Our History
The Origins: “Project Harmony”
In 1985, three people in a small town in Vermont shared the idea that personal contact between people of the US and USSR could help ease the tensions of the Cold War. They were friends—a teacher, an architect, and a lawyer—and although they were not development experts, they were committed to finding a way for young people from the US and USSR to meet. “Project Harmony” began with the exchange of student choir groups between high schools in America and the Soviet Union when in the spring of 1985, a delegation of US teenagers from Harwood Union High School in Vermont traveled to Leningrad. Soon, Project Harmony was initiating youth performing arts exchanges between New Englanders and people from all corners of the Soviet Union.
The Early Days
In those early years, Project Harmony grew from a simple idea into something much larger than anyone had anticipated. The exchanges were about more than just performances; they were about connection—real, human connection at a time when the Cold War created barriers of fear and misunderstanding. Students from both nations stayed in each other’s homes, shared meals, learned new traditions, and saw the world from a different perspective.
One particularly memorable program came in 1989 when Circus Smirkus, a Vermont-based youth circus, joined forces with a Georgian circus troupe. Young performers from both sides of the world gathered in Vermont, bringing their talent together to bridge cultural barriers and widen perspectives.