Participating in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2017, was one of the best professional and personal experiences of my life. Knowing how the US Justice System for Children works made me visualize that there are innovative and dynamic programs that are very different from the ones we traditionally use in Panama to treat...
...The program has a great impact on my life as it has changed my perception of life. Whereas, in the certificate collecting ceremony I told them that I would have loved more interactions with the locals... ...The stories which he shared about that beautiful place with the white sand beaches are still with me. Sitting...
What has my Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council internship meant for me this year? Hello everyone! My name is Maggie Brown, and I’ve interned with the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council since June 2022. I am a third-year student at the University of West Florida, double-majoring in International Studies and Art History. At this internship, I facilitate...
For the last few years, Gulf Coast Diplomacy has been honored to host virtual and in-person projects for the United Kingdom with the International Visitor Leadership Program titled Youth Empowerment and Civic Activism. To introduce a recent in-person group to locals, we first brought them to a community coffee where they could meet with community...
When International Visitor Leadership Program participants come to Northwest Florida, they explore the objectives in their itineraries through a series of meetings and workshops. They also experience our local culture through time with individuals, ticketed events, and unstructured weekend time. For example, when visitors looking at Developing Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups, and the Technology Sector arrived in...
I am very honored that I got a chance to talk again about my stay in your beautiful city Pensacola, in November 2011, which was provided by the International Visitor Leadership Program – IVLP and in the Project on Inter-Ethnic Cooperation in the United States. In November of 2011 I was representing Serbia’s Greek National...
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 explore our beaches and walkways while helping to keep them clean. Each...
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...
