This Summer, eight other families and I had the pleasure of meeting up via Zoom with young Iraqi leaders from IYLEP. It was two weeks full of nothing but fun! Despite the physical distance and connection issues that came with virtual communication, we host families still did our best to ensure our Iraqi participants engaged...
What's not to like about Thanksgiving with international visitors? Even when the conversation about family traditions takes place through a computer screen, it is a great way to introduce our community's culture. This year, we tweaked our traditional offering since we could not pass the cranberry sauce in person and created cultural hospitality for a...
When international visitors come to Pensacola, Florida, not only do they explore their fields of expertise through formal meetings, but they also frequently volunteer in roles to enhance our community. From feeding the hungry to building living shorelines, they contribute in many ways. Zachary Schang with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection always welcomes our...
One of the topics we explore with exchange participants is how to protect the rights of women and children. We currently tackle the issue through online workshops and discussions, similar to our in-person exchange conversations. In July 2019, we hosted such an in-person group from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. They focused on the subject, viewing...
One of the ways we create global futures in Northwest Florida is by encouraging youth to explore the world through international exchange. We do this by introducing them to International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants and alumni. Currently, we are inviting IVLP alumni to present at Youth Diplomat meetings via the IVLP in the Classroom...
Gulf Coast Diplomacy recently reconnected with International Visitor Leadership Program alumna Nicole Joseph Chin of Trinidad and Tobago who visited Northwest Florida in May 2011 on a project titled Women and Entrepreneurship. After her appearance at the September 2021 Small World Café, we sat down together to talk further about her work. Gulf Coast Diplomacy:...
Camp Global began in 2020 as a method of maintaining connections in the age of Covid, and it was, without a doubt, a huge success. Still, Camp Global 2021 somehow turned out even better. With campers from seven countries and a reimagined curriculum, the camp became something completely new and different, creating a unique learning...
Before the pandemic, Gulf Coast Diplomacy regularly hosted youth exchanges where international teens interacted directly with their American peers. The switch to an online platform naturally transformed the international exchange experience. From virtual host families to online icebreakers, Gulf Coast Diplomacy redesigned its programs to accommodate the environment of Zoom. In July 2021, the organization...
The IVLP program has helped me to progress in my professional life, especially after this one, I continue to teach with a lot of imagination and different approaches, to share the achievements during this program, to make my entourage, colleagues, my family travel to discover the kindness and the warm welcome of the people of...
My name is ZRIRA Saadia, from Morocco. I am delighted to share with you my experience of my exchange visit to Pensacola in 2011. I was also pleasantly surprised, with the warm and friendly welcome given to us by all the administrators we visited. For me, it was a very enriching experience, where I had...
