The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council welcomed ten young leaders from Brazil as a part of the United States Department of State’s Youth Ambassadors Program. On the day of arrival, the teenagers toured downtown and visited Historic Pensacola Village.
Their calendar was packed with activities focusing on multiculturalism, leadership, and community service, but before the group could begin to tackle these topics, they had to face an intimidating challenge: saying good bye to each other & heading off to new adventures in Gulf Breeze & Pensacola with their eager host families.
Checking in with each other next morning, the talkative group excitedly shared details about their new “brothers” and “sisters.” Having successfully met the awkward first evening with strangers head on, the group marched forward, attending the first of three public speaking workshops and engaging in a discussion with Keyontay Humphries, the regional manager of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This was followed by a visit to the Voices of Pensacola multicultural museum to examine diversity in the region.
They continued looking at civil rights through conversations with Georgia Blackmon and with Dr. John Veasley, the immediate past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). At a meeting at the University of West Florida (UWF), they explored diversity with Dr. Lusharoon Wiley, founder of The Common Ground Diversity and Inclusion Training Group.
These discussions culminated in their participation in the University of West Florida Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and their participation in the festive MLK Day downtown parade. At both activities, the group volunteered alongside American students. The university event put them in contact with UWF students at the Ronald McDonald House while at the parade they marched with the youth of Bethel AME, handing out hundreds of books to parade onlookers.
The learning continued with a multicultural simulation at Big Lagoon State Park and with a life skills experiences clinic with the First Tee of Northwest Florida Executive Director Marty Stanovich and his team. A meeting focusing on the mission of Appetite for Life and a workshop at Digital Media Education (DMe) concentrating on media skills also exposed the students to new ideas.
Their twelve packed days of leadership activities included visiting Gulf Breeze High School and having lunch and conversation with students, volunteering with Bay Area Food Bank, and finding inspiration at the Women’s Civic Forum where Pensacola City Councilwoman Sherri Myers spoke about her childhood poverty and her involvement in the civil rights and women’s rights movements. Their program also underscored the value of community service through time spent with STRIDE, a mentoring group for students at Warrington Middle School.
With ideas and inspiration in tow, the teens attended an Escambia County Board of County Commissioners Meeting to observe local government at work. Directly after, they held a student-led local government simulation where they acted out the parts of elected officials, police, business owners, students, and other concerned citizens. The topic at hand was the value of student curfews and led to a lively discussion and a surprising vote for the implementation of curfews.
The Brazilian youth were an impressive lot, and each member contributed to the vitality of the group. Nowhere was this more present than at the Escambia Boys Base where, on their last day in town, the students put to use their public speaking skills and gave presentations about Brazil to the incarcerated youth.
Their calendar was packed with activities and the group had a ton of fun along the way, but there was one challenge that everyone dreaded: saying good bye to their host families. Fortunately, with email, Instagram, and Facebook, the ties between northwest Florida and Brazil continue to grow stronger, thanks to the host families and professionals who helped make this program a success.
Youth ambassadors pose with Georgia Blackmon.