The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council welcomed seven Pakistani women on an IVLP (International Visitors Leadership Program) as part of a project working to encourage and facilitate leadership skills among women and girls.
Sherri Myers, Councilwoman with the City of Pensacola, greeted our guests, introducing them to Pensacola and discussing her own experiences with running for office as a female. Their next meeting was with Marny Needle of Impact 100, who explained the Impact 100 concept and how Pensacola is now the largest Impact 100 group in the United States, thanks to the commitment and generosity of local women.
The Pakistani guests attended the Women’s Civic Forum which presented A Special Program in Observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. The Forum is a group formed by former city councilwoman Diane Mack, and the special program focused on Councilwoman Myers and her personal experiences in the civil rights movement.
After lunch downtown, the visitors met with Ann Regan, President of the Pensacola Women’s Alliance, to discuss the importance of networking and information sharing as a tool to promote opportunities for women in the workforce.
The next day began with a visit to the Bay Area Food Bank in Milton, where the visitors experienced firsthand the benefits of volunteerism and how volunteering changes lives in our community. Afterward, the group met at Baptist Health Care with Meghan McCarthy of the Junior League of Pensacola to learn how Junior League uses the Kids in the Kitchen program to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. One visitor also met with Shannon Nickinson, Editor of Pensacola Today, to ask questions about the media’s role in social change.
An evening meeting with Carol Jones and other members of Alpha Kappa Alpha capped this day of meetings as our visitors enjoyed a lively discussion on higher education and nontraditional careers for women, cultivating leadership skills, and the importance of good mentoring.
Early the following morning, the delegates met with members of the Pensacola community over coffee to network and exchange experiences and ideas on encouraging women leaders. Participants included Donna Clark, Tara Jones, Karen Jurkowich, Diane Mack, Sonja Nelson, Julie Tippins Parker, and Ellen Roston.
Ms. Theresa Burgess of PACE Center for Girls facilitated the last meeting, focusing on helping at-risk girls avoid pregnancy, juvenile delinquency and substance abuse and to encourage them to stay in school and to utilize their education. The visitors also learned about how PACE incorporates community service into their program and offers counseling and career preparation to their students.
Through this project for the Pakistani women, our community once again illustrated its generosity and enthusiasm for citizen diplomacy; and we extend thanks to everyone who shared his or her experiences, challenges, and successes with our international visitors.
