USCCD and U.S. State Department partner on Skype Project
The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) and the U.S. Department of State recently partnered on the first in a series of interactive "speaker sessions" that connect Americans with citizens of other countries across the world via Skype.
This pilot program, titled American Voices in American Corners, allows for live video interaction between the speaker and interested citizens in order to answer questions and enhance understanding of American culture.
The first "pilot" session was conducted successfully with Randa Fahmy Hudome, President of Fahmy Hudome International and board member of the USCCD, as the speaker. Hudome, an Arab-American who served as the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy under George W. Bush, was connected via Skype with a library in Tunisia where she spoke and answered questions for 19 young Tunisian professionals and graduate students who attended.
View video highlights of the session compiled by the Embassy in Tunisia below.
In the last 35 years, the State Department has created an extensive network of "American Corners" throughout 844 libraries and internet sites across the world. American Corners house information about the United States, including study abroad opportunities and a wide variety of other subject matter related to the U.S., and will now also serve as locations for the new speaker programs.
The U.S. Department of State sought the assistance of the USCCD to recommend and garner speakers for the program through their extensive network of resources, including more than 1300 U.S. based organizations that conduct activities that engage Americans in "citizen diplomacy" - citizen engagement in international affairs and activities with counterparts around the world.
American Voices in American Corners is an innovative idea that enables individuals around the world who desire to learn about American culture to connect on a person-to-person level via technology. The importance of the interactive aspect of the sessions cannot be overlooked, as it provides the opportunity to directly ask questions and share ideas in a two-way conversation with American experts in all sectors of society.
The next "American Voices" session is in the planning stages to be conducted in Peru.
Posted Monday, August 15, 2011