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| Our IVLP delegate from Tajikistan learned more about the history of Northwest Florida between his professional appointments. Photo compliments of Ellen Schwartz, ELO |
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| The U.S. Department of State has a fantastic public diplomacy program whereby foreign opinion-makers and potential opinion-makers travel around the country to meet professional colleagues and ordinary citizens. It’s called the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). IVLP participants visit small towns, large cities, and rural communities; but they only visit areas where a local citizen diplomacy council can receive them. Unfortunately, as recently as October 2008, Northwest Florida west of Tallahassee was a no-go zone.
But that’s different now.
On November 7, 2008, the National Council for International Visitors, a national network now celebrating half a century of leadership in citizen diplomacy, granted membership to the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council. With this status, Northwest Florida was welcomed to the national IVLP itinerary, making the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council the official host of U.S. Department of State IVLP delegations to the region and giving the region the recognition it deserves.
Our first delegates arrived in mid-February 2009, giving us the opportunity to learn more about the world and providing the world with more exposure to Northwest Florida.
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In an era of bluster & bombs,
citizen diplomacy is a builder of bridges.
– Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State 1997 – 2001
NCIV Volunteers represent the American
commitment to work toward a lasting peace.
– Ronald W. Reagan, 40th President of the U.S. 1981 – 1989
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