Expand Your World Through Citizen Diplomacy International
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2014 CDI ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT / DESIGN © 2015 MA+G GRAPHIC ANNUAL REPORT CDI is the region’s international relations and business organization: —International Relations —Citizen Diplomacy CITIZEN DIPLOMACY International —Foreign Business Attraction of Philadelphia Expand your world through citizen diplomacyCDI international —Professional Exchanges ANNUAL REPORT 2013 —Counterpart Meetings OurMAKE signing FRIENDS board is aMAKE lasting CONTACTS record of our visitors! MAKE PEACE® I SHARE OUR VISION —International Student Engagement —Volunteer Activities CITIZEN DIPLOMACY International —American Cultural Experiences —Business Networking 1515 ARCH STREET — 12TH FLOOR —Internationalization of Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19102 Telephone: 1.215.683.0999 E-mail: [email protected] www.cdiPhila.org CDI began its 7th decade with a new name: Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) of Philadelphia CDI 2014 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS CDI — Who We Are, What We Do ................... 2 2014 CDI Financial Report ................... 4 Thomas Jennings, Esq., Chairman’s Message ................... 5 Nancy J. Gilboy, President’s Message ................... 6 2014 Annual Meeting ................... 8 CDI Board of Directors ................... 10 CDI’s COMPASS Group, Young Professionals ................... 12 IVLP Visitors—By the Numbers ................... 13 International Visitor Leadership Program ................... 14 Sister Cities Program ................... 16 The Discover Philadelphia® Program ................... 22 Special Projects—Program Highlights ................... 24 First Thursday—the Friendliest Networking ................... 28 28th International Summer Party/July 2014 ................... 30 CDI Citizen Diplomats— a Photo Collage ................... 32 Donors, Members & Sponsors Listing ................... 33 Participating Organizations Listing ................... 36 Citizen Diplomats Listing ................... 40 CDI Staff Members ................... 44 CDI Interns & Fellows ................... 45 CDI’S CITIZEN DIPLOMATS WELCOME CDI’S CITIZEN DIPLOMATS Citizen diplomacy is the idea that the individual citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape U.S. foreign relations — “one handshake at a time.” ...getting used to our new name yet? CITIZEN DIPLOMACY INTERNATIONAL of PHILADELPHIA I 2014 Annual Report ...CDI brings together WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO We are CDI of Philadelphia... ...CDI builds international relationships ...CDI also works nationally ...CDI engages international students WE ARE OFFICIAL... WE EXPAND YOUR WORLD WE ARE WELCOMING BEYOND THE IVLP WE ARE A MOVEMENT Since 1954 we have been the official international Interacting with our distinguished visitors isn’t limited International guests don’t need to visit on the State Kindness and generosity of spirit go a long way to make relations organization for the Greater Philadelphia region. to thematic experts. We have hundreds of members Department or Sister Cities Programs. We are a friends for our country. Across the U.S. the 95 members As a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department who open their homes for informal dinners and share welcoming organization for expatriates and students, of the Global Ties U.S. Network are actively engaging of State and the City of Philadelphia we receive more than the more personal side of their lives while learning too. Through the Discover Philadelphia® Program, Americans in their communities to play their own 200 delegations each year. Each arrives with a specific about other parts of the world. Members frequently we engage international graduate students with role in international relations. These citizen diplomats purpose, a professional “theme” that we are asked to tell us how their children’s careers were influenced by young Philadelphians and take them off campus to are eager to put a friendly face on Americans to help address through meetings and a variety of activities and the international guests they sat across from at dinner. explore the region’s cultural and historic resources neutralize the negative world media. With the rise of American experiences. Meetings support foreign policy Others tell us how they appreciate the business insights and develop relationships with people and institutions hatred toward our country this passionate group of a goals of the U.S. and give participants opportunities to they gained by speaking with people from countries throughout the region. Our First Thursday receptions hundred thousand citizen diplomats in large cities and see the U.S. and form their own opinions of our people, where they’ve had difficulty getting past cultural barriers. (now in the 15th year) take place ten times a year at small towns are needed more than ever, and are now policies and way of life. For our visitors, these are often perception-changing the beautiful Courtyard Marriott, across from City Hall, considered an important part of Homeland Security. experiences for people whose image of the U.S. was and make expats and international guests feel warmly Our work allows guests to form their own opinions of WE ARE ALL ABOUT ‘THEMES’ formed by TV, movies or a negative world media. welcomed and at home. Our receptions are known as us, and we hear how shocked someone was to hear Program themes are cutting-edge, important and timely the friendliest and best networking in town and are so people criticize the country or President. One visitor topics that range from human trafficking to STEAM Our members often follow up with their guests by lively and interesting that Philadelphians return month said, “Your country invited me here as its guest and (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), visiting them in their country and having the same warm after month to welcome new groups and catch up with allowed me to hear negative things about your policies. to cyber security, transparency of government, to clean hospitality shown them that they saw here. Their lives friends they made at previous First Thursdays. That alone convinced me that this is a free country. Had energy and interfaith dialogue. are enriched by meeting people from countries they I done that at home, I’d be in prison now.” never would have had opportunities to meet had it not WE ARE A NETWORK WE ARE RESOURCE ‘DETECTIVES’ been for exchanges. CDI is part of a “citizen diplomacy” network of 95 WHY WE ARE SUCCESSFUL Once we know each program’s theme, we research organizations across the United States that each Our work makes friends with the world’s new leaders, and identify experts in our region to meet with the WE ARE EXCHANGES administer the U.S. Department of State’s premier makes contacts for business development and builds delegations and address the theme offering a diversity Although we administer many exchanges, our two core exchange, the International Visitor Leadership peace and mutual understanding through face-to-face of views on the topic. programs are the State Department’s International Program (IVLP). The Philadelphia Council was formed interactions—one person, one handshake at a time. Visitor Leadership Program, which brings established in 1954, and over the years other Councils were also WE DESIGN and emerging leaders from 150 countries to the U.S.. started across the U.S. These Councils are members CDI is the only organization where you can expand your After learning the program theme of an inbound This invitation-only program is the U.S. Government’s of Global Ties U.S., formerly the National Council world without leaving town. delegation, we research and identify thematic experts highest exchange, its “crown jewel,” and is consistently for International Visitors (NCIV), and form a unique in our region to meet with the delegation. Our talented ranked by U.S. Ambassadors as our country’s #1 public network that was nominated in 2001 for the Nobel ...and because YOU ARE A CITIZEN DIPLOMAT staff then design creative itineraries that address each diplomacy program. Peace Prize. Each of the 95 Councils engage and As the region’s citizen diplomacy organization we believe group’s program theme through meetings, observations enable the American public to be personally involved in in the power of exchanges and empowering Americans and a variety of experiences. The meetings we arrange Our second core program is Philadelphia’s Sister Cities international relations where they have opportunities to to realize that they are important representatives for our support the visitors’ professional interests and offer a Program, which links us with ten cities in nine countries “welcome strangers and send home friends.” There is country as Citizen Diplomats. We know that exchanges rich diversity of opinion. and brings mayors, educators, musicians, artisans, no other network like this in the world. create enduring relationships that build bridges of executives and students to Philadelphia. High school cooperation and understanding between peoples. We WE ENGAGE students are visiting Sister City “families” through WE ARE MORE know that exchanges put international relations on a We engage these experts, as well as other local citizens, in ongoing exchanges with Torun, Poland; Kobe, Japan; We are the “door” to the Greater Philadelphia region, very personal level, thanks to you! meeting with our visitors to play an important role in U.S. Incheon, Korea and Tianjin, China. not only for the guests of the U.S. Government and foreign affairs by opening their offices for professional Philadelphia. We also