GCIV recently hosted a single visitor from Ethiopia who came to Atlanta to discuss civil and human rights. Pastor Daniel Gebreselassie began advocating in 1992 for prison reform in Ethiopia and adherence to international human rights standards. Since that time, his organization, which is still called Prison Fellowship, has evolved into a group dedicated to justice reform, democracy and good governance. As a participant in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, he met with a wide variety of professionals in Atlanta from May 5 - 9, 2007. He also had the chance to meet many members of the Ethiopian community in Georgia. Click here to read more about his trip.

GCIV recently hosted three visitors from Kazakhstan who came to Atlanta to discuss adoption legislation. The group consisted of officials from the Kazakh government. As participants in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, the group met with local government officials and NGO leaders active in the areas of adoption and child advocacy. They also had the chance to meet American families who had adopted Kazakh children. Click here to read more about their program in Atlanta May 5-9.

Monday, June 18th is Asian Heritage Night at Turner Field. In honor of this event, the Honorable Shoji Ogawa, Consul General of Japan, will throw the first pitch before the start of the game. The Atlanta Braves will take on the Boston Red Sox in a special inter-league game. This match-up will also feature the first visit to Atlanta by Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who has been a dominant pitcher so far in his Major League rookie season. Cultural performances from various countries will be represented, including a Chinese Lion/Dragon Dance, a Kung Fu demonstration, performances by Indian Dance teams, the Drum Team from Atlanta School of Taiwan, and a Korean Fan Dance.

The Central European country of Hungary will have greater representation in the Southeast since appointing Atlanta native and Delta Air Lines Inc. General Attorney John Parkerson to serve as honorary consul.

"I have responsibility to dramatically heighten Hungary's visibility, in respect to business opportunities, in a four-state area," Mr. Parkerson told GlobalAtlanta, describing his duties as honorary consul - a title he officially took on April 19. Click here to read more.

We are continuing with Vicki Flier Hudson's Fifteen Ways to Increase Cultural Competence. Vicki provides cross-cultural trainings for corporations, classrooms, and many other settings. Visit her web site at www.highroaders.com.

9. Get to know virtual coworkers: Research overwhelmingly shows that global virtual teams who take the time to build trust and relationships have a much higher rate of success than those who don't. You work together, so get to know each other. Post pictures, bios and fun facts about each team member in each location (most teams never do this!). Take pictures of your office, desks and surrounding area to share. Call overseas when you don't need to; have scheduled contact among the team members.

Take the time to learn the correct spelling and pronunciation of each team member's name. Ask about their holidays, their favorite sports, or their family. Play online games or other trust building activities. Any time invested up front will be well worth it when the individuals form a cohesive unit that can get the job done.

Ensuring the bond of global virtual teams is an ongoing task, but this task is both fun and productive. Build the relationships and watch your business grow.

10. Start a knowledge base: As you and your organization grow globally, you will have cultural successes and blunders along the way. Why not let others benefit from your experience? Start a knowledge base of cultural incidents and the solutions. With minimal time invested, you can create a resource that is great for knowledge transfer to new employees, educational for new and current leaders and the perfect training tool for overseas business travelers.

The knowledge base can include categories like country, city, situation, solution, titles of individuals involved and more. Don't make it complicated but useful and accessible, easy to keep up. Try using a customer tracking system such as QuickBooks Customer Manager, or use a database such as Access. You can sort by country, customer or whatever you like. Don't let your valuable experience slip away with time.

Start collecting your incidents and thoughts, even if there was no resolution to the situation. Perhaps someone else can discover a solution and offer a whole new perspective.

Be sure to check out the GCIV e-newsletter in coming months for more tips from Vicki Flier.

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.

Sunday, June 10th, 8:00 PM
GCIV Envoy Event
Join GCIV Young Professionals and participants of the Middle East Partnership Initiative at Turner Field for an exciting baseball game. We will watch the Braves take on the Chicago Cubs. Each person will pay for their own ticket. Please RSVP to Ashley Mastin at 404-832-5560 x 13 by Friday, June 8th.

Monday, June 11th - 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
GCIV Global Lunch Forum: Women's Empowerment in Indonesia
Join GCIV visitors from Indonesia for a lunchtime discussion. Ms. Dewi Amir, Ms. Soka Handinah, and Ms. Ecoline Situmorang will talk about their work with Indonesian NGOs that focus on various women's issues and human rights causes. The Global Lunch Forum will be at the GCIV office downtown. Participants can bring lunch or purchase a boxed lunch ($10). Registration is 11:30-11:45, and the Global Lunch Forum begins promptly at 11:45 AM. Contact Ashley Mastin at 404-832-5560 x 13 to RSVP.

Thursday, June 14th, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
GCIV Host Orientation
Learn the "ins and outs" of hosting while getting to know GCIV staff and fellow hosts. GCIV will organize host orientations once a quarter to help experienced and new hosts alike stay informed and become better citizen diplomats. Participation in an orientation is mandatory for all hosts. Please join us for one at your earliest convenience. The orientation will take place at the Regency Suites Hotel, 975 West Peachtree Street in midtown. RSVP to Emily Bushey at 404-832-5560 x 15.

Monday, June 25th - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
GCIV Global Lunch Forum: Fighting AIDS in Namibia
Join GCIV visitors from Namibia for a lunchtime discussion. Ms. Salenia Engelbrecht, Mr. Reginald Mouton, and Mr. Michael Mulondo will talk about their work in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The Global Lunch Forum will be at the GCIV office downtown. Participants can bring lunch or purchase a boxed lunch ($10). Registration is 12:00-12:15, and the Global Lunch Forum begins promptly at 12:15 PM. Contact Ashley Mastin at 404-832-5560 x 13 to RSVP.