The 2016 Youth Ambassadors Caribbean exchange brought fourteen teens and mentors from the Caribbean countries of the Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago to Pensacola for twelve days in August. The exchange focused on the sub themes of youth and social transformation. Participating students and mentors engaged in a range of discussions, workshops,...
In early August, five visitors from Oman and two interpreters spent four days in Pensacola looking at disabled persons’ rights and accessibility through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The group was eager to look at local laws and federal, state, and private programs for improving the quality of life for...
This July, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council hosted Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action) for its second consecutive summer. Jóvenes en Acción is an exchange program in the United States for Mexican high school students focusing on civic education, community service, and youth leadership development. Students are selected for the program from cities across...
The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council was pleased to host Mr. David Wiseman, head of Armed Forces Programmes with the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, of the United Kingdom as a part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Mr. Wiseman served in the British...
For five days in June and part of July, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council hosted a group of twenty-two visitors who were in the United States as participants on an International Visitor Leadership Program which examined non-governmental organization management. The group began their visit at Bands on the Beach with several members of the...
In June, I started my internship with the Gulf Coast Citizens Diplomacy Council. My first few days were spent shadowing an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for Haiti which examined what conflict management in community organizations looks like in the United States, particularly in Pensacola, Florida. Instead of spending my day touring the office building...
In May, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council hosted a group of six international visitors from Japan, Kosovo, New Zealand, South Africa, Uruguay, and Vietnam as part of a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project looking at different aspects of U.S. Foreign Policy. The visitors began their visit at Pensacola City...
We have stellar individuals coming into the area every month through the International Visitor Leadership Program and other exchanges. To make sure they are meeting our own up-and-coming locals, we began brainstorming with 20- and 30-somethings in the community. The result is a new group dedicated to helping young professionals develop a worldwide network of...
In early May, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council (GCCDC) hosted a group of seven environmental activists and youth workers from Algeria and Morocco as part of a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project focusing on “Galvanizing Youth for Environmental Protection.” The visitors were interested in meeting and speaking with American...
In late April, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council welcomed a group of six women from Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, and Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project focusing on women’s innovations in science and entrepreneurship. The ladies kicked off their program with a...
