Who's Coming to Town?
July 29-August 2 - Germany
Seven Government and Civil
Society Leaders
Focus: Minority Integration and Grassroots
Activism
August 4-8 - France
Mr. Aziz Senni, President,
Federation for Young Entrepreneurs of France
Focus: Pluralism
and Religious Diversity
August 5-9 - France
Six Young
NGO Leaders
Focus: Minority and Youth
Activism
August 6-9 – China
Mr. Zhang Linglin,
Director, Institute of Viral Disease Control, Sichuan
Focus:
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment
August 12-17 -
Philippines
Eight Government Leaders
Focus: U.S. Foreign
Policy
August 16-19 – Namibia
Three Government and
Community Officials
Focus: HIV/AIDS Prevention and
Treatment
August 19-23 – Syria
Eight Editors of
Independent Journals
Focus: Independent
Media
August 19-24 – Pan-Africa (Angola, Burundi,
Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa,
Tanzania, Zimbabwe)
Twelve Government and Business
Leaders
Focus: US-Africa Trade
August 20-24 -
Indonesia
Two Newspaper Editors
Focus: Print Journalism
and Newspaper Management
August 26-30 - Peru
Eight
Representatives from the National Restoration Party
Focus:
Politics and Religion in the U.S.
September 3-8 –
Pan-Africa
Five Government and Union Leaders
Focus:
American Trade Unions
September 6-9 – Germany
Four
Federal Government Officials
Focus: Combating International
Terrorism
Home Hospitality
Opportunities
Sunday, August 6 - One visitor from
France would like evening home hospitality. His program in the U.S.
is focusing on leadership programs for youth and religion's role in
ending discrimination. He speaks English and won't need an
interpreter.
Sunday, August 6 - One visitor from China
would like evening home hospitality. His program in the U.S. is
focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the US. His
interpreter will join him.
Please note: Home
hospitality opportunities are available to GCIV members only. Hosts
are asked to provide transportation to and from the hotel on the
evening of home hospitality. If you are interested in hosting
visitors in your home for dinner on these dates, please contact Emily
Bushey at 404-965-4329.
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Alcan
Cable
Alston & Bird
LLP
Atlanta Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Carey
Executive Limousine
INVESCO
Nelson Mullins Riley &
Scarborough LLP
Newell
Rubbermaid
Parking
Company of America
PricewaterhouseCoopers
RACO General Contractors,
Inc.
Regency Suites
Hotel
Smith, Gambrell &
Russell LLP
Wilson Lewis LLC
Community Partners
Atlanta City Council,
ACIR
Coles College of
Business, Kennesaw State University
Community Voices, Morehouse
School of Medicine
Georgia
Department of Economic Development
Gwinnett Chamber of
Commerce
Metro
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
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Dear Citizen Diplomats,
I’m very excited to announce
the First Annual Atlanta Summit on Citizen Diplomacy,
which will take place on October 21, 2006 at the Atlanta
International School. Citizen diplomacy is the idea
that each citizen has the ability, indeed the privilege and
the responsibility, to affect foreign policy through diplomacy
at the personal level. Through personal encounters and
individual experiences, borders and barriers become obsolete
and we begin to realize that others aren’t as different from
us as we might have thought. By fostering international
understanding and cross-cultural awareness, we are more likely
to seek peaceful solutions to conflicts at the personal and
international level, all while building meaningful and
prosperous relationships.
The Atlanta Summit on Citizen
Diplomacy will offer all Georgians the opportunity to develop
the skills necessary to succeed in today’s global environment
while learning to build rich and rewarding intercultural
relationships. The summit is free and open to the public.
Please mark your calendars now—we’ll only be able to accept
the first 250 registrations, but as a GCIV member you’ll
have the chance to pre-register, which will make you eligible
for our top door prize: a first-class Delta
ticket. In the next few weeks you’ll receive your
registration form in the mail. There will also be an
opportunity to register through our website.
GCIV
connects Georgians to the world through our wide-ranging
citizen diplomacy programs. On a daily basis we set up
appointments for emerging international leaders to meet with
their professional counterparts in Georgia. Our volunteer
hosts show international guests what southern hospitality is
all about by inviting them to share a relaxed meal together in
their homes. In January, February and March, all across the
state Great Decisions discussion groups met to talk about the
role the U.S. plays in world affairs. And our newest program,
Envoy, provides a fun networking environment to young
professionals in Atlanta and from around the
world.
These are only a few of the many opportunities
to become involved with GCIV. If you have not already signed
up, please become
a citizen diplomat today and join us in promoting positive
international relations in Georgia.
Best
regards,
Shellie Stuart
Executive
Director
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| Advocacy Alert! |
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Please join GCIV and the entire National CIV network
in advocating for an increase in funding for the International
Visitor Leadership Program. The U.S Department of
State Operations Bill for FY 2007, in which the IVLP
budget is included, will go to the Senate floor for
deliberation and resolution this week, before Congress
goes on recess Friday, August 4. Please email Ashley
Mastin for letters to send to our Senators urging
them to increase funding for the IVLP. It is essential
that we increase the number of visitors coming to the
U.S. through this incredible program.
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| Spotlight on Korean National
Assemblymen |
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July 19-22 GCIV hosted three distinguished National
Assemblymen from Korea. Dr. Hyeong Joo Kim, Mr. Hwa
Young Lee, and Mr. Gab Won Suh came to Atlanta to
discuss U.S.-Korea security issues and counterterrorism
efforts. These influential Korean legislators were
invited by the U.S. Department of State to participate
in the International Visitor Leadership Program. In
their trip to the U.S., they visited Washington, DC, New
York City, Los Angelos, and Atlanta. Click here
to read more about their experience in Atlanta.
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| GCIV Upcoming Events |
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Saturday, August 5, 8:00
PM
Envoy - Young Professionals Event
Join
Envoy members at Milan
Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Buckhead as
we listen to live jazz with the French visitors in town.
It's sure to be a fun time! RSVP to Ashley
Mastin.
Sunday, August 6, 11:00
AM
Envoy - Young Professionals Event
Our
French visitors are planning to attend services at Historic
Ebenezer Baptist Church. Afterwards they will go to
lunch at Cafe
458, a wonderful restaurant operated by volunteers
with all proceeds helping to provide meals to the
homeless during the week. We will join them for the
service and brunch afterwards. RSVP to Ashley
Mastin.
Tuesday, August 22, 12:00
PM
GCIV Lunch Forum
Engage a group of Syrian
visitors in discussion about their work as independent
journalists. This event will be held at the World
Trade Center Atlanta. Boxed lunches are $12 and
attendance is limited to the first 30 participants.
Please RSVP to Ashley
Mastin.
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| GCIV Community Program Spotlight
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GCIV Lunch Forums are a great way for busy
professionals to interact with fascinating international
visitors coming to Atlanta. Typically these visitors are
participants in the US Department of State International
Visitor Leadership Program. Depending on the
location, bring or buy your lunch. The visitors will
tell you about their work in their respective countries,
and you will have the opportunity to engage in open
discussion with people who are leaders in their fields
from all around the world. This photo shows GCIV members
at our most recent event, "Women in Media: A Russian
Perspective." Visitors spoke about their experiences
working in the media industry, and in fact how women
dominate the sector. GCIV members engaged the group in
discussion about foreign policy issues, freedom of the
press, and the impact of the internet on journalism. To
be invited to future GCIV Lunch Forums, please email Ashley
Mastin.
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| Become a Citizen Diplomat Today!
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GCIV's membership is critical to the success of our
organization, as it serves as an important indicator of
community support for the U.S. Department of State and
other agencies that rely on us to arrange programs for
hundreds of international visitors each year. Becoming a
member is easy - just visit our membership
page to download an application.
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| About GCIV |
The mission of the Georgia
Council for International Visitors is to build
cross-cultural understanding and mutually beneficial
personal and professional relationships between
Georgians and leading citizens from around the
world.
Our vision is that every Georgia citizen
has the opportunity to become more globally
engaged.
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