Join us for Diplomacy Begins Here in Kalamazoo
We couldn’t be more excited to soon welcome colleagues from all across the country and our local community to come together in Kalamazoo this July! Global Ties Kalamazoo, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Global Ties U.S., is hosting a Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summit in Kalamazoo, MI on July 11 (Epic Center), preceded by a welcome reception on July 10 (Kalamazoo Institute of Arts). Registration is open through July 3rd.
Held annually in cities across the United States, the Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits bring together local, national, and international leaders from many sectors, including business, government and nonprofit, to build connections in the international exchange community and celebrate the critical role that public and citizen diplomacy programs play in advancing U.S. foreign policy goals, as well as their benefits to U.S. communities and economies.
This will be the first time in eight years that a regional Summit is coming to Michigan, and the first time that Global Ties Kalamazoo will host this event.
Open to the general public, the Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summit on Thursday, July 11 will focus on "Global Challenges: Building Locally Driven Solutions in Kalamazoo."
“The Summit will explore civic engagement as a strategy to address social challenges we all face globally and locally, offering the opportunity to showcase the important work being done in our community to confront our shared challenges,” said Global Ties Kalamazoo Executive Director Jodi Michaels. “These connections play a critical role in citizen diplomacy programs, such as the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which build the trust needed to advance peace and prosperity.”
For members of the Global Ties Network, traveling to Kalamazoo from all across the country, there will be an associated Learning Lab on Friday, July 12, providing space for tailored workshops on nonprofit capacity building, specifically organizational management, as well as interactive sessions on IVLP best practices.
The Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summit in Kalamazoo is designed to engage globally-minded people from all walks of life to explore the innovations and impacts that stem from international relationships.
“Ever since I first went to a Diplomacy Begins Here Summit, I've made it to every single one that has fit our budget and schedule since then because they've been such amazing, rich experiences,” said Michaels. “I've loved getting to know different cities across the country and networking with other members of our field. We're so excited to be hosting one now in Kalamazoo.”
Since 2014, the Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits have convened hundreds of international exchange professionals in more than 20 U.S. cities. Funding for the Summits is provided by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Global Ties U.S.
For more information and to register for Diplomacy Begins Here: Kalamazoo, visit gties.us/DBH_KZOO.
IVLP groups connect meaningfully in Kalamazoo
We’ve seen some incredible connections forged between IVLP groups and local leaders across numerous disciplines over the past month.
Visitors from Kosovo, here in Kalamazoo right now, are focused on Fostering Civic Engagement and Political Participation of Minoritized Communities, have been making the most of their time here to dig deep. Many thanks to Jessica Glynn, Cheng Kidd Sun and Francisco Villegas for joining us in a 'Citizen Exchange Circle', challenging ourselves to imagine new ways of creating civic engagement in polarized times. And thanks too to State Senator Sean McCann for sharing his journey in politics with the group, and to the League of Women Voters as well.
Education In The Digital Age IVLP participants from the Kyrgyz Republic had an especially memorable meeting at the Air Zoo, as CEO Troy Thrash (pictured above wearing a traditional hat gifted to him by the group) joined the meeting, offering so many highly relevant insights to a woman in the group working on creating an astronomy museum with a planetarium back home. Air Zoo Director of Experience and Education Michael Martin offered an in-depth facility tour tailored to this education-focused group, discussing why things are set up the way they are to optimize their guests' educational experiences.
We also share our deepest gratitude to those who’ve hosted meetings in the native language of some of our guests. Kudos to Nadine and Annecy at Bethany Christian Services for a French-language meeting shared with members of a Combating Human Trafficking IVLP from Madagascar and Comoros, and to Lem and Daniela at Public Media Network for hosting the majority of a recent meeting with Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists IVLP participants from across the Americas in Spanish. The groups were so thrilled with the powerful conversations they engaged in with their peers in Kalamazoo.
Are you seeking more opportunities to speak another language with folks from other countries? We’d love to connect you with volunteer opportunities to do just that. Visit www.globaltieskzoo.org/volunteer to express your interest, or email info@globaltieskzoo.org.
Jordanian Fellows Spend a Month in Kalamazoo
A warm welcome, with a quiz, at Discover Kalamazoo
While preparing to host our Diplomacy Begins Here Summit, we were also in the midst of hosting UJLEP (U.S.-Jordan Leadership Exchange Program), in partnership with IREX, in Kalamazoo. Thank you to all the home hosts and fellowship placement organizations who so warmly welcomed them, and special thanks to several additional hosts who filled in for the first weekend of their stay in Kalamazoo after our community was impacted by two tornados.
These young leaders spent Mondays - Thursdays working with their fellowship organizations, and we loved the opportunity to dig deep into Kalamazoo with them on Fridays. The group learned about the city at both Discover Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum; met with Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson and Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess; attended a resource fair for people impacted by the May 7 tornadoes; toured the WMed Innovation Center with Sandra Cochrane and learned about how start-up businesses can grow their footprint in this flexible facility; they explored Western Michigan University with Global Ties Kalamazoo Program Manager (and former WMU tour guide) Emma Baratta, learned about the Small Business Development Center; explored the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, including its new Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass exhibition that opened this month and will remain on display until Aug. 18. There was so much more to their time here too. Thank you to all who participated in making this program a success.
We are seeking home hosts for a neighboring country group in July. We will host our seventh cohort of IYLEP - Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program. Open your home to these youth leaders, from July 17-30!
Thank you so much for believing in the power of exchange to create change, and for being part of what we do. Please join us at our Diplomacy Begins Here Summit!
