|
Mayor Eric Garcetti
City of Los Angeles
Hilda L. Solis
L.A. County Board of Supervisors
Matthew Olsen
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
Vice Chairs
Mathias Fobi, M.D.
Bariatec Corporation
Michele A. Franchett
Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP
Michael McDowell
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Deanne Neiman
Honorary Consul of Botswana
Legal Counsel
Wafa J. Hoballah
WJH Law Group, APC
Haifa Azawi, M.D.
New Women Medical Care
Rae Linda Brown, Ph.D.
Associate Provost, Undergraduate Education Professor of Music Loyola Marymount University
Jonathan Kaji
Kaji & Associates
Stephen Ozoigbo
International Advisor
Relativity Education
Lourdes Saab
L.A. County Office of Protocol
William Silva
Southern California Edison
David R. Stepp
Bryan Cave LLP
Yael Swerdlow
Women's Empowerment Foundation
Tracy Young
Former Anchor, CNN HLN Local Edition
|
|
Corporate
Diplomats
Sponsors
|
|
|
In this month's issue you will find:
Quote of the Month
Intern Interviews Adviser to Slovenian Police
Limited Space Remaining for IVCLA's Trip to Kyrgyzstan!
Save the Date! Citizen Diplomacy Celebration
Young Professional Spotlight
IVCLA's New Directory is Coming Soon!
International Opportunities
Upcoming International Visitors in March
I hope you enjoy hearing about the recent goings-on at IVCLA. Please feel free to share your comments with me by sending an email to [email protected]
|
|
|
|
Q: What did you learn about American Culture during your visit that you didn't know before?
A: American culture is much more tolerant than expected. Media shows the U.S. as violent and intolerant to ethnic minorities, immigration, and also specific groups such as Latinos or Mexicans. What was noticable is that in the streets and communities, everyone works together to make their community better. I did not know that volunteerism is a part of American culture. Understanding community and individual volunteerism was very helpful. The focus on improving communities by giving one's time and energy was impressive and inspirational.
--
Shaheen BABER, Detective Inspector, Police Scotland, United Kingdom
|
Intern Interviews Adviser to Slovenian Police
|
Grace Anderson, IVCLA's college intern, had the opportunity to sit down with Albin Slabe, a visitor participating in the US Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. Her interview is below.
Albin Slabe serves in the Ministry of the Interior as an adviser on international cooperation to the Director General of the Slovenian Police. His time spent in the United States was focused on learning methods and best practices of countering violent extremism. To achieve this goal, IVCLA arranged meetings with revered organizations in the Los Angeles area such as Homeboy Industries, the LA County Sheriff's Department, and USC's Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events. Although I only met him on his second day in LA, Mr. Slabe said he was enjoying the IVLP and saw it as an innovative way for the global community to communicate and exchange ideas. Mr. Slabe's group was diverse in their backgrounds but unified in their goals. "We're all from different sectors" explained Slabe, "meeting like this makes us able to broaden perspectives and understand the issues". Slabe's group included terrorism investigators, Muslim community leaders and immigration officials who came from 12 European countries ranging from Denmark to Macedonia.
Despite their diversity, Slabe explained how the group had the common objective of increasing cooperation within their communities and internationally. Slabe believes that the biggest challenge he faces in his position is proper international coordination in respect to joint measures and information exchange, especially regarding security issues. While he does not see violent extremism to be a huge issue in Slovenia at the moment, he believes it is an important focus for the region. He stressed the necessity of preparedness and multisectoral cooperation for security issues for every country with a metaphor; "I like to compare it to traffic accidents . . . if you want less of them, education and cooperation is important in prevention". Prevention is especially important when it comes to countering violent extremism, and it's one of the essential factors of Slabe's project called "First Line Practitioners". The project aims to collect methods for recognizing early signs of radicalization in order to prevent it. It is to be used by people in direct contact with targeted or vulnerable individuals. In accordance with the model of the EU Radicalization Awareness Network (EU RAN), these practices will be exchanged with the Western Balkan region. The project will also help the region establish national RAN platforms. Again, Slabe stressed the importance of cooperation and using this network to work with other sectors to increase social responsibility.
Through the program, Slabe said he has gained more knowledge on countering violent extremism through the United States' perspectives, and plans to take home an increased appreciation for local community policing. Because he coordinates bilateral and multilateral meetings with other Directors of Police within the 28 states of the EU, gaining new perspectives is especially meaningful for him. When it comes to citizen diplomacy, he believes it is crucial to "have the wish and will to cooperate and engage with others". On an individual level, Slabe appreciated the opportunity to be open and "more concrete" than he would be in a formal diplomatic environment. This is an experience IVCLA strives for in all of its programs.
|
Limited Space Remaining for IVCLA's Trip to Kyrgyzstan!
|
Explore the vast array of music, architecture, and art of Kyrgyzstan, interact with the local people, taste authentic food, and gain unique memories you will never forget when you visit this country less traveled!
Highlights for the Trip Include:
- Greetings at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek
- Meetings and group dinners with IVCLA alumni
- Trip to Avrora Resort at Beautiful Lak Issyk Kul, or 'hot lake.' Rich in history, the lake was a resting point along the Silk Road in the 14th Century
- Enjoy a cultural performance at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre
- Private tours with IVCLA Alumni at the Issyk-Kul State Historical and Cultural Memorial Estate of Cholpon-Ata; the State Historical Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic; Kyrgyz National Muesum of Fine Arts
For Itinerary and Pricing Information, Click Here
|
Save the Date! Citizen Diplomacy Celebration
|
IVCLA's Annual Citizen Diplomacy Celebration will be on
May 4th, at the beautiful
California Club in Downtown LA!
Mr. David Simon
will be presented with IVCLA's Outstanding Citizen Diplomat Award. Mr. Simon is President of the LA Sports Council and President of the Los Angeles Olympic Bid Committee for 2024.
We will also honor the
LA Cleantech Incubator with our Outstanding Resource Award. The
LA Cleantech Incubator was launched to accelerate development of cleantech start-ups by offering flexible office space, CEO coaching and mentoring, and access to a growing network of experts and capital.
|
Young Professional Spotlight
|
Congratulations to Jean-Marc Dedeyne, member of our Young Professionals Steering Committee, who recently became a U.S. citizen! The process of gaining citizenship is long and filled with obstacles, but the reward is worth the challenge. You can read more about his experience on his blog. The U.S. is truly the land of opportunity, drawing in millions of hopeful immigrants each year. In a time where harmful rhetoric about immigration is spewed, let us not forget that it is also those immigrants who contribute to our societies, enrich our lives with their culture, making America great.
_____________________________________________________________
Our Young Professionals group is hosting a special edition of Home Hospitality this weekend! They will spend the evening chatting over a potluck-style dinner with some young International Visitors from Denmark, France, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
If you are interested in becoming a Young Professional and experiencing conversation with international visitors, click here to learn more about Home Hospitality. Hosting International Visitors for dinner is like having the world come to you, without stepping foot on a plane! It is a unique opportunity to have face-to-face discussions with emerging leaders in a casual, friendly setting.
|
International Opportunities
|
The FBI reports that Los Angeles is one of the top three high density areas for child sex trafficking in California. Runaways, naïve social media users and emancipated foster youth are at particularly high risk for exploitation.
Rotary Club is sponsoring a fund raising luncheon to help serve young victims. The key note speaker is the dynamic Rotarian, Major General Stayce D. Harris, the first African-American female pilot to achieve the rank of general in the armed services.
Proceeds raised will benefit the fight against Child Sex Trafficking.
Ticket price is $65
or mail checks to
Inglewood Rotary, 4859 W. Slauson, Suite 460, Los Angeles 90056
For Information, Contact:
____________________________________________________________
The
USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) will offer the eleventh annual session of our
Summer Institute in Public Diplomacy from July 10 - July 22, 2016 at the University of Southern California.
This highly intensive and interactive program provides participants with a framework to explore challenges facing contemporary public diplomacy. All information regarding this summer's program and CPD can be found at:
www.USCpublicdiplomacy.org.
The application deadline is April 1, 2016
|
|
Upcoming International Visitors
|
|
The following are among the arriving guests of the
U.S. government whose professional appointments in
Los Angeles will be arranged by the
International Visitors Council of Los Angeles.
March 2016
|
|
Brazil
|
Public Security and Community Policing
|
Mar 2 - 5
|
|
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Tunisia
|
Combating Trafficking in Persons
|
Mar 2 - 7
|
|
Canada
Denmark
France
Italy
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Tunisia
Turkey
United Kingdom
|
Strong Cities: Building Community Resilience to Radicalization and Violent Extremism
|
Mar 5 - 9
|
|
Russia
|
Supporting Netizens: Promoting Engagement with Russian Online Activists
|
Mar 15 - 19
|
|
France
|
Low Carbon Energy Technology: Advanced and Alternative Technology
|
Mar 17 - 22
|
|
Iran
|
Management of Wetlands and Marshes
|
Mar 30 -
|
|
Georgia
|
Creating Opportunities for At Risk Youth
|
Mar 30 -
April 5
|
|
|
Editor: Danica Kreculj
Projects Coordinator
(213) 388-1428
|
|
|
