The New York Times op-ed contributor Kim Palchikoff writes in her opinion piece about the time the Moscow Circus visited Reno, Nevada in 1990, on its U.S. tour. 

"The goal of the circus was not just to entertain; it was also to bring a piece of Russia to foreign lands, to show the world that on the other side of the Iron Curtain there were zany, funny performers whose job it was to meet and greet members of the audience, like myself."

After the performance, from one citizen to another, Kim invited Ravil Biktagirov, a tightroap walker and others from the troupe to her home to enjoy some American hospitality such as food, good company and fishing. 

"We lived near a lake, and we spent the day by the water, eating, drinking, fishing and talking about Russian and American ways of life. The performers were a highly educated bunch. They were proud of the Soviet Union, its support of the arts, and they loved working for the state circus."

Relationships were developed out of the knowledge that regardless of political ideology, regardless of your background, regardless of the tensions between governments, the most effective way to bring about peaceful relations is people to people diplomacy. In the eyes of Russian circus performers, America was the crowds of people who came to enjoy the Moscow Circus. America was the family that invited them into their home to talk about differences, yet embrace commonalities. To those Americans, Russia was real people and real artists, not what the government and media portrayed them to be under the red scare. 

These cultural exchanges did more for international relations than many might originally understand. They revealed that citizen diplomacy can indeed establish peaceful relations between two countries that were supposed to be enemies. Instead, people to people diplomacy did more than either government could--bring people together. 

Read the full New York Times article.

This clip is provided by the University of Iowa International Programs, a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization.

In the United States alone, ACES offers six different major programs: U.S. High School Homestay (HSH), Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES), Sister Cities International Partnership (SCI), Youth Ambassador Exchange (YAE), Teacher Exchange Program (TEP) and Culture & Language Immersion Program (CLIP). View their website to get information on all of the programs offered.

Each program has different requirements and components, but they all seek to increase global understanding and international experience.

Take for example, the High School Homestay program. This program is designed for high school students from 15 to 18 and a half years of age who are looking to expand not only their academic advancement, but their cultural understanding as well. Students accepted are hosted by volunteer American host families.

Or look at the Teacher Exchange Program. ACES provides a one month to one-semester opportunity in which pre-school through high school teachers from around the world get the chance to learn about the American educational system.

There are four main ways to get involved with ACES. You can apply for an internship, host a student, become a local coordinator or promote cultural exchange.

ACES also provides two main international programs, which are the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study Abroad Program and NSLI-Y China & Turkey Program.

There's a lot to browse on the ACES website, so make sure to take the time and find out more about the programs that meet your needs.

Read more about how imperative public and citizen diplomacy is in our national security strategy.

1. How does citizen diplomacy play into America's larger soft power strategy?

I prefer the term 'smart power,' which Secretary Clinton describes as a strategy that integrates all our foreign policy tools – diplomacy and development hand in hand with defense. Within that larger context, citizen diplomacy is the way that we communicate and explain ourselves to foreign publics. We have to focus on people in our policies because they are the ones who are directly affected. Without people centermost in our engagement, our policies are flying blind. We also work to make sure our people-to-people exchanges have short term, mid term and long term dividends, so that public diplomacy becomes a sustainable strategy. By engaging and empowering people, we are not only integrating that outreach with our policies, we are enhancing our national security. That's smart power.

2. As you take office, what region of the world do you see the potential for citizen diplomacy to have the largest impact? What role does the State Department have in ensuring success in this region?

Citizen diplomacy is important in every hemisphere, continent, region, country, town and village of our planet. And it is just as important in every corner of the virtual world. That is why Secretary Clinton has articulated a 21st century statecraft agenda that focuses on all regions – and all social media. There is a role for citizen diplomacy in every part of the world—even in places like Iran where we don't have a physical embassy presence. Through virtual embassies, no place is off limits in terms of connecting with people.

3. The American Voices in American Spaces pilot program (a partnership with the USCCD and the U.S. Department of State, Office of American Spaces) is an example of direct person-to-person engagement through technology. Why is it important to grow this kind of virtual exchange?

Face-to-face engagement is powerful. So is virtual engagement. It is not a zero sum game. There are certain areas of the world which are too expensive or difficult to travel to – perhaps because of the political situation or because they are in remote or rural areas. That is why we are extending our person to person engagement through distance learning, virtual exchanges, web 2.0 and SMS texting. They can be powerful vehicles for mobile learning and e-access.

4. What developments in the world should American citizen diplomats be more aware of? If you could shine a spotlight on one area the American press isn't paying attention to, where would that be?

I would say, one crucial focus should be the rights of journalists around the world and freedom of the press. As I have said before, freedom of the press is like moral oxygen. A society –and most importantly, its people – cannot function without it. Governments must always be held accountable to the people they represent. And that is also why building civil society is also critical. We have to encourage the growth of local, indigenous reporting so that freedom of speech and expression become as natural and accepted within all societies as bread, water and breathing.

5. Can you recall your first 'citizen diplomacy experience' and how it impacted you?

As a college junior on a Study Abroad program in England, I was an intern in the House of Commons, working for a Member of Parliament. In my day-to-day conversations with his constituents, inevitably, I found myself talking about myself, and about American perspectives and traditions. In those conversations, I became a citizen diplomat. I loved reaching out to people and talking about my country. And just as importantly, I loved hearing their views and perspectives. That was direct citizen diplomacy.

On April 11 and 12, CDC Development Solutions held the 3rd annual International Corporate Volunteerism Conference in Washington, DC. At the conference, the 2012 ICV Benchmarking Study was unveiled and laid out the accomplishments and challenges in the field. It contains great insight into devising ICV programs and how programs have been measured in the past. 

How can American companies be a catalyst for citizen diplomacy?

Some conclusions from the survey include:

• There has been steady growth in companies that have initiated an ICV program and CDS' discovery of companies that have on-going programs

• Companies are improving their abilities to measure the benefits that they receive; leadership skills development and staff retention are at the top of the list

• The level of overall satisfaction with the programs has significantly increased

ICV is becoming more prominent as more corporations are trying to devise plans to increase their Corporate Social Responsibility, especially in a time when more consumers are much more likely to patronize companies who give back to society.

When engaging in ICV, companies found that they benefited in many areas, such as: professional growth and development of leadership skills in the volunteers, the increased knowledge of the operations and opportunities in emerging markets, as well as providing local clients with access to resources and materials they hadn't had before. 

"...when you have a program like ICV that is delivering benefit to the corporation, the volunteers and the host organizations on the ground, it is bound to continue for the long-term. What could be better than that for all involved?" --Deirdre White, President and CEO of CDC Development Solutions.

Many of the world's largest corporations are now taking the lead in implementing ICV programs as a part of their corporate culture. Companies like IBM, Pfizer, and Pepsi Co have begun to take ICV and CSR as not only an important part of doing business, but also an essential part. CDC Development Solutions launched an impressive new Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism website at their ICV conference earlier this month.  The site promotes skills-based employee volunteer programs focused primarily on emerging markets and helps companies create and expand programs through sharing.

AFS, a member of the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy, divides its volunteering options into three main categories: Participate in AFS Programs, Become an AFS Host Family and Volunteer with AFS.

It's important to visit each category to submit your location in order to receive more information regarding program opportunities within your country or community.

In addition to separating by its programs by three main programs, these programs are also further divided to fit your needs. For example, if you wish to "Participate in AFS Programs," you can search for information on how you want to participate.

The subcategories include:

• School Programs for High School Students
• Short Programs for High School Students
• Community Service Programs for Young Adults over 18
• Programs for teachers and other professionals
• Hosting an AFS participant

AFS provides a map for you to browse and contact its nearest office to you.

Make sure to browse around and find the programs and opportunities that fit your needs and location.

Youth Service America, a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization, is working with Disney Friends for Change to give youth a greater and more influential voice in environmental sustainability and conservation.

More and more we are seeing the increasing use of citizen diplomacy in the media and amongst other non-profit organizations that engage in activities that bring people together from across the globe.

"Since its founding, the USCCD has defined citizen diplomacy as, “the engagement of individual citizens in programs and activities primarily in the voluntary, private sector that increase cross-cultural understanding and knowledge between people from different cultures and countries, leading to a greater mutual respect," states Schodde.

In a more globalized and interconnected world, America needs to utilize its greatest asset: its citizens. The role that our nation's military and public diplomacy entities are playing is extremely critical to national security and establishing official diplomatic relations, but they only comprise a percentage of what needs to be done in order to build and foster a peaceful world. 

"... people to people engagement addresses the root causes of unrest that breed war and terrorism long before guns and bombs or formal diplomatic negotiations are necessary."

People are the answer to the world's most pressing issues. Citizens possess the knowledge and know-how regarding their own communities problems. Perhaps what they lack is the resources to jumpstart projects. This is where citizen diplomats have the opportunity to make a difference through either corporate or NGO driven volunteering projects. 

"Citizen diplomacy, implemented in cooperation and partnership with people of other nations, builds wells for villages in Africa, helps young entrepreneurs start businesses in South America, assists young women in Pakistan to attend school, shares homes and hospitality with foreign visitors, contributes to eradicating polio, AIDS and malaria world-wide, exchanges artists, musicians, entertainers, and sports teams with other countries and welcomes international students to study at our schools and universities."

The US is home to thousands of citizen diplomacy organizations that are currently working hard to champion this worthy cause. What will eventually usher in a new era of diplomacy is the collaboration of these organizations working together to achieve lofty but attainable goals. There are many organizations that do great work in volunteering, study abroad, corporate social responsibility, educational exchanges, etc. The US Center for Citizen Diplomacy serves as an entity that effectively brings these organizations together to facillitate collaboration on initiatives and future projects, greatly increasing American's engagement with the rest of the world. 

Read more of what Ann Schodde wrote in Public Diplomacy Magazine.

Originally, the organization started out as Infante Sano, which was a hospital-based nonprofit that backed healthy mothers and children in the Dominican Republic. The organization then merged with Kids to Kids, an international nonprofit launched by middle schoolers and that dealt with the needs of kids and young people.

This is what the merging meant for World Connect:

We quickly saw that our new partners got it: local solutions to local problems – not answers imposed from outside the country and the culture. Whether in Peru or Paducah, no one understands kids better than their own peers. Kids to Kids, sometimes called Kids Connect, mobilizes kids and teens in the US to choose among, fund raise for, and cheer on projects that promise to make a difference in the lives of the kids who have the same dreams and hopes for their own lives. The bonus? Kids to Kids has been proven to tap the energy, curiosity and generosity of kids in the US, and has persuaded more and more of them to get involved, to do more, to learn more, to give more. The success of their projects speaks for itself.

In Belize, you can read about the St. Benedict Butterflies Girls Club project, the Belize Swim Club, or the Aguacate Playground. Shift over to the Dominican Republic and you'll learn about the Art In Bani! project, or about the Punta Russia Library Project. The amount of projects completed or still in progress is almost endless.

World Connect continues to encourage people to donate or to submit their grant proposal. The organization accepts proposals from Peace Corps Volunteers and from Community Organizations in Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda and Senegal.

You can click here to view the grant application guidelines or download the full grant application.

In fact, just recently World Connect announced the recipients of their February 2012 grants. 

Make sure to check out their website to find out more about how you can make a difference with World Connect.

The Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University offers a cross-cultural learning experience that seeks to enhance leadership and entrepreneurship skills. In partnership with alumni and Lee A. Iacocca, the institute was established in 1988.

Here is a brief description of what they do straight from their website. You can click on each program to find out more information:

The Iacocca Institute provides unparalleled professional opportunities to learn, network, and develop new best practices and professional skills. Programs include the Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry© program, the Global Village on the Move programs, the Pennsylvania School for Global Entrepreneurship, Professional Education, and the Lee Iacocca International Internship program. Iacocca Institute staff members are dedicated to cultivating the potential of individuals by empowering the leaders of today and tomorrow.

Global Village is one of the main programs at the Iacocca Institute. The program consists of a six-week program where the Global Village intern will live amongst a diverse group of more than 100 peers. In this program, students learn teaming skills, entrepreneurial practices and global thinking among other things. Find out more about the application requirements.

Learn more about USCCD membership and becoming a USCCD membership organization.

When you volunteer in communities, you are working side by side with the member of that community: the people who know it the best and can provide insight to methods that are most effective to bringing about change. The real knowledge lies within these communities. Volunteers provide the catalyst and resources to enable that change to take place. The power of citizen diplomacy, coupled with the passion to improve the lives of others, brings two cultures together to create the real and lasting change people need.

ProWorld, a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization, works with communities in Peru, Ghana, Costa Rica, Thailand and many more. Through collaborating with community leaders and citizens, a volunteer can be a part of the success story. Whether it is helping to build clean burning stoves, or improve people's health by building clean water filters, or providing health care, citizen diplomat volunteers possess the skills and passion to build a more peaceful and just world through their hard work and service abroad.

ProWorld was a 2010 National Citizen Diplomacy Award Honoree at the National Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy in Washington, DC.

Learn more about ProWorld Service Corps.

World Learning and AMIDEAST, a non-profit organization, have developed a program that aims to cover the latest practices in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The program is expected to be a 120-hour PCELT program that fits the needs of teachers in the region who "wish to undertake a rigorous, internationally-recognized training program."

AMIDEAST explains the definition of the PCELT program on its website:

PCELT is an internationally recognized TESOL certificate developed by AMIDEAST and World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute to be delivered through AMIDEAST's network of offices in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa).

The importance of learning and teaching English in this region should not be overlooked. Learning English has proved to be a valuable tool in the region as it has offered economical and educational opportunities.
Thanks to a generous grant from the GE Foundation, World Learning and AMIDEAST will pilot the PCELT program in Egypt later this spring. After that, the partnership is looking to expand to Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia.

World Learning education director Carlos Sosa talked about the importance of teachingEnglish in a press release put out by World Learning.

"While English is increasingly seen as a necessary skill to get ahead economically, high-quality English teaching was once only available to the elite at private language schools," Sosa said. "World Learning is proud that, through this partnership, we will be able to work with local public school teachers and universities to make quality instruction available to all of the region's youth."

This is a terrific partnership opportunity for World Learning to continue its international work and expand its influence. Make sure to browse around their website and read about World Learning and what they do to promote citizen diplomacy.

Also, learn about upcoming news and events.

"Among the strengths of cultural diplomacy is its credibility, derived from an assumption that artists are relatively pure of heart and above political chicanery," writes Seib.

Using tools such as cultural diplomacy is advance national interests has proven effective for the US in the past, and we are experiencing more examples from other nations as they seek to improve their international image through cultural and public diplomacy, such as China.

The fact that artists are viewed as above politics and do not have vested political interests is true, and it lies in the fact that artists are a part of the citizenry at large--the population that makes up a country. Citizen diplomacy holds the firm belief that people make up a country, not politicians. When people are provided the opportunity to engage with one another, that's when citizens have a stake in the foreign policy formation of their own country. When done effectively, it improves their nation's reputation and global image.

"Even while it advances the national interest, culture can transcend politics, as was seen during the Cold War when American jazz musicians traveled to the Soviet Union and were received rapturously by audiences willing to briefly detach themselves from the superpowers' hostility toward one another."

Read the whole article on the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's blog site.

Women are the most marginalized group of people in the world. At the very base of the poverty issue this world faces are women and young girls.

70% of the 1.4 billion people living on only $1 a day are women or girls.

They do 2/3 of the work and only earn 10% of the money generated from that work. What if we improved these numbers? What would that do for the base of poverty and do you think that economic conditions would improve world-wide if we simply focused on allowed women the same economic rights and opportunities as women?

Achieving gender equality is a main objective of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. In order to reduce poverty by 50% within the next 3 years (which is a part of those goals), women need to be at the center of the economic development.

Look at the many citizen diplomacy organizations that are committed to ending poverty and giving women a great voice in the global society. Search over 1600 organizations right on our website!

Video courtesy of CARE.

The interview took place last week. President & CEO, Steve Culbertson spoke energetically about how youth around the world take service as a way to creatively solve the world's problems.

Listen to the recording from WPR about YSA.

Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012) is a day when youth from all over the world commit to community service projects which they have helped to plan and facilitate.

Youth from all over are already hard at work planning and preparing for the big day. See how one student is getting ready for GYSD.

Youth Service America is a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization. Find out more about membership!

Register your youth project by April 1st and be automatically entered into the Youth Service Challenge! The top prize is a trip for two students and one chaperone to the 40th Annual Jefferson Awards National Ceremonies in Washington, DC, June 18-20, 2012.

If you do not know what project to participate in but want to be a part of Global Youth Service Day on April 20-22, you can look at the extensive list of projects ideas that have been compiled on the GYSD website.

Take a look at some ideas and start brainstorming ways to help your community.

Youth Service America is a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization.

Partners of the Americas, a member organization of the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy, got 685 teenagers and young adults to get involved with the program. Of those 685 individuals, 75 have internships, 60 have found a job, 109 are continuing their studies and 335 are still apart of their "technical capacitation."

A Ganar (which translates to "win" or "earn") is an international program implemented by Partners of the Americas that seeks to help young adults, and teenagers, find a job and develop entrepreneurial skills.
The program focuses on students who don't work and don't have a job and looks to help them get ready to join the work force. Since 2005, the program has been utilized in 14 different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here is a list of media attention received by the event. (These articles are all in Spanish)

Partners of the Americas has done a great job of getting students and young adults back into school and into the workforce.

If you are not familiar with Partners of the Americas, check out their mission statement straight from their website:

Our mission is to connect individuals, volunteers, institutions, businesses, and communities to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships. Founded in 1964, Partners is a private non-profit, non-partisan organization with internationa loffices in Washington, DC. Partners envisions an interconnected hemisphere that maximizes the social and economic potential, and leverages the full diversity, of the Americas.

20 scholarships are available to assist students with housing and travel expenses during their time in Japan. Recipients will be awarded $2,500 (semester-long program) or $4,000 (academic year-long program). The deadline for applications is April 6, 2012.

In addition to the above-mentioned scholarships, Morgan Stanley will also award two $7,500 scholarships to students studying finance or economics in Japan for the whole academic year. A supplementary research paper must also be submitted before the conclusion of the program. Learn more about the Morgan Stanley scholarships available.

These are great opportunities to secure financial assistance for your upcoming abroad experience in Japan. The US-Japan Bridging Foundation is a great organization that creates opportunities for citizen to citizen diplomacy between the US and Japan. You can find more information about this organization on the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy J-Center website, which lists the Bridging Foundation and over 130 other organizations that provide citizen diplomacy opportunities between the US and Japan. 

Search the J-Center organization database and find great Japan-related programs.

Today there is becoming more and more of an emphasis on bringing profound meaning to travel experiences; something more than just taking a vacation to relax. Some people have decided that every once in awhile, to them, taking a vacation should include some element of volunteering and connecting with the local community. ProWorld provides this opportunity.

Listen to Wisconsin Public Radio's interview with Richard Webb about ProWorld and what it is doing to increase citizen diplomacy. The program also mentions the USCCD and the U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy back in 2010. Enjoy and stay tuned next Tuesday, March 13 when Barbara Lawton, who spoke at the Summit in 2010, is interviewed about international partnerships between Wisconsin and the world.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position will serves as a member of the Communications and Marketing team and will support efforts to brand the organization, increase visibility & attract members and students to ISEP, and instill a marketing led ethos throughout the business. Position will collect content and design collateral to support student outreach and membership communications.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Marketing & Market Research

Objective: Analyze target market to ensure most effective marketing strategies are utilized.

• Assist Director of Communications& Marketing in conducting market research to determine market requirements for existing and future products
• Analyze customer research, current market conditions and competitor information
• Assist with development of marketing plans and implement projects for new and existing products
• Help facilitate staff contributions toward enhancing marketing materials

Publications and Branding

Objective: Produce and maintain a set of creative materials to promote and enhance ISEP visibility and mission

• Develop, edit and manage production of ISEP annual catalogs and other promotional materials for external publication
• Manage the production and printing of additional publications made entirely in-house
• Research, write and graphic design for special marketing projects as needed
• Assist with development and editing of marketing PowerPoint presentations and email marketing initiatives
• Arrange and oversee work of outside consultants and printers (involves budgets, bids, production schedule, selecting print/paper/imaging)
• Oversee preparation of promotional materials for staff site visits and study abroad fairs
• Analyze surveys to evaluate effectiveness of promotional materials
• Oversee mailings

Isep Website and Social Media

Objective: Keep the ISEP Website and Social media content accurate to reflect ISEP programs and activities.

• Assist in creating a comprehensive social media strategy to define programs that use social media marketing techniques to increase visibility, membership and traffic.
• Experiment with new and alternative ways to leverage social media activities
• Manage the tools for measuring the impact of social media on overall marketing effort and report results to the Director
• Collaborate with Webmaster to collect and edit text from program staff and ISEP coordinators
• Create and maintain web-based flyers, applications, and forms as online PDF documents
• Assist with special projects; edit program information and publications for the ISEP website

REQUIREMENTS

Education: BA/BS degree in graphic design/marketing or related field

Experience:

• 2-4 years work experience with Adobe CS3, InDesign, Photoshop, and MS Office Suite
• 2-4 years experience developing and managing publication projects
• Demonstrated creativity in marketing/communication initiatives

Skills:

• Impeccable attention to detail and ability to multi task
• Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills
• Able to work independently and take initiative
• Able to be a team player and work interdepartmentally

Preferred:

• Experience with working with print and shipping vendors and maintaining a budget
• Understanding of basic issues in international education
• Study abroad and/or living abroad experience

If you are interested and meet the qualifications based on the requirements listed, please send resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to careers@isep.org with the job title as the subject line of the email. Please be sure to include salary requirements in the application as applications without this will not be considered. 

For this position or 17 other job listings, visit our jobs page and apply! One of the many benefits given to USCCD member organizations is the special promotion and listing of job opportunities. Learn more about USCCD membership!

In conflict areas and developing countries, women are creating jobs and opportunities through the assistance of microloans. This concept is not new and has been benefiting women and communities through loans to small businesses. Now, it is time to start thinking larger, and women are the key to success and development in the underdeveloped regions of the world.

We have many member organizations that are doing great things to assist women in developing countries because they understand that educating women and giving them the resources to succeed is essential to the growth of their home country's economy.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon from the Council on Foreign Relations speaks at a TEDx event in New York last November.

This video entitled "Colors Audio Slideshow" takes student commentary describing their life, personality, background and emotions through the metaphor of color. Some are maroon, others are gray. Find out why in the video!

For more information about United World College USA and their Global Leadership Forum, visit their website.

PAX, a member organization of the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy, gives you the chance to study in France, Spain or Australia over the summer. They also offer programs for the academic year. To be a part of their summer program, all you need to do is follow their summer application check-list.

You need to check-off and submit the following items and apply before April 15:

Country specific application - completed

4 passport size headshots - included

Medical form - included

Terms of Participation – signed and included

Check for $1000 - enclosed

Color copy of passport (all pages, including blank pages and front and back covers) - enclosed

To be eligible to apply you must be a US citizen, a high school student and be in the age range of 15-18.5 years old. Each summer program is three weeks long.

Learn more about the cost of each program. Keep in mind that each one of these programs includes host family placement, medical insurance and escorted activities and excursions.

Browse around their website if you have questions. This is a terrific opportunity to study abroad and keep yourself busy over the summer.

This report from Gallup sheds light on America's opinions of their country's standing in the world. Since 2008, when American's were at an all-time high of 68% dissatisfaction, the past 4 years have done little to decrease this number; it currently stands at 64%. Although this number indicates an overall negativity amongst the population, a majority of Americans still believe that other countries look upon the US with friendly regard. 53% believe the US is seen as favorable in the eyes of other countries.

Citizen diplomats do indeed help to shape US image around the world. They have the potential to construct a better world, one that is built upon the citizen to citizen relations. In order to ensure that friendly relations persist between the US and the rest of the world, citizen's involvement is imperative.

Read more about this report from Gallup.

Moving Australia's Public Diplomacy Beyond the Cult of Rudd

Notable Public Diplomacy news from the USC Center on Public Diplomacy is this article which discusses the current institutions that are moving to advance public and citizen diplomacy in Australia. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd's resignation leaves opportunity for expansion of the international affairs commitment to public and citizen diplomacy, according to USC Center on PD.

Last year, the Australian Institute for International Affairs (AIIA) held a Forum on Public and Citizen Diplomacy at which US Center for Citizen Diplomacy President and CEO, Ann Schodde spoke about the important of citizen diplomacy.

Read more of this article from USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

The Power of Redirected Negative Energy: A Lesson from Istanbul

Little actions can definitely make a difference, especially when traveling. Uncornered Market is made up of a husband-and-wife team who travel across the globe building relationships with people they meet along the way. There are few better examples of citizen diplomats in continuous motion than these two travelers.

What happens when you encounter someone bashing on American while you are abroad? How do you turn the conversation towards something positive or make it about something the two of you have in common? How do you find common ground?

Find out on the Uncornered Market blog.

iEarn is a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization. 

Bridging the Divide, founded in 2009, is a non-profit organization that seeks to connect American activists to local activists. The three main focuses of the organization are:

• smarter funding 
• accountability
• direct engagement. 

You can learn more about what they stand for by visiting their website.

You can also check out this excerpt straight from their website:

Bridging the Divide is an innovative non-profit working to make the globe a safer, more just place, featuring a model that directly connects the American public to local grassroots organizations overseas working to bring peace and justice to their communities.

The organization works primarily in Armenia, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. In addition, Bridging the Divide is partnered with a variety of different organizations that promote citizen diplomacy and seek global justice.

Make sure to check out their website and read more about what Bridging the Divide does to promote social justice around the globe. You should also check out their blog and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Here's a brief description from their website about what this experience offers:

The Nicaragua High School Summer Exchange is a chartered member of the Nicaragua Ministry of Education and since 1998, a member of the Wisconsin Public Schools International Programs. Currently, through the success of our dynamic "Spanish Through Leadership" philosophy, we enroll students east-to west, Boston to San Francisco, north to south, Toronto to Tallahassee! Whether it be sports, the arts, academics, or music and dance, we provide rewarding opportunities for high school Spanish students to experience the warm embrace of Central America's most historic colonial high school, Granada, Nicaragua.

Make sure to check out their website and reserve your spot. All you have to do is request a DVD from their website, fill out an application and you will have your spot reserved.

In order to be eligible to apply you need to be between 15 and 18 years of age and you need to have had at least one year of high school Spanish. If you have more questions, check out their website.

There will be two sessions over the summer, both four weeks long. The first session will go from June 15th to July 12th and the second session will go from July 13th to August 9th.

If you are looking to significantly improve your Spanish and study abroad in a beautiful country, make sure to check out the Nicaragua Summer Exchange program.

The US State Department, through several of their exchange programs, has brought together people from different nations and backgrounds. Through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, up and coming leaders from other countries are brough to the US to particpate in leadership programs and communicate with US citizens at a citizen to citizen level. The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), the State Department's main avenue for exchange taking place here in the US, has sent thousands of current heads of state to various locations across the US via other partner organizations. 

The Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy is one of those organizations that hosts exchange participants that come to the US. The UCCD is a US Center for Citizen Diplomacy member organization. Laura DuPuy explains one instance of how this exchange program bridges cultures and changes lives.

Just listen to the words of the people who were in attendance with Xi Jinping at the home in Muscatine. It's exciting and inspiring to know that the future relations between the United States and China have the potential to be based on citizen diplomacy, because of Xi's impressions of the United States. His first impressions of the US were in 1985, in Iowa. On Wednesday, reconnecting with old friends in Muscatine played a significant role in solidifying the quality relationships already 27 years ago.

This indeed, gives us all great hope for the future. 

The relations established back in the mid-1980s were the result of a lot of hard work put forth by the Iowa Sister Cities, a citizen diplomacy organization committed to creating city to city partnerships and exchanges. Both Governors Branstad and Ray helped to establish the Iowa Sister States connection between Iowa and China's Hebei province.

Xi visited Muscatine, IA in 1985 and has never forgotten the hospitality of the people he met during his trip. When Branstad visited China last fall, he extended an invitation to Xi to return to Iowa. Xi responded by accepting the invitation and is bringing with him about 200 delegates to experience the hospitality of the state that has a long history of serving as an arena for citizen diplomacy.

The visit by Nikita Khrushchev to the Garst farm in Coon Rapids over 50 years ago during the heat of the Cold War serves as a parallel example of citizen diplomacy in Iowa. Even as two superpowers challenged eachother on the world stage, the farmland of Iowa served as peaceful ground to cultivate people to people relations, and with the help of citizen diplomacy, relieved tension between the United States and former USSR. Iowa will again provide such a contribution as Xi visits Iowa farms and citizens to talk about agriculture, and perhaps relive some old memories from 1985.

Citizen diplomacy seems to be a buzzword in regards to Xi's trip to Iowa this week. From a Des Moines Register op-ed piece:

This momentous visit stems from our history that may be surprising to many: Iowa's long tradition of citizen diplomacy. With a rich heritage of innovation in agriculture, manufacturing and financial services, Iowans are much more than citizens of our great state. Indeed, Iowans are citizens of the world. But we don't just tout our global citizenry. We live it. Iowa has been front and center in volunteer, people-to-people diplomacy for the past 50 years through our long tradition of sister state-sister city relationships.

The column was written by three of Iowa's most prominent business leaders: Larry Zimpelman from Principal Financial, Paul Schickler from Pioneer, and James A. Israel from John Deere. The visit not only provides economic opportunities for these 3 companies (all of which do business in China), but also provides opportunities to engage as citizen diplomats in the business world. The US Center for Citizen Diplomacy commends these business leaders for their recognition of citizen diplomacy and how it plays a positive role in developing and maintaining friendly relations with other nations.

The Des Moines Register echoed the importance of people to people diplomacy through this op-ed piece as well as through a follow up article which stated that citizens make the best diplomats. We couldn't agree more!

We take our global responsibility very seriously. Together our three organizations employ more than 26,000 people in the state and another nearly 89,000 around the world. Iowa companies exported more than $10 billion in manufactured and value added agricultural goods in 2010. Exports to China alone increased 13 times over the past decade.

These economic opportunities also lead the way to increased cultural and business exchanges.

Xi Jinping is expected to ascend to the top leadership post in China, becoming the next President this fall. With such rich and memorable experiences in Iowa, his leadership may illuminate the importance of people to people diplomacy and encourage more trips and citizen diplomacy delegations in the future. Perhaps some August he'll enjoy a pork-chop-on-a-stick at the Iowa State Fair.

Photo credit: http://www.desmoinesregister.com