Hosting the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists

November 1, 2009

GCIV had the distinct pleasure of partnering with the Cox Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research at the University of Georgia to implement the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists.  The Murrow Program brought one-hundred and fifty emerging leaders in the field of journalism from around the world to examine journalistic practices in the United States September 26th to October 17th, 2009.  The program is an innovative public-private partnership between the Department of State, the Aspen Institute and leading U.S. schools of journalism.

GCIV hosted a delegation of sixteen journalists representing Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.  The group came to the state of Georgia October 1-7, 2009.

Working in conjunction with U.S. journalism schools across the country, the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs developed a specialized International Visitor Leadership Program to engage young international media professionals in dialogue with their U.S. counterparts. After initial programming in Washington, D.C., the participants travel in smaller groups for academic seminars and field activities with faculty and students at one of the partner schools of journalism. The journalism schools design specialized curriculum for their international counterparts to examine journalistic principles and practices, both in the United States and around the world. The universities generously contribute their resources, time and talent to make this program possible.

The visitors also travel to contrasting American cities to gain an understanding of media coverage of state politics and government and to observe American civic life and grassroots involvement in political affairs in smaller towns. The program will conclude in New York City, with visits to major media outlets and a symposium to highlight current trends and challenges facing the media in the United States and around the world.

While in Atlanta the delegation met with representatives from the Carter Center, CNN International, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  They also had the opportunity to share a meal in the homes of local GCIV hosts.  Later the group traveled to Athens, GA, for a professional program coordinated by Dr. Tudor Vlad at the Cox Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research.  UGA arranged for a variety of seminars for them, featuring faculty and staff from the Cox Institute, Grady College of Journalism, Institute for African Studies, Red & Black Student Paper, Peabody Awards Program, and Center for International Trade & Security. They also had numerous opportunities to meet with journalism students at the school.

After leaving the state of Georgia, the delegation visited Phoenix and New York before returning home.  GCIV was honored to work with both UGA and the State Department to contribute to the success of the Murrow Program.

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GCIV International Student Hosting Program

October 1, 2009

GCIV is pleased to announce its new and exciting international student hosting program. As another channel for citizen diplomacy, hosts have the opportunity to share their home with students and scholars from around the world while creating cross-cultural friendships and engaging in international understanding. Students are enrolled at local universities or intensive English institutes and stay anywhere from two months to a year or more.

Hosting an international student in your home can enrich you, your family, other household members and your community by providing each an opportunity to become better informed about and connected to the world beyond U.S. borders.

Hosts provide a private room and a comfortable, safe learning environment that the students can call home. Students choose a Breakfast Only or Breakfast and Dinner option. Hosts receive a stipend to cover the costs of providing a room and meals.

Host homes must be located near public transportation to universities or ESL centers. For more information and to receive an application, contact Joan Roberts at 404-832-5560 x 11.

Click here to view a program brochure. Below please find a list of participating schools.

Atlanta English Institute, Chamblee
English for Internationals, Roswell, Lawrenceville
Emory University, International Students and Scholars
ESL Instruction & Consulting, Downtown Atlanta
Georgia Institute of Technology, Language Institute
Georgia Perimeter College, ESL Department, Clarkston and Dunwoody
Georgia State University, Intensive English Program
Interactive College of Technology, Chamblee
Kennesaw State University
Mercer University, English Language Institute, Chamblee
Morehouse College
Savannah College of Art and Design
Southern Polytechnic State University, ELS Language Center, Marietta
Spelman College
Troy University, ESL Department, Dunwoody

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The Value of GCIV Membership

September 1, 2009

Every month, you receive a message in our e-newsletter asking you to become a member of GCIV.  What does membership in GCIV mean, and why is it important?

GCIV administers the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in Georgia, which works to increase mutual understanding between Americans and emerging leaders of other countries.  Visitors meet with their professional counterparts and local hosts to gain an understanding of U.S. policies and practices, while sharing their unique perspectives and experiences with us.  Worldwide, fifty-seven program alumni are current heads of government or chiefs of state, including Gordon Brown of the UK, Felipe Calderon of Mexico, and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy.

  • GCIV members have the opportunity to meet these impressive delegations at a variety of community programs:  Members Only Receptions, Global Lunch Forums, International Dining Experiences, Envoy Young Professionals events, and more.
  • GCIV members have the opportunity to volunteer as professional resources and home hosts.
  • US Ambassadors rank the IVLP as most effective in a long list of public diplomacy tools at their disposal.  GCIV members support our country’s foreign policy objectives and help improve America’s image abroad through mutual exchange and understanding.
  • Membership in GCIV offers a unique opportunity to travel the world without leaving your home!

With support from our community, GCIV coordinated programs for over five-hundred distinguished international visitors last year, and provided even more opportunities for Georgians to interact with these future world leaders.  Each visit represents an opportunity for us, as citizen diplomats, to learn about another part of the world, make a new friend, transform a misconception, and curb growing anti-Americanism around the world.

Our members are the heart of GCIV and we rely on their ongoing involvement as well as financial support to continue bringing the next generation of world leaders to Georgia. Membership contributions go directly toward the cost of implementing these important and meaningful international exchanges.

Click here to view the various levels of membership and the associated benefits.  Your membership gift, ranging from $25 for young professionals and students to $1,000 as a member of the Ambassadors Circle, will bring us closer to fulfilling our mission and helping to make the world a more peaceful place.

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Another View of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds

August 1, 2009

Group travel isn’t necessarily conducive to spontaneous opportunities, yet this is one of my favorite aspects of travel. So, when Ashley’s host family invited me to tag along with them during our one free day in Nurnberg, I couldn’t resist. The Dinstuehlers took us to nearby Weissenburg, where we were able to soak in the atmosphere of a charming Franconian village as well as see the remains of an ancient Roman bathhouse dating back to the turn of the first century. We visited both the Roman museum and the museum dedicated to the town of Weissenburg, with stops for cappuccinos and “spaghetti” ice cream in between. We later toured Ellingen Castle and sampled the offerings at the beer garden across the street. Ina Dinstuehler and her mom Birgit were perfect hosts, sweetly and patiently showing us all the sites I’m sure they’ve seen a hundred times before. They were generous in more ways than one, refusing to let us pay for anything, insisting that this was “the German way.” As the leader of an organization that prides itself on the hospitality it offers international guests, I was once again humbled to be on the receiving end.

Mr. and Mrs. Dinstuehler happened to have tickets that evening to see the Bavarian Youth Jazz Orchestra, which they kindly offered to us. The concert took place in a beautiful outdoor setting . . . inside what was once the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Our group had toured this area a few days before during our visit to the Nazi Documentation Center. The Center analyzes the Nazi phenomenon, challenging us to understand the fascination and terror behind the Third Reich—how it came to be and how we can prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.

I remembered hearing somewhere that old Nazi sites had been converted to venues for arts and culture. In this case, part of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds had been carved out to house the Nurnberg Symphony Orchestra. Ina said that there was a lot of debate about what to do with these buildings. That destroying them might indicate that Germans were trying to hide this horrific chapter of Germany history, but that simply leaving the buildings as abandoned ruins wouldn’t allow the German people to move through the devastation to a new place of growth and understanding.

The concert’s setting couldn’t have been more lovely. We were in an open-air courtyard surrounded by tall brick walls decorated with twinkling lights, climbing ivy, and trees chattering in the breeze. “Now you will see how Germans listen to music,” Ina said. “They sit perfectly still and look like they are not enjoying it, but the music is deep inside them.” She was right. The orchestra members, all 16 and younger, were accomplished jazz musicians. I let my mind relax and my toes tap to “Moondance” and “Over the Rainbow.” We could hear the birds chirping in between numbers, and as the big brass built up a crescendo the leaves on the trees danced.

With the possible exception of myself, the only other person who was most obviously enjoying the music was Harald Ruschenbaum, the group’s director. Herr Ruschenbaum grooved with contagious enthusiasm as he coaxed energetic jazz classics from the youth. A man who clearly loved his work, he grabbed a cowbell more than once and enthusiastically played along. I thought about how fitting it was to transform this place with the positive energy of music, and how lucky I was (right here, right now) to be hearing this quintessentially American music performed by an orchestra of talented Germany youth.

As the evening drew to a close, the band played a song I didn’t know, something about saying goodbye when we don’t know when we’ll get to say hello again. My new German friend and I looked at each other at the same time and made a wish that our next hello would be sooner rather than later.

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Day Four in Nürnberg

July 10, 2009

Today’s post comes from Erin Dabbs, a senior at Henry W. Grady High School. Our internet access is not as regular since we are now staying with host families, but we will try to keep the blogs posted regularly!

I cannot believe how amazing my day was! I woke up this morning with a smile on my face because I was so excited about what my day had in store for me. We headed to the Hans Sachs Gymnasium which is similar to what we call high school. The headmaster took us around the outside of the school where he explained how important civil rights is and the history of the school. Soon after, we went to a grade ten English class where we got a chance to speak with students and share information with each other. Once we did that, some of the German boys went on a break and I showed them some Michael Jackson moves. This showed me that our lifestyle weren’t that different as I thought they would be. Then we went inside of the new building where Cindy, Alex, and I showed the boys and girls famous American dances. They were willing to learn and showed much appreciation for learning something new.

The next stop was the Nürnberg Exhibition Center and it was very spacious. They had many showrooms that were located on the long street that the Nazis marched on. Its building reminded me of the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. After the tour, we had lunch and the pasta was so delicious! We sat in for an amazing presentation where we learned about the word culture. The presentation was presented very well and it helped me expand my knowledge and the significance of public speaking. As a youth commissioner, public speaking is very important; therefore, any opportunity to learn how to become a better public speaker whether it be by lessons or examples, is highly promoted. The presentation revolved around a number of things including:

  • The definition of culture
  • The specific questions about learning a new culture which are as follows: Who am I? Who are they? How do they see me?
  • The Layers of Culture: Values, Rituals, Symbols, and Heroes

These points were very critical and we all related to them as a group. Thanks to this specific presentation I opened my eyes and my mind to my Germany experience.

As soon as the presentation was over, we got on the train and went to visit the mayor of Nürnberg. He was so funny and had a great enthusiasm about our visit. Chairman Eaves had met him previously and made it even easier for us to welcome the mayor with open arms. Once the reception was over, we headed back to the hotel to meet the host families. My host family came and I was so excited!

We left with them and went to Ausfahrt which is where they live. When we pulled up to their gate, we were astonished. They have a huge home with an indoor pool and windows on the ceiling. The house was so beautiful and very comfortable. We had dinner and afterwards Prachi and I choreographed a dance with Paula who was the daughter in the house. We danced to Thriller by Michael Jackson and had a blast. Later on we played Twister in German and that was so fun. Then Paula did our hair and we finally decided to get some rest.

Living with our host family has already been great and it’s just the first day. I feel so welcomed and this had taught me that everyone is the same and even those who have plenty have good hearts. The German culture is definitely different but I feel like I am at home.

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