Camp Global 2022 marks Gulf Coast Diplomacy’s third annual virtual summer program, which included 55 young leaders from the United States, Kosovo, Brazil, Pakistan, El Salvador, Palestine, and India. The sessions took place over seven weeks from June through July to promote a greater understanding of global affairs with educational activities for local and international youth.
This is more of a rare opportunity to meet other people from other cultures & learn a lot from them.
– Tristan from Pensacola, FL
Gulf Coast Diplomacy invited four university students to join the program as part-time interns, including former Youth Diplomats eager to contribute to the programs that had shaped their high school experiences. This provided local young leaders with a workforce development opportunity to work in an intercultural environment.
This year’s program focused on fostering intercultural communication competencies, developing leadership skills, and encouraging collaborative problem-solving. Local teens and international students alike applied tangible skills in project planning and global collaboration to brainstorm local solutions for global issues.
Our virtual program facilitators included Yasmine Khabou, Isabella Brammer, and Mark Howard who completed intercultural facilitation training. They led program sessions with the campers, including a Leadership Compass workshop and a diplomatic simulation. They also facilitated dialogues on global issues.
During the weekly “campfire” sessions, Gulf Coast Diplomacy invited local and international guest speakers with diverse professional backgrounds to broaden the perspectives of the young leaders in the program.
Campers were also joined by a special guest speaker and alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Þuríður H. Aradóttir Braun, Manager at Visit Reykjanes, Iceland. This session enabled access to expertise in the global community through an engaging workshop highlighting ecotourism in Iceland’s region of Reykjanes. It challenged participants to think about the natural treasures of their local communities and how they could work collaboratively to address common issues.
Campers had the opportunity to earn a digital credential in “Global Collaboration,” which they can add to their resumes to help them stand out in competitive university application pools. To achieve this credential, one must respectfully engage in facilitated discussions with those of diverse cultural backgrounds, participate in weekly meetings, identify different leadership styles, and complete a collaborative Camp Global Magazine project.
The end-of-program collaborative magazine project highlighted the campers’ perspectives on environmental issues and potential solutions with a community-centered approach. They applied the skills they learned in action planning, digital collaboration, and environmental advocacy.
Making new friends and getting to know you guys was the best experience.
– Blende from Kosovo
In addition to this achievement, our local Youth Diplomat participants earned 54 community service hours each this summer!
– Eden Davenport, Camp Global ‘22 Head Counselor
