For the Small World Café held on September 10, Gulf Coast Diplomacy welcomed two visitors to discuss their work. Dr. Khwaja Mohammed ZIYAUDDIN and Laeeq AHMED KHAN AQIL visited Northwest Florida as participants of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2019. Their U.S. Department of State project was coordinated at the national level by FHI-360.
During the café, locals rotated between two breakout rooms to allow greater opportunity for interaction with the IVLP alumni, both of whom focus their work on youth and civil society in Hyderabad, India. Highlights of the session included thoughts on their Thanksgiving hospitality experience in Pensacola and the useful takeaways from their time with Feeding the Hungary in Milton.
ZIYAUDDIN also discussed how his IVLP exchange experience gave him a window for comparison of how minorities in the United States and India are treated. AHMED KHAN AQIL shared how impressed he was with his interactions with youth in Pensacola as it gave him the chance to understand how the next generation thinks and what they want for the future of their country. The presenters also spoke about Indian history and culture in India and generously answered the myriad questions from the café attendees.
Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation. It is lovely connecting with both our alumni and our supporters & hope to see you again at a future Small World Café.
