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Mayor Eric Garcetti
City of Los Angeles
Hilda L. Solis
L.A. County Board of Supervisors
Matthew Olsen
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
Vice Chairs
Mathias Fobi, M.D.
Bariatec Corporation
Michele A. Franchett
Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP
Michael McDowell
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Deanne Neiman
Honorary Consul of Botswana
Legal Counsel
Wafa J. Hoballah
WJH Law Group, APC
Haifa Azawi, M.D.
New Women Medical Care
Rae Linda Brown, Ph.D.
Associate Provost, Undergraduate Education Professor of Music Loyola Marymount University
Jonathan Kaji
Kaji & Associates
Stephen Ozoigbo
International Advisor
Relativity Education
Lourdes Saab
L.A. County Office of Protocol
William Silva
Southern California Edison
David R. Stepp
Bryan Cave LLP
Yael Swerdlow
Women's Empowerment Foundation
Tracy Young
Former Anchor, CNN HLN Local Edition
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Corporate
Diplomats
Sponsors
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In this month's issue you will find:
Quote of the Month
Intern Attends UN's Annual Conference on the Status of Women
Welcome New Board Members!
Register Now! Citizen Diplomacy Celebration
Event in Review: 2016 Women of Courage
International Opportunities
Upcoming International Visitors in April
I hope you enjoy hearing about the recent goings-on at IVCLA. Please feel free to share your comments with me by sending an email to dkreculj@ivcla.org
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Q: What did you learn about American Culture during your visit that you didn't know before?
A: I have learned about the independence, the idea of being self-sufficient and being on your own valued highly in the U.S. I have seen many American kids and teenagers leave home for extended periods of time, going for summer camp, schools and various volunteer activities and there are such a wide variety of beliefs, values, and traditions.
--
Mohammad Qahir SADAT, Youth Development Officer, Afghanistan Peace Education and Development Organization (APEDO), Afghanistan
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Intern Attends UN's Annual Conference on the Status of Women
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My name is
Kassidy Hamilton, and I am an intern for IVCLA. I am a junior at the high school, Pilgrim School, which is located in the Wilshire District. From the week of March 11th through March 18th, I went to New York and attended the United Nations' annual Conference on the Status of Women (CSW). I went as a representative through Girls Learn International, a program of the nonprofit organization, The Feminist Majority Foundation.
The CSW is a functional commission of the United Nations, and it is the global policy-making body that is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Each year during the CSW, representatives from member states gather at the United Nations Headquarters to evaluate gender equality. They identify challenges faced, set global standards and laws, and formulate policies that will promote gender equality and bolster girls' and women's rights and empowerment.
As a delegate, I attended these meetings, some held by the UN and some held by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). While participating in the meetings, I was able to voice my concerns and opinions about certain global policies with either the creators of the policies or the policy implementers. These meetings were filled with Heads of States, Ministers, Diplomats, NGO leaders, and more. Meeting topics ranged from African women's maternal health to women and girl's sexual exploitation in the media. It was an extraordinary experience to be able to attend such high level meetings and share my opinions on how policies should be implemented on a global scale.
Being in rooms full of people as interested as I am in feminism truly allowed me to become even more involved and consumed by the global issue that does, in fact, affect everyone. I look forward to attending next year, and continuing my activism for women and girls.
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Los Angeles native Tina Tangalakis always sought to combine her love of art and humanitarian work. As a student, she studied costume design at California Institute of the Arts and later went on to work as a wardrobe stylist for film and television. In September 2009, Tina participated in a volunteer program abroad which landed her in Hohoe, Ghana. There she quickly became enamored with the culture and warm hearts of the friends she made. With her background in business and design, Tina teamed up with a local entrepreneur to begin Della, a socially responsible fashion line that provides jobs, education and skills training to women and men of Hohoe.
Tim Watkins is President and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), and his primary concern is in the area of public policy and how it often exacerbates and perpetuates poverty. Along with his day-to-day responsibility for operating the WLCAC, he researches and develops legislative recommendations that positively impact the quality of life for residents of Watts and neighboring communities. Because Tim is a firm believer in the use of cultural enrichment as a means of healing the human spirit in places like Watts, he is leading a much needed discussion on the concept of Social Enterprise as a long-term solution to poverty and neglect.
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Register Now! Citizen Diplomacy Celebration
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IVCLA's Annual Citizen Diplomacy Celebration will be on
May 4th, at the beautiful California Club in Downtown LA! Enjoy an evening of dinner, live entertainment, a silent auction, and drawing for a Year of International Dining.
Click here to register or purchase drawing tickets!
Mr. David Simon
will be presented with IVCLA's Outstanding Citizen Diplomat Award. Mr. Simon, President of the LA Sports Council and President of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG), has played a significant role in virtually every major sporting event brought to the L.A. area in the last 20 years. He has been listed in the L.A. Times and L.A. Business Journal as one of the area's most influential sports executives. Under his leadership, the Sports Council has been a driving force behind successful bids for events which have generated more than $1 billion in local economic impact. David has been active in international sports since 1977 when he was a part of Los Angeles' bid to host the 1984 Olympic Games. Following the L.A. Olympics, he joined the L.A.Area Chamber of Commerce and developed the concept for a volunteer sports and business committee to act as a single point of contact for bringing special events to the area. In 1988 David helped create the Sports Council and has served as its President ever since.
We will also honor the
LA Cleantech Incubator with our Outstanding Resource Award. LACI is a non-profit organizationthat accelerates the developmentof cleantech start-ups by offering flexible office space and expert advice on issues facing early to growth stage companies. It identifies local talent, nurtures it, and helps get it to market, resulting in more jobs and a bigger green economy. LACI is funded by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and CRA/LA, and works in partnership with UCLA, USC, Caltech and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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Event in Review: 2016 Women of Courage
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Yesterday, IVCLA co-sponsored an inspiring speaker session with the USC Center for Public Diplomacy to hear from the recipients of the annual Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award. This award honors
women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women's equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk. This is the only U.S. Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.
Each woman is an activist, having demonstrated fierce courage in the face of adversity, sometimes at the expense of their well-being. Imprisonment, torture, and death threats could not stop these women from taking a stand for what they believe in. Their perseverance has led to breakthroughs in human rights, changing countless lives for the better.
Attendees heard first hand accounts from Aisha Ayub, an advocate for transgender rights in Malaysia; Dr. Nihal Ali Al-Awlaqi, a Yemeni woman transforming women's roles in their new constitution and carving out space for women's political participation; and Thai democratic activist Rodjaraeg Wattanapanit. Rodjaraeg shared her thoughts on the importance of courage by noting, "the biggest obstacle to fighting injustice is when people surrender to political oppression."
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International Opportunities
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Hostelling International's Explore the World Travel Scholarship application is live! This scholarship is for aspiring global travelers who want to give back while they experience another culture. Scholarship recipients will receive $2,000 to support a trip that includes an educational or service component. This scholarship is available in 13 metropolitan areas across the United States. For application requirements and details
check out their website.
The deadline for the scholarship application is May 15th
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For 90 years,
World Trade Week
has been the most extensive and unique program of its kind in the country. Join more than 600 executives and members of the diplomatic corps to commence a month-long celebration of world trade in Southern California.
RSVP Now!
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Every year, the Global Ties Network celebrates the Americans from all walks of life who say "
I am Diplomacy" in their own way. Do you host international visitors or exchange students in your community? Do you travel the world or make connections with people of different culture? Then you play an essential part in building bridges between people and nations!
Celebrate your role in fostering international relationships and get an insider's view of the diplomatic world. Explore the nation's capital, home of the Department of State and the embassies of over 170 countries. Attend the Global Ties U.S.
Discover Diplomacy Weekend!
* Connect with ambassadors first-hand about hot topics around the world
* Experience the food, art, and music from over 40 embassies through the
Around the World Embassy Tour
(including one exclusively for Discover Diplomacy participants)
Get $25 off the Weekend Package Price if you register by April 8! Use the discount code: Early25
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IVCLA Discount Code: MDR_IVCLA
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Upcoming International Visitors
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The following are among the arriving guests of the
U.S. government whose professional appointments in
Los Angeles will be arranged by the
International Visitors Council of Los Angeles.
April 2016
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Belize
France
Guatemala
Iraq
Malaysia
Mauritania
Slovakia
Sudan
Tanzania
Thailand
Yemen
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International Women of Courage
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Apr 6 - 9
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Hong Kong
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Fighting Crime: Fusion Centers and Task Forces
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Apr 6 - 9
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Poland
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Science and Technology Centers in the U.S.
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Apr 7 - 9
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Angola
Guinea-Bissau
Mozambique
Sao Tome and Principe
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Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
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Apr 7 - 12
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India
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Best Practices in Reducing Gender Based Violence
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Apr 7 - 13
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Republic of Korea
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Prosecution Matters in Combatting Trafficking in Persons
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France
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Managing Ethnic Diversity in the U.S.
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Apr 20 - 24
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Russia
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Research Management at U.S. Universities: Advancing Innovation from Research to Commercialization
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Apr 20 - 26
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Azerbaijan
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University and Business Partnership to Increase Student Employability
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Apr 23 - 27
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Belarus
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Building the Capacity of Creative Non-Profits to Support Socially Marginalized Groups
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Apr 23 - 28
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Saudi Arabia
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Women Leaders and Government Service
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Apr 26 - 30
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Editor: Danica Kreculj
Projects Coordinator
(213) 388-1428
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