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,...
Youth Diplomats May Meeting Gulf Coast Diplomacy's youth leadership program excitedly welcomed many new and returning faces on Saturday, May 9th. At the beginning of the meeting, the Youth Diplomats interacted virtually with other Youth Diplomats from Chicago and Kansas City. Everyone shared their favorite quarantine activities and where they wish to travel. The student...
Small World Café Meeting On April 30, four International Visitor Leadership Program alumni joined citizen diplomats from across the United States in conversation and speed networking. The speakers joined the gathering from Albania, Estonia, Romania, and Serbia and shared highlights of their April 2019 visit to Pensacola as well as information on their current work....
In 2019, 17 visitors from Europe and Tajikistan traveled to Pensacola as participants with the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of State on a project titled 21st Century Changemakers: Education Leaders Advance Civic Engagement Among High School Youth. While in Pensacola, the group examined media literacy, how to engage volunteers, and the...
With Pensacola’s vibrant military community, it is no surprise the Open World Leadership Center selected Gulf Coast Diplomacy in 2019 as the local sponsor for Ukrainian attorneys with an interest in veterans’ affairs. Their visit was particularly crucial as Ukraine is at war and in need of a system to support soldiers’ rights and retirement...
In early 2019, four Russians traveled to Pensacola as exchange participants with the Open World Leadership Center. This congressionally-sponsored program focused on local legislation. While in Pensacola for eight days, they stayed with host families Karen and Mike Jurkowich, Jena Melanҫon, Megan and Jerry Pratt, and Terry and Bill Preston. On their first day in...
