From January 24 to January 29 the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council welcomed a group of 11 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) visitors under the auspices of the International Visitors Leadership project (IVLP) to examine volunteerism and youth.
Our guests came from Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Samoa, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to meet with local counterparts to explore programs that foster civic participation, NGO management and fund raising, leadership strategies to facilitate social empowerment and justice, and all aspects of volunteer recruitment and management.
Each visitor also had a meal in a local home and we thank Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council supporters Jeannine Van Reeth, Carol and Randy Lambert, Lorenda and Albert Ortega, Karen and Mike Jurkowich, and Ed Gray for their hospitality.
The next day they were off and running, beginning with an early meeting with Councilman Charles Bare who welcomed them to Pensacola, gave them a brief history, and discussed Pensacola’s civic challenges.
Next, Gulf Breeze City Manager Edwin “Buz” Eddy welcomed the visitors and discussed the Youth in Government Symposium, a city program that involves encouraging local youth to learn how local government functions from the inside.
Early the next morning, the group met with Oliver Jones, superintendent of Escambia Boys Base, a residential court-ordered halfway house program for juvenile offenders located on base at Corry Station. He engaged the visitors in a powerful discussion about how Escambia Boys Base turns lives around and offers young men a better future through GED classes, mentoring, and community service.
The group also enjoyed volunteering alongside the boys of Boys Base on a Habitat for Humanity project. Taylor Thomas of Habitat for Humanity explained how the program utilizes volunteer labor, in-kind gifts, and donations to build low cost homes for partner families who contribute “sweat equity.”
Erik Pickett and David Hawkins at STRIDE (Students Taking Responsibility in Developing Excellence) kicked off the schedule for the next day, introducing our IVLP visitors to STRIDE students. They also discussed the importance of partnerships and corporate mentors who work with the boys, providing encouragement and alternatives to gang membership.
The next meeting was with Alexia Mader of Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida who not only explained how Junior Achievement builds financial literacy and workforce readiness through hands-on programs, but who also gave the group the needed printed materials to use in setting up similar programs in their own countries.
After lunch in beautiful downtown Pensacola, our visitors met with Sally Bergosh of the Escambia County Youth Motivator Program to discuss the importance of committed adult mentors in the success of programs to mentor, motivate, and encourage youth. To close the day, our visitors met with locals for conversation and coffee in a free-flowing exchange of questions and ideas.
Thanks to the great efforts of our committed citizens, our ASEAN IVLP visitors left full of inspiration and with contacts and new resources to help compliment their skills in working with youth.
Many thanks to all of those who volunteered their time to make this project a success!
