a reputation and a track record in the environmental field that is expansive. Environmental issues have been central to our work since 1983 and are now our primary focus. Our environmental mandate lets us focus on encouraging collective resolutions to the region’s environmental concerns while using the forum of the environment to bring social change and encourage democratic reform.
- Partnership as a central component of exchange programs. ISAR has always felt that a central part of exchange programs must be on building partnerships. One-way exchange programs where Americans are “teaching” and participants are “learning” do not result in a productive experience for either party. ISAR, therefore, tries to conduct exchange programs at a grassroots level where both sides are open to learning about one another’s situations and where local situations correspond.
- Strong relationships with partner organizations and environmental leaders. ISAR has a long-standing relationship with a broad network of environmental organizations who offer us insight and assistance throughout our programs. We trust and respect these groups and have a collaborative, energizing, and mutually beneficial experience working with them.
- Long-term and ongoing investment in the region. ISAR has been involved in the region for twenty years and has every intention to continue our good work for many years that have yet to come. Our investment in the region is not based upon the whims of funding organizations but rather on our relationship with the inspiring leaders of civic movements who have depended on us and who have enriched our work throughout ISAR’s history. In all of our programs, ISAR makes it a point to continue the investment in individuals beyond the close of a program and tries to link long-standing members of the ISAR community with newer ones.
- Commitment to grassroots development. By enabling local citizens to respond to issues affecting their communities, ISAR stimulates self-governance, empowerment and civic participation. This local emphasis and “on-the-ground” orientation make it possible for us to respond to regional variation, while encouraging behaviors and mechanisms that form the building blocks of civil society. In addition, we ensure the transfer of skills and the building of local capacity by investing in individual people who are future leaders.
- Listening carefully to those who best understand the problems. Our philosophy is rooted in the belief that the local NGOs and citizens groups know best their priorities and needs, and ISAR can provide the most useful types of support by responding to that call. Working with individuals in each community and with our overseas offices (three in Russia), ISAR identifies and responds to local need and makes programmatic decisions that authentically reflect grassroots agendas for environmental NGO activity.
- Emphasis on local decision-making and ownership of program. A vital component of ISAR’s approach to program implementation is our work with local coalitions. Local coalitions are given the responsibility of evaluating our programs and ensuring that the design of the program meets the region’s needs, but also offers leading members of the NGO community an opportunity to both shape the growth of the movement and gain experience working in a coalition. This serious task imbues ISAR participants with a sense of ownership and investment in ISAR programs, impelling them to set aside short-term preferences in favor of developing a long-term vision.
- Power of information. ISAR holds a deep belief in the powerful ripple effect of information. History has shown us that information in the hands of the right people can enable change within the most intransigent of institutions. Therefore, information dissemination forms a cornerstone of ISAR’s programs - past and present.
- Russian-speaking American staff with regional expertise. ISAR is committed to hiring US staff with proficiency in Russian and who have spent time living in the FSU. Given our focus on the grassroots, we do not expect that the community leaders with whom we work will speak English. We also need Russian for the regular implementation of our programs, since e-mail correspondence and information requests often come to our office in Russian, as do articles for ISAR publications.
- Sustained Involvement vs. “Shock Therapy.” Fundamental to ISAR’s philosophy, societal change occurs gradually - requiring time and careful nurturing. While outside guidance can assist this process, positive societal change can only truly happen from within, led by those who innately understand the challenges and possibilities. ISAR cultivates this process of positive change by finding these leaders and providing them with the tools they need. ISAR understands that because of the small scale of the activities we have supported, they may often go unrecognized by those seeking “big impact” projects and outputs. However, in our view, it is precisely these kinds of incremental improvements that lay the foundation for long-term and sustainable political, economic, and society development.
- Providing opportunities for cooperative work. In all possible ways, ISAR encourages groups to work cooperatively, offering the means, tools, and incentives to find new ways of working with one another. Our information and cooperative grants programs are designed to bridge geographic distance and cultural difference to create systemic change inter-regionally as well as locally.
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