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International House Helps Elevate Charlotte to the Global Stage
This summer has been a busy one for International House’s Citizen Diplomacy Program, and it promises to get even busier with the coming of the Democratic National Convention in September. International House has recently facilitated visits from professional, political and student leaders from numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Eurasia. Currently, there are 17 Mexican teenage ambassadors "in the house" with the Jovenes En Accion Youth Program and a group of 6 German political leaders. An upcoming delegation of Chinese political leaders is scheduled to arrive later this month. The Mexican teens have been staying with host families for the past 2 weeks, and International House deeply appreciates how they have welcomed these talented students with true southern hospitality.
For the upcoming Democratic National Convention, International House has partnered with the Convention Committee’s office of Public Engagement to facilitate the participation of three international groups arriving in September. These groups consist of political leaders from countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, plus delegations from the United Kingdom and Egypt. It is truely an exciting time, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for International House to facilitate a "behind the scenes" glimpse of the U.S. political process to international political leaders. We are proud to play a part in elevating Charlotte to the global stage.
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Discover the world and experience new cultures without getting a passport or leaving home. International House is currently seeking families to host high school student leaders from Eurasia for the 2012 – 2013 academic school year (FLEX program)
Click here for more info >>
This program is brought to you in partnership between the U.S. State Department and International House.
For more information on the above opportunity, contact Lara Printz, work: (704) 342-2248, cell: (205) 332-9695, or email: lprintz@ihclt.org
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Our English Tutoring Program (ETP) is designed to help immigrants learn English at a convenient time and place by pairing them with caring, trained volunteer tutors. It began in 1993 and currently serves over 100 students annually. ETP assists internationals who are unable to attend traditional English-as-a-second-language classes due to various circumstances, including cost, transportation issues, location, and time constraints. The program is free for participants.
We have an ongoing need for volunteer tutors so sign up now for Tutor Training Orientation:
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.
Try one of our two options for volunteers:
1) Short-term Tutor Opportunity
6 weeks: Sundays from 1:00-2:00pm
September 23- October 28, 2012
More info >>
2) Long-term Tutor Opportunity
12 Weeks: Once a week at a mutually convenient time for 60-90 minutes at a public library
September 23- December 3, 2012
More info >>
All interested prospective volunteers should email Gail Johnson at gjohnson@ihclt.org.
Click here to view pictures of the program |
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 International House would like to thank everyone who participated in our 2012 Summer Youth English Tutoring Program that took place during June and July, 2012.The program was once again a great success. A special thanks goes out to Albemarle Road Elementary, Merry Oaks Elementary, and all the wonderful staff and volunteers who made this program possible. International House would also like to thank the Belk Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation for sponsoring the initiative.
Above: Students hard at work during one of the sessions at Merry Oaks Elementary.
Above: Proud parents support their children during the graduation ceremony at Albemarle Elementary on July 26th.
CLICK HERE to view pictures of the event on Facebook
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From the Executive Director |
Adlai Stevenson once remarked “After four years at the United Nations, I sometimes yearn for the peace and tranquility of a political convention.” There probably won’t be much tranquility at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, but there will definitely be some similarities to the United Nations!
More than 300 diplomats and international political leaders will see "the face of America" at this year's DNC, and many of them will be international visitors hosted by International House’s Citizen Diplomacy Program.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, recently in town for a special exhibit at the Mint of her famous pins, chairs the National Democratic Institute, a group that, like its Republican counterpart, works to build and strengthen democratic practices around the world.
"Charlotte is a globalizing city that has more and more interests abroad and wants to have more interactions with (international) leaders," she said at a February interview with the Charlotte Observer. "This is the New South. This is a great city. And I think we want to use it as a way of really showing a face of America that they need to know."
Four years ago, the National Democratic Institute brought more than 500 leaders from more than 100 countries to the Democratic convention in Denver. Before nightly convention sessions, the Leaders Forum sponsored high-profile panels on a range of issues about global and American political issues.
International House is proudly hosting three different groups of foreign visitors during this year’s convention. The first and largest group is composed of 32 members from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia who are young political leaders in their respective countries. Another group is made up of 5 Egyptian political figures while the third consists of 8 British teens involved in political process in the UK.
These groups will be participating with National Democratic Institute panel presentations and some of the young political leaders will actually speak as panel members. The groups will also enjoy participating in youth engagement activities being hosted by the DNC and attending President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on September 6th.
Whatever one’s political stripe, we can agree that it is a good thing to share our democratic process with the wider world while also giving political leaders in other countries exposure to Charlotte, a global city that is indeed becoming the new face of America. Charlotte is one of 22 U.S. cities where the population is less than 50% white and is made up of a diverse mix of ethnicities and races. We are also the fastest growing urban center among urbanized areas with populations of 1 million or more.
Let’s show our international visitors that we are a city where diverse people can do well while also doing good!
By Denise Cumbee Long
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International Book Club |
The International House book club will take a break over the summer and will not meet during the month of August. The next meeting of the Book Club will be on Monday, September 17, 2012 at 7 p.m. Everyone welcome!
The book to be discussed will be City of Falling Angels by John Berendt (414 pages) VENICE, ITALY
Click here to learn more about our featured books.
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Doorways - International Women’s Group
Doorways is a group of international women meeting on the first Wednesday of each month for social and cultural exchanges. These meetings typically take place at International House and feature different presentations from guest speakers.
If you are interested in Doorways, please contact Lakana at laklouk12@carolina.rr.com or Lara Printz at lprintz@ihclt.org.
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Recent Grants & Sponsorships ($2,500 & more) |
Alvaro and Donna de Molina - $5,000 for the Annual International House Benefit Gala
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