Gulf Coast Diplomacy hosted a Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL) delegation from Tajikistan in May 2024, focusing on an area of critical importance to the United States—cybersecurity. In Pensacola, a representative of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had the opportunity to share valuable insights at an unclassified level about the growing cyber...
The Youth Diplomats program is more than just an extracurricular activity—it's a powerful investment in our region’s future. By cultivating public speaking skills, intercultural understanding, and real-world experiences, the program strengthens our local workforce and prepares high school students to become thoughtful, informed citizens. Through engaging with international peers and U.S. State Department and Congressional...
When Americans host international visitors through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), they often ask: What difference does this make? The answer is: more than you can imagine. In 2017, a couple in Pensacola, Florida—Mike and Karen—welcomed an IVLP participant from Nigeria into their home. During the visit, they shared stories, a meal, and a...
In February 2024, Dr. Jane Caffrey, a Distinguished Professor at the University of West Florida’s Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation (CEDB), traveled to Cancún, Mexico, to speak at the Wetlands Colloquium and meet with the Yucatán Basin Council. The invitation came from Mr. Gonzalo Merediz Alonso, an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program...
The Office of International Visitors at the U.S. Department of State has recognized First United Methodist Church’s outreach ministry, Serving the Hungry, for its outstanding generosity and commitment to international engagement through volunteerism. For the past 16 years, Serving the Hungry has welcomed hundreds of participants from the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the premier...
