We at Gulf Coast Diplomacy love to give our visitors volunteer opportunities, especially those that highlight the beauty of the natural environment. Sharon Gincauskas, co-president of Ocean Hour, is always more than willing to meet with our visitors and provide an opportunity to both explore our beaches and walkways and help keep them clean. She...
Dr. Mohamed Khabou of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of West Florida (UWF) is the epitome of how international exchange can start small and grow into something greater. Dr. Khabou first learned of Gulf Coast Diplomacy through his daughter, a former Youth Diplomat. As an immigrant from Tunisia, Dr. Khabou encouraged...
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 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...
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...
I am a social worker with 12 years of experience in caring for girls and women victims of Sexual Abuse and its maximum expression of violence such as Incest and Femicide. I am a former fellow of the International Visitors Program: Women Leaders Promoting Peace and Security - 2016. My participation in Pensacola as part...
Hello! I am Italo Moura from Brazil. I have been in Pensacola through the Brazil Youth Ambassadors Program. It was a wonderful and enriching experience. I learned a lot about the Pensacola community and its commitment to building a better world. The area has a rich history and inspiring leaders. Visiting Pensacola was a life-changing...
My participation in Pensacola as part of an International Visitor Program Leadership was a unique opportunity to learn, at various levels, the possibilities of the interactions between economic activities such as tourism, with strategies for environmental protection or mitigation. Knowing firsthand the hard work you do in Pensacola from government agencies and NGOs, to little...
