In November 2019, nine visitors from India came to Pensacola via the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a project titled U.S. Society and Culture. FHI 360 arranged their national project and Gulf Coast Diplomacy arranged their local one. Project objectives included to “illustrate how the diversity of U.S. society and cultures contributes to a dynamic, resilient, and pluralistic political system; …observe the variety of established NGOs and citizen grassroots groups that mobilize community members to engage in the democratic process; and examine interfaith dialogue and cooperation efforts in communities to promote tolerance, inclusiveness, and/or awareness of minority communities and their contribution to society.”
Their professional experience began with a welcome from Pensacola City Council Vice President Dr. P.C. Wu who provided insight into the history of the area and who presented the group with honorary citizenship certificates on behalf of Mayor Grover Robinson.
Their next appointment was at the Communication Department at the University of West Florida with Assistant Professor Dr. Willie Tubbs. At this discussion, they explored the media’s role in community engagement and the impact of disinformation on public attitudes, beliefs, and behavior.
Feeding the Gulf Coast Operations Manager Michael Ledger next met the group to discuss his organization’s mission to feed and to educate the public about domestic hunger and proper nutrition. Feeding the Gulf Coast is active in the coastal regions of Northwest Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Over 19,200 volunteers donated time to help at the food bank in 2018, donating over 160,000 hours of service.
The group’s second day in town began with an informal discussion with Education Director Salma Ashmawi of the Islamic Center of Northwest Florida. Over coffee and pastries, she highlighted how Muslim, minority, and immigrant communities and organizations in the U.S. self-organize, integrate politically, and participate in government. The conversation also focused on public attitudes on inclusivity, interfaith dialogue, and cooperation efforts, and on how the local Muslim community, many of whom are first generation Americans, have been able to integrate and engage with the wider community.
At Greater Pensacola Career Pathways at Pensacola State College, Business & Industry Outreach Coordinator Jo McArthur and Workforce Education Director Mike Listua shared how the program works with students and job seekers through partnerships with local colleges, vocational schools, and the school district. The overall graduation rate in Escambia County rose from 55% in 2008 to 80.7% in 2017, and the district places much of this success on the development of career academies. After an overview of the program, the Indians toured the campus machine shop, computer lab, cosmetology department, and the 3D printer lab.
Other agenda items included a discussion at Pensacola High School with the girls of Pretty in Pink and Founder Katrina Washington to highlight how mentoring empowers and helps challenge gender stereotypes, a conversation with Sunday’s Child President Gary Rhodes to focus on how the volunteer-run organization carries out its mission promoting equality and inclusion, and a brief stop at Visit Pensacola where Joyce Black presented them each with a Pensacola-made praline to remember their time in Florida. An informal coffee with members of the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Youth Diplomats led to an exchange of ideas which was enlightening and rewarding for both sides and which was the perfect segue for the visitors’ public presentation on Mobilizing Your Community — A Perspective from India.
On Thanksgiving Day, the group experienced southern hospitality and holiday traditions with the families of Linda Thompson, Julie Tippins Parker, and Liz and Basil Yelverton who graciously included them in their celebrations.
The day after Thanksgiving, the Indians experienced the magic of the Pensacola Elf Parade as it kicked-off the 2019 holiday season with the illumination of 400,000 lights in downtown Pensacola. Following the parade, they boarded a performance trolley for the Winterfest tour. Along the way, Snoopy & the Peanuts, characters from The Polar Express, and even Ebenezer Scrooge got on board to generate some fun.
The trick to creating an agenda for a topic as broad as society and culture is to focus on what a community does best. This project was successful because many volunteers came together to create the perfect balance between professional engagement and hospitality, and our community is all the richer for it.
