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Atlanta Summit on Citizen Diplomacy Brings Together 300 for International Enrichment |
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The Georgia Council for International Visitors organized the second Atlanta Summit on Citizen Diplomacy on November 16th, bringing together 300 community members for a day of cross-cultural training, regional briefings, introductory language courses, and conversations with members of Atlanta’s distinguished Consular Corps. The event, held at Georgia State University, was the culmination of International Education Week for the city of Atlanta.
The summit was part of a national movement organized by the Coalition on Citizen Diplomacy and supported by the National Council for International Visitors. The goal of the summit was to raise public awareness of the international interests of Atlanta and Georgia. The Atlanta summit is one of over sixty that have already been held around the country.
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Panelists address summit participants in the "Global Business Skills" session (L-R): Moderator Lindsay Davidson, Ila Gandhi, Karen Loch, Roberto Gomez.
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Citizen diplomacy is the idea that the individual citizen has the right – even the responsibility – to help shape U.S. foreign relations "one handshake at a time." Citizen diplomacy provides an opportunity for Americans to better understand the rest of the world and for others to learn more about the U.S. The summit reinforced the idea that Americans must make an effort to better prepare themselves to interact with an ever-shrinking world.
GCIV Executive Director Shell Stuart welcomed summit participants along with Ambassador John Hicks, GSU Associate Provost for International Affairs. Wayne Reece, President of Reece & Associates, also welcomed the group on behalf of his company and Porsche. Corporate partners Porsche and Reece & Associates sponsored lunch for all 300 participants.
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Keynote Speaker Brad Minnick, Director of the U.S. State Department's Office of International Visitors, addresses the crowd.
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After the opening participants had the chance to participate in three sessions of concurrent workshops – the first focused on learning about various regions of the world, the second aimed at improving cultural competency, and the third elaborated on ways to become involved in citizen diplomacy. The summit also featured a session entitled “The Diplomatic Life,” where consuls general stationed in Atlanta talked about their careers as diplomats.
After the concurrent workshop sessions, participants gathered for lunch and listened to keynote speaker Brad Minnick, Director of the U.S. State Department's Office of International Visitors. Mr. Minnick spoke about the importance of citizen diplomacy in bolstering public diplomacy efforts. He also detailed some of the State Department’s new initiatives to bring more diverse groups of professionals to the United States for person-to-person exchanges. Atlanta City Councilman Jim Maddox also addressed the group and thanked them for their contribution to the city's international affairs.
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Additional thanks to the City of Atlanta's Advisory Committee on International Relations, the Georgia State University Office of International Affairs, and the National Council for International Visitors for their support of the summit.
GCIV would like to thank all speakers and panelists who shared their time and expertise at the Atlanta Summit on Citizen Diplomacy:
Carlos Layus
Martin Rickerd
Ulrich Hunn
Reda Mansour
Lambros Kakissis
Soenke Lorenz
Ray Donato
Ted Britton
Soumaya Khalifa
Rashid Naim
Fahed Abu Akel
Nell Diallo
Austin Esogbue
Jacobus Boers
David Bruce
Rose Cunningham
Pedro Carrillo
Hasan Ali
Cindy Chia
Claire McLeveighn
Manny DeBarros
Vickie Flier Hudson
Eric de Groot
Jorge Fernandez
Karen Loch
Roberto Gomez
Ila Gandhi
Jessica Cork
Julia Braganza
Andrew Billings
Rachelle O'Neil
GCIV would also like to thank all of its partner organizations:
Alliance Francaise
Atlanta City Council Advisory Committee on International Relations
Atlanta Ministry with International Students
CARE-USA
The Carter Center
inlingua
The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
CIFAL-Atlanta
Friendship Force International
Global Atlanta
Language Institute of Atlanta
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Southern Center for International Studies
World Trade Center Atlanta
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