Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council Inc

WE FACILITATE PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS THROUGH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM & OTHER FEDERAL EXCHANGES. WE ALSO CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH VIA VIRTUAL EXCHANGE TO SCHOOLS AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND RUN AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE FACILITATION: WE MOVED FROM VIRTUAL PROGRAMS FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS THROUGH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM & OTHER FEDERALLY FUNDED EXCHANGES BACK TO IN-PERSON EXCHANGES AT THE END OF APRIL, WORKING VIRTUALLY WITH 112 PROFESSIONAL, INTERNATIONAL VISITORS & INTERPRETERS IN 10 GROUPS FROM OCT 2021 TO APRIL 2022. THESE EXCHANGE PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 12 PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS AND MET WITH 32 OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL COUNTERPARTS AND VISITED THREE CLASSROOMS VIRTUALLY. THIRTEEN OF THE VIRTUAL VISITORS ENJOYED ONLINE CULTURAL EXCHANGES WITH 25 LOCALS AT THREE DIFFERENT EVENTS. FROM APRIL TO SEPT 2022, 150 PROFESSIONAL, INTERNATIONAL VISITORS & INTERPRETERS IN 14 GROUPS ATTENDED 74 PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS, MET WITH 163 OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL COUNTERPARTS, VISITED ONE CLASSROOM, AND ENJOYED 13 CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. WE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE REGIONAL IMPACT OF THE IVLP THROUGH A TRAINING DAY ON BEST PRACTICES IN PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE FACILITATION FOR 52 PROFESSIONALS. WE SPOKE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE AT AN EVENT TITLED "DIPLOMACY BEGINS HERE" FOR 168 ATTENDEES. THE IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE OF FACILITATING INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA IS TO ENCOURAGE THE DISCUSSION OF BEST PRACTICES BETWEEN PROFESSIONALS, TO HIGHLIGHT OUR COUNTRY'S DIVERSITY, AND TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF AMERICAN VALUES AND POLICIES. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES ARE A) TO PROVIDE AVENUES FOR FURTHER COMMUNICATION TO DISCOURAGE STEREOTYPING, B) TO ENCOURAGE INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN NORTHWEST FLORIDA & THE REST OF THE WORLD, C) TO PROTECT THE UNITED STATES AND AMERICAN CITIZENS, D) TO ADVANCE DEMOCRACY, E) TO DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS, AND F) TO ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PROSPERITY IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE WORLD.

YOUTH EDUCATION: TO ALLOW LOCAL YOUTH TO MEET THESE VISITORS, WE WELCOMED 24 TEENAGERS TO OUR YOUTH DIPLOMATS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (21 LOCALS AND THREE INTERNATIONALS) AND WORKED WITH THEM FOR 12 MONTHS, MOVING FROM VIRTUAL TO IN-PERSON IN MAY 2022. WE COORDINATED TWO ONLINE VISITS WITH THE "IVLP IN THE CLASSROOM" INITIATIVE OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. WE WELCOMED 10 IVLP PARTICIPANTS ON AN IVLP VIRTUAL PROJECT TO THE YOUTH DIPLOMATS. WE WELCOMED 56 TEENS TO OUR THIRD YEAR OF CAMP GLOBAL, AN ONLINE FIVE-WEEK SUMMER CAMP FOR EIGHT AMERICANS & 48 INTERNATIONALS. WE HIRED AND TRAINED FIVE LOCAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ONLINE FACILITATION TO WORK WITH THEM. WE HIRED THREE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO ASSIST US IN FURTHER ONLINE YOUTH EXCHANGES. WE HOSTED TWO U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE EXCHANGES ONLINE FOR 45 CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN TEENS. WE CONDUCTED ONE OF THESE IN SPANISH, GIVING THE 12 LOCAL TEENS WHO PARTICIPATED IN IT THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS IN AN IMMERSION PROGRAM. WE HOSTED PARTS TWO AND THREE OF A THREE-PART VIRTUAL EXCHANGE SPONSORED BY US EMBASSY MOSCOW WHERE THE YOUTH DIPLOMATS ENGAGED IN CULTURAL SHARING WITH 15 RUSSIAN STUDENTS THEIR OWN AGE. WE WORKED IN-PERSON WITH NINE INTERNATIONAL TEENS PARTICIPATING IN THE ALEX EXCHANGE PROJECT WHO STAYED WITH HOST FAMILIES. WE INVOLVED THEM IN NINE MEETINGS WITH 36 LOCAL PROFESSIONALS, ONE VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY, AND A CULTURAL ACTIVITY. IN TOTAL, WE WORKED WITH 98 LOCAL TEENS AND 120 INTERNATIONAL TEENS DIRECTLY. WE ALSO INTRODUCED EDUCATORS IN EL SALVADOR AND GAZA TO EACH OTHER VIA THE HANDS UP PROJECT SO THAT THEIR CLASSROOMS COULD COLLABORATE IN CREATING AND ACTING IN AN ONLINE PLAY. OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTED A VIDEO CLIP TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN DIPLOMACY TO HELP PROMOTE THEIR DIPLOMACY SIMULATIONS TO EDUCATORS, AND SHE SPOKE TO 24 TEENS AT THE CITY OF PENSACOLA YOUTH COUNCIL TO PROMOTE YOUTH EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES. OUR STAFF CREATED 65 LETTERS FOR THE CAMP FIRE "INCREDIBLE KIDS" INITIATIVE. FOR THE DIPLOMACY BEGINS HERE SUMMIT, 32 TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS FROM THE LOCAL UNIVERSITY AND NEARBY HIGH SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED IN A DIPLOMACY SIMULATION RUN BY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN DIPLOMACY. AN ADDITIONAL 12 VOLUNTEERED OR SPOKE AT THE EVENT. THE SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES ARE TO EXPOSE YOUTH TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE OUR BORDERS & TO PRESENT THEM WITH NEW EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES ARE A) TO ENCOURAGE YOUTH TO THINK GLOBALLY, B) TO HELP YOUTH GAIN AND IMPROVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SKILLS, C) TO EXPOSE THEM TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES, D) TO PROVIDE TRAINING IN LEADERSHIP TO LOCAL TEENS, E) TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS NATIONAL SECURITY BY CREATING INTERCULTURAL FRIENDSHIPS, F) TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED STATES BY PROMOTING MEDIA LITERACY TO TEENS.

HOSPITALITY & OUTREACH: TO ENCOURAGE THE CONCEPT OF CITIZEN DIPLOMACY & TO GIVE MEMBERS OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONALS, WE COORDINATED ONLINE CULTURAL SHARING SPACES FOR FOUR IVLP GROUPS (27 INTERNATIONAL VISITORS & 33 LOCALS). SINCE ALL OF OUR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES WERE VIRTUAL FROM OCT 2021 - APRIL 2022, THESE FOUR EVENTS WERE ONLINE. WE HOSTED THREE VIRTUAL "SMALL WORLD CAFES," PARTNERING WITH GLOBAL TIES MIAMI TWICE TO FOCUS ON THE WAR IN UKRAINE. WE ALSO HOSTED THE GREAT DECISIONS SERIES FOR INTERESTED LOCALS TO EXPOSE THEM TO TOPICS THEY WOULD LIKELY ENCOUNTER IN A HOSPITALITY SETTING WITH INTERNATIONAL VISITORS. WITH THE RETURN TO IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, WE RENEWED TO OUR HOSPITALITY "DINNER WITH A DELEGATE SERIES." WE FACILITATED SIX HOSPITALITY EVENINGS FOR A TOTAL OF 43 INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AND INTERPRETERS IN 23 HOMES. EACH VISITOR ATTENDED ONE OF THE SIX HOSPITALITY EVENINGS. WE ALSO HOSTED 11 COFFEES FROM MAY-SEPT SO 72 LOCALS COULD MEET OUR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS. WE SPOKE TO 68 LOCALS IN THREE CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE STAFFED A TABLE AT A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERSHIP EVENT TO INCREASE AWARENESS. WE WERE HONORED TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA AS THEIR COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THE QUARTER (OCT-DEC 2021), WHICH ALLOWED US TO INCREASE OUR EXPOSURE TO THE COMMUNITY VIA THE UWF WEBSITE. THE STUDER COMMUNITY INSTITUTE RECOGNIZED OUR PROGRAM BY AWARDING US A COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD. WE PROMOTED THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY YOUTH AND PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE THREE TIMES IN RADIO INTERVIEWS, TWICE IN LOCAL PRINT MEDIA, ONCE ON TELEVISION, ONCE IN AN ONLINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INTERVIEW, AND EXTENSIVELY ON OUR WEBSITE, NEWSLETTER, AND OUR FIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. HOSTING THE DIPLOMACY BEGINS HERE TRAINING AND SUMMIT MEANT WE HAD MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO FOCUS ON OUTREACH. IN MARCH, WE WERE ACCEPTED AS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCILS OF AMERICA, A MEMBERSHIP THAT CAN HELP US GROW FUTURE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS THAT WILL SUPPORT OUR HOSPITALITY WORK. THE SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THESE EFFORTS IS TO INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF CITIZEN DIPLOMACY & GLOBAL AFFAIRS IN OUR AREA. LONG-TERM, WE HOPE THESE EVENTS WILL BUILD A MORE VITAL AWARENESS OF US FOREIGN POLICY GOALS AND WILL LEAD TO CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN OUR MEMBERS AND GUESTS, HELPING US TO AFFECT US FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY "ONE CONNECTION AT A TIME."