During the week of Thanksgiving, nine visitors from India came to Pensacola via the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a project titled U.S. Society and Culture. Objectives for this U.S. Department of State project included examining cooperative efforts in promoting tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and the work of grassroots organizations. Their project started locally with...
In the spring of 2019, local government officials from across Jordan visited Pensacola as a part of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled Local Governance. National objectives included learning the traditions of the U.S. democratic system, understanding U.S. local governments in relation to the state and federal governments, examining techniques for effective engagement with...
I was an intern for the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council close to four years ago today. Wow, how time flies! I started as an intern working for school credit while completing my bachelor's in international studies. I was lucky enough to be offered a paid intern position and stayed with the council for a...
Being a part of the 2019 Great Decisions program was enlightening and enjoyable. I had the opportunity to meet with other members of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council and to discuss topics in foreign policy. Whether if I listened or participated, I left every discussion with a broader perspective and knowledge of global issues...
The last Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council project of 2019 was for 14 professionals from South Asia who traveled here for meetings and for a final evaluation of their national project. They traveled to Pensacola on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), an international exchange of the U.S. Department of State, to look at Fostering...
In August 2019, five visitors from Azerbaijan came to Pensacola through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a project titled Economic Revitalization through Public-Private Partnerships. Their objectives for the project included: introducing governmental and public support for economic growth, presenting models of public-private partnerships’ oversight and legislative framework, seeing how public-private partnerships can stimulate...
Programs focusing on entrepreneurship help underscore the impact of international exchange around the world. The multiregional project Women in Entrepreneurship was no exception and highlighted entrepreneurial efforts in the U.S., particularly those initiated or managed by women. This project for the International Visitor Leadership Program also examined strategies for job creation. On the group’s first...
A Series of Updates by Former Interns After interning with Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council, I went back to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for my senior year at Wake Forest University. I graduated in May 2017 with majors in Economics and Religion and a concentration in Religion and Public Engagement. A week after graduation, after months...
At the end of my senior year of high school, I was feeling rather melancholy about my upcoming summer. With plans to take a gap year to travel starting in the fall, I was working three jobs that filled up all my free time. I saw the summer set out before me as filled with...
