The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council’s last group of 2105 was a group of six visitors from Latin America participating in a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program project titled “Understanding U.S. Drug Control Policy and Demand Reduction Efforts.” All of the delegates work in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse in their home countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, and Peru; and the visitors arrived in Pensacola after two weeks spent visiting other American cities including Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and San Francisco.
Councilman P.C. Wu welcomed the delegation to Pensacola City Hall and presented them with certificates of honorary citizenship to the city. Then, it was off to volunteer at Manna Food Pantries, where Outreach Manager JoAnn Howansky welcomed the visitors and gave an explanation of Manna’s programs and how they are supported by a generous local community. After Q&A, the Latin Americans got to work sorting food donated during Manna’s fall “Fill the Mayflower” campaign.
The visitors had a great experience meeting with Connie Bookman, the executive director of Pathways for Change, during a visit highlighting alternative substance abuse treatment programs. The meeting included a series of site visits to Pathways for Change’s Family Center, Clinton Cox Residence, and Men’s Residential Treatment (MRT) Program. Clinton Cox House Manager Mark O’Dell and MRT Director Brunie Emmanuel also spoke with the group about their programs.
The focus shifted to youth substance abuse treatment when the Latin American delegation visited the Lakeview Drug and Alcohol Residential Treatment (DAART) Center. Director Sandra Trainer led the visitors on a tour of the facility, spoke to them about how the program works, and also provided answers to their questions.
A visit to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office provided the perspective of law enforcement engaged in investigating drug and drug-trafficking-related crimes while also working in the community as school resource officers to encourage students to make good choices while serving as deterrents. Sheriff David Morgan warmly welcomed the group and passed off the discussion to Lt. Robert Quinata, Deputy Ron Gill, and Deputy Jason Comans who spoke to the visitors about their work before answering questions. Thank you to Protocol Officer Allison Morgan for arranging this meeting.
On the group’s last full day in Pensacola they met with Denise Manassa and Leashia Scrivner of the Community Drug and Alcohol Council (CDAC) where they were impressed to hear about the large number of successful substance abuse and mental health prevention, intervention, and education programs they run in the northwest Florida area. Later that day, the Latin American delegation headed up to the University of West Florida for their last professional appointment. Here, they met with representatives of the Wellness Services department and the Peer Educator program. Wellness Services Director Mica Hughes-Harrell, Assistant Director Alicia Cambron, and Peer Educators Jasmine, Lauren, and Maren shared best practices for educating university students on healthy behaviors related to alcohol and drugs.
It wasn’t all work and no play for this group, however! They still made time to join over 30 locals and members of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council for an evening “Diplomacy Club” meet and greet at the CAVU Club in the Crowne Plaza hotel. Also on their itinerary was a visit to the National Aviation Museum which was an experience that all of the visitors enjoyed.
The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council thanks everyone who donated time and energy to these international guests and who made them feel welcome in Pensacola. These projects would not be possible without the support of you, our community of citizen diplomats!
Say cheese! After the professional meetings were done for the day, our members and supporters welcomed the group at a meet-and-greet.