Each year, the U.S. Department of State invites opinion makers from around the world to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Gulf Coast Diplomacy is one of the fewer than 90 organizations trusted to craft IVLP experiences at the community level, and we are always pleased to introduce the region to a new...
When I was a graduate student in the International Affairs Program at Florida State University several years ago, I interned at Gulf Coast Diplomacy, then called Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council. The internship allowed me to meet people from all around the world and to showcase the best parts of Northwest Florida, where I grew...
On Wednesday, November 4th, citizen diplomats and international visitors participating in an Edward R. Murrow International Visitor Leadership Program gathered via Zoom to discuss their thoughts on the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Their national program was arranged by Mississippi Consortium for International Development and their local program was arranged by Gulf Coast Diplomacy. With coffee...
On 14th of November we had the Youth Diplomat meeting. As a starter, we played a Kahoot on global current events. It was a great ice-breaker and we all gained more knowledge on current global affairs. We had the pleasure of having a guest speaker, Jennifer Strauss, speak to us about her experiences in the...
In December 2019, seven visitors from Kazakhstan came to the region on an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project titled Civil Aviation and Safety. The Institute of International Education arranged their national program and Gulf Coast Diplomacy arranged their local program. The situation on the ground was anything but usual, and we thank Pensacola City...
When a group of six Russians on an Open World Leadership project arrived in Pensacola at the end of 2018 to examine waste management, the local community welcomed them warmly. On the first day in town, the visitors held a discussion with the Youth Diplomats to answer questions and to share their own culture with...
For four exciting days in November 2019, Gulf Coast Diplomacy hosted a group of nine professionals from Austria, Costa Rica, Fiji, Mongolia, Namibia, Sweden, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Department of State invited these visitors to participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) which was arranged at the national level...
In November of 2019, Gulf Coast Diplomacy hosted a group of firefighters and search & rescue professionals from Russia through the Open World Leadership Program. During their stay, Leigh & Kent DeSantis, Marcia Edwards, Vivian Faircloth, Megan & Jerry Pratt, Faye & Robert Robinson, and Jeannine van Reeth volunteered as homestay hosts. After a brief...
In November 2019, nine visitors from India came to Pensacola via the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on a project titled U.S. Society and Culture. FHI 360 arranged their national project and Gulf Coast Diplomacy arranged their local one. Project objectives included to “illustrate how the diversity of U.S. society and cultures contributes to a...
A well-designed project ends with success and contributes to a better world. That is what occurred with the successful implementation of Preventing and Confronting Domestic Abuse and Violence, an International Visitor Leadership Program. This Department of State project focused on a variety of subtopics including best practices for preventing gender-based violence, how to prosecute abusers,...
