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Mayor Eric Garcetti
City of Los Angeles
Hilda L. Solis
Chair, 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
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
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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
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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
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Donation Drive for our Venezuelan Visitors
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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.
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Sparking Empowerment with Sports
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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.
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Welcome New Interns!
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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.
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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.
October 2016
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Afghanistan
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Cultural Heritage Preservation: Protecting Historic Sites in Urban and Industrial Environments
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October 2 - 5
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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
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Emerging Leaders: Democracy in Action - Political Campaigns
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October 3 - 6
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Saudi Arabia
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Women Leaders and Government Service
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October 4 - 8
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The Philippines
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Community Service and Civic Engagement among University Students
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October 4 - 8
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Bolivia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Mexico
Nicaragua
Paraguay
Peru
Venezuela
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Grassroots Democracy & Civil Society
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October
11 - 15
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Japan
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Coastal Administration and Disaster Management
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October
16 - 19
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Australia
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Law Enforcement and Minority Communities
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October
23 - 26
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Afghanistan
Bangladesh
India
Kyrgyz Republic
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
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Strengthening Civil Society:
The Role of NGOs in the Electoral Process
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October 27 - November 3
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Editor: Danica Kreculj
Projects Coordinator
(213) 388-1428
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