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Board of Directors

Honorary Chairs
Mayor Eric Garcetti
City of Los Angeles
 
Hilda L. Solis
Chair, L.A. County Board of Supervisors

Chairman
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


Secretary
Deanne Neiman
Honorary Consul of Botswana    


Legal Counsel
Wafa J. Hoballah
WJH Law Group, APC 
 

 Haifa Azawi, M.D. 
New Women Medical Care
 
Jonathan Kaji
Kaji & Associates

Kristin McCowan
Director of International Relations and Chief of Protocol,
Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti

Rima Nashashibi
Nashashibi International Consultants, LLC
 
Stephen Ozoigbo    
International Advisor
Relativity Education
   
Richard Peterson
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism
 
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 
 
Tina Tangalakis
Della 
 
Tim Watkins
Watts Labour Community Action Committee
 
Tracy Young
Former Anchor, CNN HLN Local Edition  


President & CEO
Janet Elliott
Corporate Diplomats

AMD Logo
LA Tourism & Convention Board


Sponsors


October 2016


In this month's issue you will find:

Quote of the Month

Donation Drive for our Venezuelan Visitors

Sparking Empowerment with Sports

Welcome New Interns!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming International Visitors in October
 
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
Quote of the Month 
Q: How did your perception(s) of the United States change during/after your visit?

A: The perception about this "arrogant American" pervading in pop media is clearly false. Also, the sense of patriotism and volunteerism is as real as they come.

-- Joel Bacaron ESCOVILLA, Associate Editor, Mindanao Times,
The Philippines
Donation Drive for our Venezuelan Visitors

As you may know,  Venezuela is deep into a humanitarian crisis . Venezuelans have gone weeks without basic items like soap, shampoo and toilet paper. It's a sad but common part of daily life today. But you can help. 

We are hosting two Venezuelan visitors next week, and we will be accepting donations of soap, shampoo and conditioner for them to bring home. Items can be dropped off at our new office (3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 705).  Items can be delivered between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm on from October 11th to the 13th. If you have any questions, contact Cameron at (213) 388-1428 x 26.
Sparking Empowerment with Sports


The article below was written by IVCLA intern Luyi Xu, a junior at the University of Southern California who is majoring in International Relations and Environmental Studies.
 
On September 17th, IVCLA welcomed three visitors from France, Jean Laurent Goodrige, Haifa Tlili, and Enoch Effah Afriyie. As participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program, they traveled to Los Angeles to discuss "Sports and Women's Empowerment," with an emphasis on exploring best practices in advocacy, fundraising, and partnerships to make sports inclusive.
 
The group was eager to observe sports facilities and programs that encourage athletic activities among women and girls. To this end, a special meeting was arranged with Danita Johnson, Senior Vice President of the LA Sparks, the Los Angeles-based professional women's basketball team. They spoke with her about the important role of corporate sponsors and agents in professional sports. Danita spearheaded the Sparks' nine month long #WeAreWomen social media campaign in 2016, which aims to honor the accomplishments, leadership and empowerment of women across the L.A. community. 
 
The campaign tells the stories of women in L.A., who strive to be community leaders and social change makers. Along with the campaign, Danita also led a series of community events aiming to empower women and girls in schools. The programs were not only designed to be educative for girls, but also to engage parents in supporting their daughters.
 
The visitors asked specific questions about how to encourage women and girls to attend the events, and how to maximize their experience in the programs. Danita pointed out a key factor, which is creating an environment where women and girls feel comfortable to talk freely and express themselves fully. Danita explained tactics that can be implemented back in France, like hosting the events at girls-only gyms, and hosting workshops every 30 days, and having their parents' support. Danita's team hosts expression workshops for girls to help them learn to speak up about their feelings, and for parents to learn to eliminate negative attitudes when they are talking to their girls. The campaign also uses sports as a major tool to enable confidence-building for girls by coaching girls ages 12-15 in various sports to help them with peer confidence. 
 
Despite the Sparks campaign's success, it is still difficult for them to gain the mainstream public's respect as female athletes, and to spread awareness about women's empowerment. The team is always seeking to diversify their approaches to expand public support and promote their message. One budget-friendly method they have been utilizing is posting video content online, that way the messages can spread instantly to every corner of the globe. This meeting was an opportunity for the visitors to learn that business and social change can go hand in hand. If we can continue to promote women's sports and build female star athletes, girls would have many great examples to follow and believe in themselves. Yes, she can. Yes, I can.
Welcome New Interns!

We are excited to welcome our Fall 2016 Communications and Events Intern, Allen Chung! Allen Chung is a Rutgers University graduate who studied General History and Political Science. His focus lies in youth development, human rights, and community empowerment. Allen is a member of Toastmasters International, where he serves several officer positions (Vice President of Education, Vice President of Membership, and Intermediate Past President) in three different national clubs. In addition, he dedicates his time and energy serving his community for the North Hills West Neighborhood Council, School on Wheels, Inc., and the Panorama City Chambers of Commerce. Allen owns an independent donut shop business in the San Fernando Valley and has previously worked for the Office of Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA - 29), Asian American Writers' Workshop, and the Peace Corps Office of Innovation. Allen will be embarking on an incredible journey as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia next year where he will be teaching English as a second language to secondary high school students.

 
We are also thrilled to welcome our high school intern, Min Jun Heo! Min Jun is in his junior year at the UCLA Community School. He is trying to verify which of his various interests will become a lifetime occupation for him, with his choices narrowed down to manufacturing, marketing, and economics. His passion is learning about how concepts can apply to mathematical equations, and trying to piece how snippets of various philosophies reflect human nature as a whole. His hobbies include listening to political commentaries usually mixed in with humorous satirical elements, or just conversing with his peers about anything that seems to catch their interest. He hopes one day to either donate a considerable amount of his income to, or actively participate in, charitable causes he believes in such as promoting gender equality in third world countries or promoting democracy for countries with corrupt political leadership. Through his internship with IVCLA, he aspires to understand how different people from all over the world talk about their perspectives. Min Jun feels this will provide him a great opportunity to be informed globally and improve his perception a bout the world.

Upcoming Events

 
Upcoming International Visitors
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.
 
October 2016
 
Afghanistan
Cultural Heritage Preservation: Protecting Historic Sites in Urban and Industrial Environments
October 2 - 5   
 
Burkina Faso
Central African Republic
Cote d'Ivoire
Gabon
The Gambia
Guinea
Kenya
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Emerging Leaders: Democracy in Action - Political Campaigns
October 3 - 6   
 
Saudi Arabia
Women Leaders and Government Service
October 4 - 8   
 
The Philippines
Community Service and Civic Engagement among University Students
October 4 - 8   
 
Bolivia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Mexico
Nicaragua
Paraguay
Peru
Venezuela
Grassroots Democracy & Civil Society
October
11 - 15   
 
Japan
Coastal Administration and Disaster Management
October
16 - 19   
 
Australia
Law Enforcement and Minority Communities
October
23 - 26
 
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
India
Kyrgyz Republic
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Strengthening Civil Society:
The Role of NGOs in the Electoral Process
October 27 - November 3
 

Editor: Danica Kreculj
Projects Coordinator
(213) 388-1428