In order to highlight our common humanity, the U.S. Diplomacy Center at the State Department is presenting an exhibition called "Messages from the World and Images of Ground Zero", a memorial of the global response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. Sectioned into five cases, the exhibition features the responses from the rest of the world, sent to the United States and its citizens in a variety of different ways.

Case 1 shows the media response across the world from newspaper headlines reading: "One Love" in Jamaica to consulate messages sent from Pakistan.

Case 2 displays the messages sent to the United States from around the world via formal written letters as well as hand written notes, coming from organizations, governments and individual citizens.

In Case 3, the innocence from abroad was depicted in works of art created by small children in schools and places of worship in countries like South Africa, the Netherlands, and Japan.

Case 4 holds the many symbols and icons that are associated with the 9/11 attacks such as figures of the American flag and Firefighters helmets. A New York Yankees hat, a team revered all across the globe sits is featured in the case as well.

Case 5 shows the artwork that came from other nations as symbols of friendship.

The exhibition can be viewd at the Bureau of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.

Photo credit: http://diplomacy.state.gov/exhibitions/pdf/getting_the_message.pdf

Read more of her story on our Share Stories page and see how citizen diplomacy can enhance the lives of all who are involved!

This story, from David Hines, an intern with the Citizen Diplomacy Council of San Diego shows us how we can benefit from interacting with others from other countries, like Iraq. As David details, there were many new things he learned from spending an entire day with Iraqi youth visiting the United States through an exchange with the State Department.

Please read David's story and continue to send us more stories as we count down the U.S. Summit and Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy in November!

Social entrepreneurer Alan Khazei, co-founder of City Year and founder of Be the Change, Inc. has released a new book titled, Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America. According to Khazei, the debate over whether 'government is the problem' or 'government is not doing enough' is out-of-date. The real question needs to be are the people of the United States doing enough to ensure the happiness and well-being of the community? Therefore, we need BIG CITIZENS to make lasting change within our communities and country. 

Tonight, there is a virtual book party with Alan via conference call with David Guggenheim (Director of An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting For Superman). All are welcome to join by calling 712-432-0075 with code 182915. You may also RSVP by emailing echerniack@gmail.com.

It is time to reevaluate the role of governments and citizens and start making service the solution to the problems instead of blaming it on too much government or not enough goverment.

Do you know of any BIG CITIZENS doing great and impactful work within your community? How can you make a difference and start improving your community for the benefit of all?

In the cultural realm, renowned jazz artist Mike Clark is touring Russia during the month of October to bring knowledge and appreciation of American jazz. The U.S. State Department is sponsoring this tour that will begin in Sochi on October 1st and end in St. Petersburg on the 24th. The Mike Clark Organ Trio will be performing hits from his new Owl Studio release "Carnival of Soul". Cultural diplomacy is to be promoted during this tour in Russia as the State Department is engaging in artistic tours abroad, much reminiscent of the days of the Jazz Ambassadors programs during the Cold War.

Sharing more stories that we have received through our campaign, read this new story about experiences hosting exchange students and how getting to know several students through being a host family can have such a postive impact. Read Annette Hochstein's story about citizen diplomacy.

Friendship Cities were also established between Suzhou and San Antonio. Having an already sound relationship with Latin America, San Antonio wants to increase its recognition in Europe and Asia, using China as its Asia anchor and launching point into Vietnam, South Korea, and other Southeast Asian countries. These industrial and business agreements between San Antonio and other Asian cities will increase the likelihood of diplomacy through educational, business and cultural exchanges. San Antonio has already completed a campaign at the U.S. Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo on enhancing the city's image in order to attract foreign investment from Chinese businesses who may be interested in the large Texas city.

Along with business relationships comes cultural and citizen relationships. Agreements will spur business exchanges and local colleges and universities will develop abroad opportunities due to the availability of programs pertinent to the city. San Antonio along with the University of Texas-San Antonio has already produced an agreement with Hong Kong for a China-U.S. exchange program for graduate-level business students, which will greatly improve those students' knowledge of the world and global competence level, an important tool in competing for jobs.

You can imagine the relationships built in the name of diplomacy, and when U.S. cities engage in searching foreign investment, they open the door not only to increased revenue, but also to a breadth of cultural and educational opportunities and resources that are necessary to championing citizen diplomacy.

More and more American universities are opening up offices to do a 1+2+1 program for Chinese students. With American universities partnering with Chinese universities, Chinese students can start their undergraduate studies in China, come to the United States for their middle two years of college, and then finish and graduate in China their last year of undergrad. This not only allows the Chinese student an opportunity to spend two years in the U.S. to become encultured into American society to learn and grow and improve English skills, but also gives American students the opportunity to grow and meet Chinese students.

For American students, China remains in the top ten study abroad destinations but still falls behind the UK, an English-speaking country. Should students study abroad in a country whose native language is not English? How do we encourage students to study in a non-English speaking country? 6 of the top ten are European countries. How do we get students to branch out and study in a less-developed country or country the United States does not have as good of relations with, something different than Europe?

Please leave any remarks or comments below. We'd love to hear from you!

Some of the people/organizations will have submittes stories to us, others are simply organizations or people who have not had much exposure and are doing work abroad that is deserving of some recognition. Stay tuned for organizations and people to be featured on the blog in the run-up to the U.S. Summit.

In the meantime, please visit our Stories page to read some great stories of citizen diplomacy.

Today, the only license permitting citizens to travel to Cuba is one for educational and research/development purposes. Only approximately 2,000 are allowed to make this trip to Cuba annually which has been instituted since the Bush Administration in 2004. The objective is to increase the contacts between Cubans and Americans through a variety of avenues, including cultural diplomacy. Restrictions that hinder private citizens from traveling to Cuba and the United States should be eased and the allowance of more cultural programs that involve Cuban and American artists, athletes and tourists should be urged. Also, all categories for travel (professional, business, religious, family visits, tourism, humanitarian, journalistic, etc.) should be allowed licensure in order to increse the number of civilians interacting with each other as a result of heightened travel.

Unfortunately, the restrictions must be lifted by means of government agreement and cooperation between the U.S. and Cuba. However, the call from the U.S. government to start encouraging private citizen interaction through cultural diplomacy could be seen by the Cuban government as incentive to bring about positive change.

Read the report from the U.S.-Cuba Relations at Brookings.

The symbolism of the DMZ is quite astounding when thought of in terms of citizen diplomacy. This 2 1/2 mile area is the most heavily guarded border in the world. It blocks citizens from the North and South from coming together to create a unified Korea (which both sides desire) and continues the need for military protection because the lack of communication perpetuates the already prevalent animosity between the two. The act of citizen diplomacy committed by Jonathan provides reason to break down the barriers held up by governments to allow citizens to implement policies of good relations.

Jonathan was able to meet with officials from the North but never got to meet with the President, Kim Jong Il but a letter written by Jonathan was delivered to the President, detailing his desires to see the children's forest and calling on both governments to come together to build it. Jonathan plans to visit the North again next year to follow up on the idea of the forest. The story truly shows how citizens can go beyond governments to bring about peace and understanding.

We expect this event to be well attended so we encourage you to register today and join us to be a part of the most comprehensive conference ever convened to demonstrate the value and impact of U.S. citizen engagement in international affairs.

The Summit is being convened by the USCCD in partnership with theU.S. Department of State, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and is supported by major sponsors Verizon, Coca-Cola, TownsendVision, among others.

Ultimately, the event will contribute directly to our goal of doubling the number of citizen diplomats in the next ten years by serving as a launching point for the "Decade of the Citizen Diplomat."

Highlights Of The Summit:

Presentation of 100 competitively vetted citizen diplomacy programs by sector leaders of international NGO organizations

Five major plenary sessions including:

An international view led by the British Council joined by leaders from France, Poland & Turkey

A view from the administration by representatives of the Departments of Defense & State, Peace Corps, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Congress

Final closing plenary to be held at the State Dept.

Sessions on the role of U.S. corporations in social responsibility (CSR) initiatives world wide

Presentation of new roundtable reports on seven critical issues

Demonstration of new technologies and media to expand the reach of citizen diplomacy initiatives

Networking opportunities between leaders in international affairs from NGOs, corporate and philanthropic organizations, and international guests

Invitation to the 2010 National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy during a special cultural evening event.

Read Ron Rowland's story about a soccer team in Des Moines which is compiled of several immigrant boys from seventeen countries. The players bonded together to create a great team and also learned about international issues and cultural differences. Read more and don't forget to submit your own stories.

Enjoy the story of Raymond and Partners for Democratic Change and submit your own story of citizen diplomacy.

Read the full story lauding her work and efforts in the area of citizen diplomacy.

Learn more about Citizen Effect by reading Dan's story! Also, share with us your story or the story of someone you know who has been a citizen diplomat.

He will present Kim Jong-Il with a letter where he will propose the plan to plant fruit and chestnut trees in the DMZ so children can play there. This comes as a continuation of the "Sunshine Policy" created by Kim Dae-jung as a way to soften relations between the communist North and democratic South. Jonathan says he will relate this policy in his letter to the North Korean leader in hopes of initiating a transition towards peaceful relations were the well-being of citizens is the priority.

It will be very intriguing to see how this plays out as very few American citizens have had the chance to visit North Korea, let alone meet the very closed-off President. Where governments have failed, perhaps a child can succeed. With Jonathan, there is nothing to be skeptical about. There is no hidden agenda, which is often perceived by the North Korean government when engaging in dialogue with western governments. That is the advantage of the citizen diplomat. And there is no better point in history than now to usher in the era of the citizen diplomat due to the augmented tension and distrust prevalent in governmental relations (or lack thereof).

Stay tuned as the U.S. Center will continue to keep a close eye on Jonathan and hope for great results.

Being active in all three sporting events throughout high school, Charlie wanted to somehow create a triathalon that would span the globe, raising awareness of global health issues and education. For more information and to keep up to date with Charlie's travels, visit the WorldTri website.

This past Monday (8/9), Charlie finished the first leg of the WorldTri by successfully swimming the English Channel. After 11 hours and 59 minutes of swimming, Charlie reached the shores of France on the other side of the English Channel. His 9,000 mile bike ride to Calcutta, India begins today. As he travels through 13 countries during his WorldTri, he serves as a citizen ambassador every step of the way. Cheer on Charlie by visiting the WorldTri website and Twitter page.

Carol Vipperman, the founder of the Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation (FRAEC), has been formally engaging in citizen diplomacy with Russia for over twenty-one years. The story of FRAEC and Carol illustrate the importance of the private sector in international relations. Surpassing governments and interacting on a citizen level is what citizen diplomacy is all about.

Read her story and continue to submit your own stories!

Dr. Grams' story and nomination for the National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy were submitted to the USCCD by one of our 2008 awards honorees - Khris Nedam with Kids 4 Afghan Kids. Thank you Khris for sharing the story of Dr. Grams and his life's work with the world.

New York Times: Slain Aid Workers Were Bound by Their Sacrifice

CBS Evening News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/08/world/main6754375.shtml

Kids 4 Afghan Kids: http://www.kids4afghankids.com/index.php

Education should be available to everyone. Education also yields peace. See how education can create the necessary conditions for developing a peaceful world by reading Marion's story on the Share Your Stories page.

Do you have a story about how you have engaged in citizen diplomacy domestically?

Read more about the Iskashitaa Refugee Network by visiting our Stories Page.

According to the Performing Arts Alliance, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reduced the processing time of petitions to two weeks for those who have obtained an artist or athlete visa. In the past, visas would need to be expedited in order to ensure that the guest would arrive in time. These expedited visas would carry a heavy price tag and small theatre or event organizations would have to cover the expenses, making a large dent in their expenditures. This new development is a significant step in breaking down barriers between cultures and access to another cultures artistic works.

A major avenue in bringing citizens together is through cultural and artistic interactions and events. With the visa obtaining process being a little bit less time consuming for artists coming to the United States, there is sure to be an increase in cultural exchange opportunities here in the United States.

Mr. Hall would like to increase the number of cultural exchanges between the American state of Georgia and the country Georgia over the upcoming years. So many opportunities are there for exchange and education regarding both parties. 

The story continues on the Shared Stories page. Continue reading to learn more.

This also occurred during WWII and afterwards in the United States. The anti-Japanese and German sentiment was very prevalent. Realizing that most citizens opinions and beliefs did not reflect those of their governments, professors at the University of Washington wanted to make some kind of difference. They, along with others from the Seattle area, created the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS), based on the Universtiy of Washington campus. Connecting students from other cultures and backgrounds, dialogue was ignited and friendships formed between American students and citizens and students from other nations.

To read more about this story and how FIUTS has made a difference since 1948, visit our Stories page.

While in China, an American teacher joined together with a Chinese choreographer to create "The Red Thread", a dance that was taught to American and Chinese children. These children from two different backgrounds and from countries with different political ideologies learned to dance together in harmony and unison. This program provides an excellent opportunity for an exchange.

Now, five Chinese children have come to Manhattan to perform in a variety of dances with other American children in the NDI's Irene Diamond Summer Institute. They will perform together and build lasting friendships with one another. In this way, the arts connect cultures and give citizens something greater to establish relationships on instead of focusing on the political or those attributes that make us different, or rather, what makes our countries different. An event such as this allows children at a young age to develop opinions of other nations based on the people they meet, not what they see on the television. This is crucial to the development of a globally competent citizen.

There is such potential for further funding of cultural diplomacy in the United States and abroad. With the State Department and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs there is a decent amount of public funding. However, in the new age of cultural diplomacy, citizens and private groups have much more clout in the area of diplomacy. The types of arts events, like the dance exchange between the United States and China are sure to attract increased attention and popularity in the future.

The story consists of blog entries Mary Anne wrote while doing her work in Haiti. They provide a glimpse into what the Haitian people are going through as well as the true spirit they possess. The family has been able to experience this on every trip they take to the country.

Read the story of these great citizen diplomats by visiting our stories page and please continue sending us your wonderful stories.

Read the story below. Leave remarks and comments of your impressions. If you have a story to tell, please let us know!

Citizen Diplomat Paul Stevers
by Jenna Messier

Paul Stevers began his career in philanthropy and citizen diplomacy in 2004 when he attempted to sponsor a child at a small Afghan orphanage in Pakistan. When Paul realized that this orphanage and others like them could benefit if they could use the Internet to receive money from and communicate with sponsors to support children in their care, he decided to create a non-profit organization to help them do so.

CharityHelp International (CHI) (www.charityhelp.org) has blossomed into an organization which not only collects money and efficiently delivers funds to people in need, it also has created an online sponsorship engine for forging lasting, cross-cultural relationships between orphan children in Afghanistan and concerned citizens from the West. Today, over 400 children are financially sponsored by over 200 individuals living in the U.S., Italy, Australia, and Canada. All of these sponsors and children are connected by CHI's Email Forwarding System which allows for frequent communications where strong relationships grow. CHI also supports the work of indigenous organizations in Haiti, Kenya, and Sudan and has the potential of being used by hundreds of other non-profit organizations.

What is fascinating about Paul's story is that he has inspired many others to give so much of themselves to these kids and organizations. The partnership between CHI and the Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO) (www.afceco.org) has only been so successful due to the dedication of the individual sponsors, some of whom have given large donations to build new orphanages, libraries and gymnasiums for the children. The sponsors have even formed their own organization called Hope for the Afghan Children (www.hopeforafghanchildren.org) in order to raise more money and to network among each other to promote the cause. Thus Paul's generosity, which has fully funded the development and maintenance of CHI, has caught on like wildfire.

Paul Stevers has not rested since the success of CharityHelp International. For the past three years, he has been developing a project called Peace through Moderation (PtM) (www.peacethroughmoderation.org). PtM has the lofty goal of raising 50 million dollars from the business and investment community in major financial centers to scale-up proven initiatives designed to counter extremism.

Paul has now developed an partnership with The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP, www.allianceforpeacebuilding.org) and is now sponsoring the development of this project through this alliance. AfP is comprised of over 60 organizations and includes members such as the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and Search for Common Ground.

In summary, Paul Stevers has engineered two successful approaches to solving global problems by reaching out to like-minded individuals and offering the means for those people to become part of the solution. There are hundreds of smiling faces in the AFCECO orphanages in Afghanistan and Pakistan to prove it.

With the continuous "flattening" of the globe, people to people connections are becoming much more feasible. The State Department, although integral, is not the only means of promoting American culture abroad. There is now more than ever the opportunity for people to meet and connect together, and maybe even dispel some stereotypes and misconceptions. Finding a common ground to discuss differences as well as shared values is one of the objectives in current cultural diplomacy. The arts are universal, and they have a universal objective; to express personal values and to hopefully have a positive and resounding effect on the world. The arts are no longer the message, they are the avenue by which the message is delivered. 

Now that the state's role in diplomacy (most specifically, cultural diplomacy) is becoming more obsolete due to the increase in private sector endeavors to champion diplomacy, there are many more opportunities to engage in diplomacy at the citizen level. With an objective of increasing the number of citizen diplomats within the next decade, the conditions for success couldn't be more conducive. A market that is predominantly controlled by the private sector will allow the message to be constructed and broadcasted by citizens and these citizens will help to shape foreign policy. Citizen diplomacy says that citizens have the right and even the obligation to help shape U.S. foreign policy, one handshake at a time.

Through the Share your Stories campaign, we have been able to view a multitude of individuals and organizations that engage in cultural diplomacy. From Cultures in Harmony to the Conflict Kitchen, citizens have been individually bridging the gaps between one another culturally. The options are truly numerous and the new face of diplomacy could not be emerging at a more convenient time. The call for religious understanding and tolerance is at the height of importance in the post 9/11 era.

In what ways have you helped to bridge the gap between the West and other nations? Have you engaged in cultural diplomacy? We'd like to hear about it.

Imagine a world where leaders have been brought up and educated to be religiously tolerant and understanding and have established relationships with people from a variety of religious faiths. The program allows participating students to learn about major religious-based conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as how these conflicts can be prevented.

By creating two networks of students, one from the United States and the other from the Middle East, students are provided the opportunity to exchange ideas and values with each other and learn about each other's opinions and beliefs in an understanding and educational atmosphere. Three major religions are represented: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Read her story below and continue to send us your stories of citizen diplomacy.

Student Interfaith Peace Project at the University of Denver

In response to what we perceived to be growing and problematic gaps between individuals of different religions, cultures, and belief systems in our city of Denver, Colorado, we created a project that brought high school students of different cultures, faiths, and nationalities together to learn about one another for one academic year. In addition to lessons on Islam, Judaism, Christianity and other religions, we taught them how to listen to and dialogue with one another, to understand and employ conflict resolution skills, to understand each other's faiths (and/or faith cultures), and to better understand how failing to recognize or appreciate other's beliefs can create and/or exacerbate conflicts. To that end, we also taught them the historical and current situation surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, where so many of these identities play a role in contributing to the ongoing disputes.

One goal of the program is to help build inclusive, open-minded leaders who appreciate diversity at a deep and authentic level, who will know the value of striving to understand all viewpoints in a conflicted situation, and who will be able to lead others to do the same. We want them to have fun with it, to truly see the joy in working and learning with individuals with whom they may have significant political, religious, and world-view differences. It has worked beautifully. Each year we work with students from 25 local high schools who represent several countries, faiths, economic classes together in an extra-curricular program. They spend almost a year in class on a college campus for which they receive no credit of any kind- they are simply there to learn and experience. Often their parents drive them long distances to attend.

We had an additional goal to create a strong bond between these students that would last for years; one that would sustain a network of educated, inclusive leaders. However, we wanted that network to be broad, to include students in the Middle East as well. So at the beginning we reached out to our contacts in the region, and designed a trip that would allow these students to interact as a cohesive group with diverse students in Israel and the West Bank. They were eager to participate.

The first year 17 students made the journey. They met and interacted with students in Israel who were Bedouin, Arab, Jewish, and Druze. In the West Bank, they visited refugee camps and met Christian and Muslim students. They created friendships and formed new bonds.

We just returned from our third successful trip with a third group of students. Because we are housed in the Korbel Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver, our next goal is to expand the program into the college and graduate level. We have applied for grants to employ video conferencing equipment so we can meet on a regular basis and expand the student network.

We are not trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we believe that American students can recognize the rich diversity of young people in both Israel and Palestine (the West Bank now, and hopefully Gaza in the near future), and act as friends and allies to both. It is our hope that our students will act as a bridge between the two sides, and create a network of peace-minded, inclusive leaders. The beauty is that the program is strong in what it accomplishes among youth here, and strong in what it has and will accomplish in the Middle East.

Watch the video of our first year program.

Please feel free to visit our website at www.sipproject.org. We are currently undergoing construction of a new and updated site, but this will help explain the original program.

Thanks for asking us to share our story!

~Deborah Schlueter