| The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy promotes the involvement of Americans in foreign relations. The idea, says Executive Director Ann Schodde, is that you do not have to be a member of the diplomatic corps serving overseas to influence the perception of the United States abroad. In fact, she says, although we may not think of ourselves as citizen diplomats, we are every time we interact with those from foreign countries in school, at work, and in social settings. The Center believes volunteerism is the best way to encourage citizen diplomacy and promotes participation through its national data base of international volunteer opportunities, education and training programs, and national recognition of U.S. citizens who have made outstanding contributions as citizen diplomats. Schodde has been involved in international relations and education for her entire thirty-year career. She has consulted with and held leadership positions in organizations including the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, Sister Cities International, U.S. Ukraine Foundation, National Council of International Visitors. She has testified before Congress on the importance of federal support for international education and exchange programs.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
--Margaret Mead
There is a massive movement of people from all over the world relocating from one place to another. Past generations of Americans could get by with relatively little understanding of other cultures, but that is no longer the case. Today, frequently we interact with people from other countries in every facet of our lives. At the center, we believe volunteering is the best way to promote citizen diplomacy. It can be something as simple as helping your child exchange letters or emails with a friend from another country or assisting new immigrants in your community learn English. When we develop these relationships, we no longer think of them as someone from another country, we think about them as a friend, even when their country of origin might be one in which the United States is engaged in conflict. As citizens of one of the richest and most powerful nations in the world, it is not only a right but a responsibility of all Americans to find ways to participate on the world stage and to do so with understanding and respect for cultures other than our own. It does not always have to involve traveling abroad. Every time we interface with someone from another country, we are representing the values and principles upon which this country was founded. This is what it means to be a citizen diplomat.
Consider Anjali Bhatia, a college student who was one of our 2008 national scholarship winners. In Kolkata, she worked with the Bengal Rural Welfare Services to empower women in rural villages through micro-loans. She also spent time living and working in Rwanda, where new friends told stories about living as refugees and watching family members murdered. This type of outreach builds bridges across continents, one citizen at a time. On the other hand, a third-grade teacher, Khris Nedam, in Michigan has worked every year with her students to raise money for Kids4AfghanKids. Their efforts, without leaving the classroom, have built schools and an orphanage in Afghanistan.
I was blessed with wonderful parents. Although they did not have a lot of money and they were not able to travel abroad or send me on foreign exchange programs, they taught me a valuable lesson that has great relevance to my work. They always reminded me that my "home is the center, but it should never be the boundary," always encouraging me to seek out new friendships and experiences.
Make a Difference Today
Committing to three years in the Peace Corps is an important commitment, but it is just one way to get involved as a citizen diplomat. You can invite a foreign student studying at a nearby university to your home for dinner or a holiday. Get involved in the Sister Cities or IV programs, or work with your children's schools to ensure that foreign languages and cultures are being introduced as early as possible. |
