In early 2019, four Russians traveled to Pensacola as exchange participants with the Open World Leadership Center. This congressionally-sponsored program focused on local legislation. While in Pensacola for eight days, they stayed with host families Karen and Mike Jurkowich, Jena Melanҫon, Megan and Jerry Pratt, and Terry and Bill Preston.
On their first day in Pensacola, the visitors volunteered with the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Youth Diplomats and Ocean Hour at a shoreline cleanup. Following this, they joined the youth in ice breakers and a tour of Historic Pensacola Village.
To explore a newspaper’s role in holding local government accountable and to talk about the responsibility of media for the materials they publish, the visitors met with Rick Outzen, publisher of Independent News. To continue the discussion of transparency and to examine the Florida Sunshine Law and best practices in e-governance, they met with Escambia County Assistant Attorney Meredith Crawford and Kaycee Lagarde of Escambia County Community and Media Relations. The visitors also meet cartoonist Andy Marlette of the Pensacola News Journal who sketched a quick caricature of one of them.
To highlight campaigns and elections, the group met with several professionals including Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford who highlighted the process of fair and proper elections, Todd Thomson of the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce who focused on best practices in campaign management, and Florida State Representative Alex Andrade who discussed running a campaign. Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Vice Chair Dr. Larry Walker shared best practices in local campaigns as well.
Janet de Lorge and Suzanne Carpenter, members of the League of Women Voters, discussed how the organization encourages women to vote and provides voters with election information. Myra Van Hoose of the Institute for Women in Politics continued the conversation. The visitors met with Jerry McIntosh, president of Movement for Change, to discuss how the organization encourages civil responsibility, political awareness, and social justice through community engagement. An interactive meeting with Daniel Pennington allowed the visitors to explore best practices in public speaking.
The group observed a public forum at the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners. To discuss constituent outreach and the process of proposing and passing legislation, they also met with Angela Crawley, district four aide to County Commissioner Robert Bender. To explain the role of a district office and to highlight citizen access to congressional representatives, they met Sara Lefevers, district aide in the office of Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Their program also included a speaking engagement, several cultural activities, a community coffee, an observation of a Gulf Breeze City Council Meeting, an evening with young professionals, a hospitality stop at Visit Pensacola, and a welcome orientation with Pensacola Council Member Sherri Myers.
Gulf Coast Diplomacy thanks everyone who helped make this project a success.
