For five days in November we were pleased to have with us representatives from four of Serbia’s 19 newly-formed minority councils, the Albanian, Bosniak, Greek, and Roma National Minority Councils.
The program objectives for this group included acquainting the participants with the collaborative efforts of diverse U.S. ethnic and other minority populations in improving intergroup relations across cultures. We also hoped to introduce participants to public, private, and non-governmental entities that promoted effective strategies for non-violent conflict resolution and are pleased that our community was included on the national agenda.
Our council would like to once again thank President of the City Council Maren DeWeese for welcoming our guests and presenting them with Honorary Citizenship of Pensacola, something that always truly touches our visiting delegations.
During their time in northwest Florida, the group had the fortune of good timing as they were able to attend a naturalization ceremony at the Winston E. Arnow Federal Building. A special thank you is extended to Teresa Cole for making that happen and to Senior District Judge Roger Vinson for recognizing their presence at the event. The delegates and their interpreters all described the ceremony as “unforgettable.”
GCCDC volunteer Susan Senkarik facilitated their next meeting at Warrington Middle School David Hawkins and Eric Pickett showcased their Students Taking Responsibility in Developing Excellence (S.T.R.I.D.E) program. The group was thrilled to see an American school and was amazed at the good work Eric and David are doing there.
The following evening, the group was further welcomed to town by members of GCCDC at Laguna’s Restaurant on the beach. The next day, they attended the Pow-Wow Celebration with the Santa Rosa County Creek Indian Tribe where they spoke with Chief Thomas Nichols and enjoyed traditional crafts, food, and dances.
After the weekend, the group met Dr. Lusharon Wiley at the University of West Florida’s Common Ground and Diversity Training Group where they explored the importance of intercultural exchange with faculty and students. Later the group spoke with Josephina Devito at Catholic Charities about their immigration and refugee services. Finally, the group headed to the Hispanic Resource Center where Grace McCaffery spoke with them about the challenges of being a minority in the U.S. and the resources available.
It was a pleasure having such a great delegation spend time with us in the area and we would like to thank the local businesses and people that took time out to make this program possible. 
