Peruvian Leaders Examine Accountable Governance in Austin Texas
Austin, Texas, July 12, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Seven leaders from Peru participating in the Open World program will spend July 14 through July 20, 2017, in Austin, Texas, examining accountable governance. The Friendship Force Club of Austin will host the delegation, with GlobalAustin assisting in the professional programming.
Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center, the Open World program introduces rising leaders of emerging democracies to legislative functions essential to democracy. Open World maintains a network of leaders who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and the free-market system. Funded almost entirely by the U.S. Congress, Open World links Members to their counterparts and is an instrument for Americans engaged in citizen diplomacy. The six visiting delegates are Members of Congress of the Republic of Peru. The group is escorted by a bilingual, bicultural facilitator who is employed in the U.S. Embassy
in Peru.
Kay Binder, Regional Director of Friendship Force International (FFI), and Anita Knight, current Leadership Council Coordinator for the local Friendship Force Club, are honored to have been invited to host and plan the week. They are being assisted by GlobalAustin, which works with the U.S. Department of State to deliver similar educational and cultural programs to visiting international leaders. The Austin chapter of FFI was established in 1984 to join others around the world who believe that "a world of friends is a world of peace". GlobalAustin, formerly the International Hospitality Council of Austin, has promoted “citizen diplomacy” since 1960.
While in Austin, the delegates will tour the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park and library, swim in the iconic Barton Springs Pool, and visit with government officials and community leaders. Homestays will allow the Open World delegates to experience American family life. Besides Friendship Force and GlobalAustin, other groups involved in this program include the Texas Partners of the Americas, Lima Sister City members, and the PanAmerican Roundtable. The Peruvian Consulate General in Houston will be invited to share in the visit.
For more information on Friendship Force of Austin, please contact Anita Knight at dbasknight@aol.com or visit http://www.ffiaustin.com/. For more information on GlobalAustin, please contact Margie Kidd at globalaustined@aol.com, or visit https://www.globalaustin.org/. For more information on Open World, please contact Yasmine Evans at yeva@openworld.gov or visit https://www.openworld.gov/.
ABOUT FRIENDSHIP FORCE OF AUSTIN
The Austin Friendship Force Club was founded in 1984. As a local chapter of Friendship Force International, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, our mission is to sow the seeds of friendship across the nations of the world. Since 1985 our active members have participated in Friendship Force sponsored trips to Australia, Africa, Cuba, Europe, the Far East, the Middle East and South America. In addition, Friendship Force clubs from Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Taiwan, and some within the United States, have visited us to have the Austin Experience. Our members are adventurers who enjoy forging new friendships as we explore places around the world. We live, work and play in Austin and the surrounding communities when we aren’t traveling. For more information, see http://www.ffiaustin.com/.
ABOUT GLOBALAUSTIN
Founded in 1960, GlobalAustin has more than a half-century of leadership experience in international diplomacy. Established in 1960, we proudly implement on a local basis the programs of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), as well as other exchanges. We offer professional programs and a speaker series, provide cultural activities, and arrange home hospitality for foreign leaders. Hosting approximately 300 visitors each year, we fully subscribe to the concept that, in a vibrant democracy, the individual citizen has the right -- even the responsibility -- to help shape foreign relations, and that this can happen "one handshake at a time".
ABOUT OPEN WORLD
Open World Leadership Center, a legislative branch agency, supports Congressional outreach for Members of Congress and conducts exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between emerging leaders and their U.S. counterparts in democratic institutions. Delegates are provided with extensive exposure to American politics, civic life, and are hosted by American families. In 1999, Congress established Open World. Since then, more than 26,000 Eurasian leaders are alumni of Open World. To learn more about Open World, please click here: http://www.openworld.gov/
Source: GlobalAustin