By Maya Smith, Membership Intern, Global Ties U.S.
The Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits annually engage globally-focused leaders and supporters in communities across the United States to raise awareness of the benefits and value of international exchange programs. Programming is organized in partnership with the Office of International Visitors at the U.S. Department of State and the nationwide Global Ties Network. The 2024 Summits were held in Kalamazoo, MI (July 11-12) and New Orleans, LA (September 23-24), by Global Ties Kalamazoo and Global New Orleans, respectively, and engaged more than 320 attendees around topics including culture and accessibility in diplomacy.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The first Summit took place in Michigan July 11-12 with Global Ties Kalamazoo. Under the theme Global Challenges: Building Locally Driven Solutions in Kalamazoo, programming explored the intersection of civic engagement and social change and engaged local experts to discuss innovative strategies around housing, education, workforce development, climate change, and indigenous issues, with an eye on how this can be applied both locally and globally.
Pre-Summit activities kicked off on July 10, where participants were introduced to the local community through a guided walking tour and a welcome reception with Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson. “The work that you are doing is taking the time to get to know each other and building global bonds. It’s world community building,” he said.
Summit attendees visit local Kalamazoo resource, Room 35. Photo by Global Ties Kalamazoo.
The Summit began with a welcome from Jodi Hope Michaels, Executive Director of Global Ties Kalamazoo, who shared how, “Exchange is for everybody,” and how it’s important to “encourage everyone to get involved, because we learn about ourselves when we talk to people who are not us.”
The Summit’s focus on community engagement continued with a keynote address from Scott Weinhold, then Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, who highlighted how local connections can have real global impact. He shared the story of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participant from Nepal who, inspired by her exchange experience in Kalamazoo, created an IVLP Impact Award project to extend her impact. Said Scott: “IVLP breaks down barriers. Making connections between people can make a difference. Anyone can be a citizen diplomat.”
Breakout sessions provided attendees with a look at topics including education equity, workforce development, and youth empowerment, and deepened attendee understanding of how Kalamazoo is approaching global issues with a local lens. Community experts discussed the value of exchange in expanding perspectives and opportunities, noting: “Sometimes you get really close to your work and feel that the problems that are ours are only ours. You don’t realize that the challenges that you face are experienced by others across the world. The perspective that you are not alone is eye-opening.”
The Summit closed with a reflection on the longer-term impacts of people-to-people exchange programs and why this work matters. As Amy Storrow, Director of the Office of International Visitors at the U.S. Department of State shared: “Subnational diplomacy is simply Americans communicating better with each other and sharing that abroad. What you do here locally has a global impact. What starts at the dinner table with an honest conversation about sports and family turns into an amazing relationship 20 years later.”
For the nationwide Global Ties Network, programming continued the next morning with the Learning Lab. This peer learning event was an opportunity for IVLP implementers to discuss strategies for nonprofit capacity building and IVLP best practices. Attendees left the Kalamazoo Summit enriched with ideas on how diplomacy is driven by local participation and buy-in, and the knowledge that work being done locally is shaping real impact globally.
Participants wave goodbye at the #IAmDiplomacy Summit. Photo by Global Ties U.S.
New Orleans, Louisiana
From September 23-24, Global New Orleans hosted Crescent City Connections: Creativity Through Exchange. The programming explored the unique culture of New Orleans and how the city became a leader in cultural preservation and sustainable tourism.
Pre-Summit events included a guided walking tour of the French Quarter and a networking reception at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Both activities gave attendees a deep dive into the history, architecture, music, and creative economy of the city in its evolution from a French colonial outpost to a thriving metropolis with a distinctive Creole identity, setting the stage for the Summit programming.
The Summit kicked off with welcome remarks from Laila Bondi, Executive Director of Global New Orleans, and local and federal representatives including Diane Hollis from the Office of Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser; Rosine Pema Sanga from the City of New Orleans; and Chris Miner, Managing Director for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, U.S. Department of State. Shared Chris: “The IVLP breaks down barriers and shapes ideas that can become solutions. All of you in this room shape foreign affairs and we can’t do this work without you.”
A highlight of the day was the keynote with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, a musician, naturalist, park ranger, and ethnographic photographer. “I wanted to play music to bring something to the table,” he shared. “Music is an opportunity to tell stories, have a voice, and connect with others. New Orleans is a synthesis of cultures and ideas, and it’s through community we can sustain it.”
Breakout sessions explored the nexus between community, culture, and the arts. “Culture connects with our heritage and identity, and it connects also to social justice. Artists are historians as well—we’re telling our community’s stories,” said one expert on cultural tourism. Speakers from another panel discussed the role of culture bearers within the creative economy, noting that: “New Orleans is not short on talent. The more we can map the pipelines and the invisible labor, the better we can support our entrepreneurs. It’s very difficult to navigate from concept to success.”
Summit speakers share their experience on music and community building.
The following day, Global Ties Network members gathered at the Learning Lab to share templates and tricks of the trade about best practices in IVLP programming. Topics ranged from cultural engagement, to advocacy, to impact storytelling, to community-building, and more. As one speaker shared, “Some doors are closed to us because we haven’t knocked on them, but once they’re open, it’s important to keep them open by building and strengthening relationships.”
Crescent City Connections provided participants with an excellent platform to connect and build lasting relationships. Attendees departed energized by the dynamic exploration of the intersection between culture, community, and exchange.
The Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits will be back in 2025. Stay tuned for updates and locations later in the new year.
A wave goodbye at the New Orleans Summit. Video by Global Ties U.S.