Fortune Alum Pays it Forward with Mentoring Challenge in Nigeria:  Consulate General Lagos partnered with Idea Builders Initiative, a non-governmental organization run by an alumna of the Fortune/State Department Mentoring program, to conduct a three-day orientation and training program for 35 young women.  The women accepted a "Mentoring Challenge" to reach out to 100 female students in area high schools over the next 12 months. Training included sessions on public speaking, confidence building, goal setting, conflict resolution, money and time management, career planning, and handling peer pressure.  Mission Nigeria seeks to empower women and girls given the positive economic impact of supporting the women and girls education and women-owned businesses.  Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, generating comments such as this e-mailed note:  "The process has created an awakening for me and I am certain my life is taking a turn for the best. I have been super-enriched and empowered already and I see myself conquering the world and helping other women do same. I am earnestly anticipating paying it forward. I have started creating ideas already that will enable me to start changing the world one woman at a time..."

U.S. Mission South Africa Commemorates Nelson Mandela's Birthday: "Take Action; Inspire Change; Make Every Day a Mandela Day."  The objective of Mandela Day in South Africa is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good.  The United Nations declared July 18th Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of his 67 years of political work contributing to freedom. People around the globe are called upon to honor his

Ambassador Gips with volunteers and students in Mamelodi

legacy by volunteering 67 minutes to helping others.  U.S. Mission staff in South Africa joined the world to commemorate Mandela's 94th birthday on 18 July by singing "Happy Birthday" en masse at 8:00 a.m., joining many South Africans who simultaneously sang the song around the country.  Embassy staff and family members from the U.S. Mission volunteered 67 minutes of service at three primary schools in Mamelodi, Atteridgeville and Soweto Townships, as well as in Durban and Cape Town.  Ambassador Donald Gips and his family joined a group of staff volunteers at a primary school in Mamelodi Township where they painted, stocked the library with new books, and read and played games with the students.  The Embassy's relationship with the school began in 2007 when school students and teachers were selected to take part in Camp Kusasa, an English learning program run by the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the Embassy.

Mali Media Coverage: Media interest in Mali has spiked in recent days, following Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson's visit to that country the week of July 16.  The Assistant Secretary gave interviews to The New York Times and CNN (click links for the interviews,) which did a series for its "Out Front" program.  The Assistant Secretary stressed the urgent need for a return to democratic governance as a key element to solving the problems in Mali's northern region. 

RFE/RL Turkmen Service Fills Education Gap:  What was originally intended as a report on the system of higher education in one of the world's most closed societies, Education 2012/2013 by RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, has become a multi-media community service project linking students with scarce resources in Turkmenistan.

"Our research found that more than 100,000 students graduated from secondary schools in the last week of May, and yet Turkmen universities have space for only around 6,000 new students," said Muhammad Tahir, Service Director, about the initiative. "The government sends around 2,000 students to universities abroad annually, but that still leaves over 90 percent of graduates with no clear option for getting a university degree."

After initial reporting revealed the imbalance between admission seekers and available university slots, the Turkmen Service, Radio Azatlyk, contacted non-governmental organzations, foreign embassies, and university officials in several countries to determine what resources are available to help Turkmen students study abroad, what documentation is required, and which foreign degrees are recognized once graduates return home.  The result is a dedicated page on the service's website and a 10-minute update that airs daily on Radio Azatlyk.

Students have taken advantage of two blogs set up as part of the project to exchange information and share their experiences.  Several questions concerned the selective U.S.-sponsored Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program; other posts have described financial and visa requirements for university programs in Malaysia, and cultural issues for Turkmen students studying in India.  The service recruited an academician in Turkmenistan to help respond to questions and provide online guidance on university programs and admissions procedures.

"We are amazed at the audience response, since people must defy huge restrictions to reach us - they have to use proxies to access our website - but it shows that we have the tools and information to provide them with something they really need," said Tahir.  

RFE/RL's Turkmen service is available in Turkmenistan on shortwave and satellite radio, and online.  Of 197 countries ranked in its 2012 Freedom of the Press index, Freedom House ranked Turkmenistan as 196th, ahead only of North Korea.

During visit to RFA, exile prime minister calls for 'meaningful' talks with China:  During a July 20 interview with Radio Free

Asia's (RFA) Tibetan Service, Lobsang Sangay, who was elected last year as prime minister, or kalon tripa, of Tibet's India-based exile government, expressed his hope for continued dialogue with China, despite the recent breakdown of official talks.

RFA has been cited by numerous international news sources, including the New York Times, for its in-depth coverage of the upswell of protest against Chinese political oppression. 44 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests so far in a bid to push for greater freedom and the Dalai Lama's return.

During the interview, Sangay restated the exile government's oft-repeated request that Tibetans refrain from self-immolation and other drastic forms of protest. At the same time, he noted that the protests underscore the desperate plight of Tibetans living under Chinese governance.

Disabled War Veterans Join the Bosnian National Wheelchair Basketball Team: Thanks to Public Affairs Section's efforts, Serb players from Bijeljina and Banja Luka joined the National Wheelchair Basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as soldiers who once faced across enemy lines joined to represent Bosnia in the European competition held in Ljubljana.  They won the silver medal, losing in finals to France. Serb players who had been reluctant to wear the colors of Bosnia and Herzegovina are now proudly displaying them on the internet.

Ambassador Bass Stresses Importance of Free and Fair Elections in Georgia in Farewell Interview:  Liberal weekly magazine Tabula dedicated five pages to Ambassador Bass' discussion of key U.S. policy goals.  Looking ahead to elections and back on 20 years of U.S.-Georgia relations, he stressed the importance of free media and fair campaign rules, noted our expanding defense cooperation and assistance programming, and encouraged fostering even deeper people-to-people ties.  The interview summarized the Ambassador's three-year tenure in Georgia and featured prominently in both on-line and print editions.

Turkish Youth Basketball Clinic Creates Common Bonds:  Ambassador Ricciardone played basketball with the 230 student athletes participating in the five-day The 12 Giant Men Basketball Schools International Basketball Training Camp organized by the Turkish Basketball Federation and Embassy Ankara.  American coaches led the training sessions.  The Ambassador's engagement garnered positive media coverage which highlighted his statement, "There is something that attracts us to one another.  We have brotherhood with the Turkish people as humans despite policies." 

Theater Builds Ties Among Cypriot Youth: To advance efforts to reunify the island, the Cypriot non-governemental organization Theatre Etc. gathered 17 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot teenagers for Crossroads III, a week-long art and theater summer camp.  Thanks to the Embassy's Bicommunal Support Program, they lived, worked, and created a stage production together, bonding in an environment of cross-cultural teamwork.  Since younger generations of Cypriots have fewer and fewer opportunities to interact bicommunally, PAS Nicosia fosters people-to-people ties, particularly among youth.

VIPs Bring U.S.-India Ties Even Closer: On July 19^th Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and the Ambassador of India to the United States, Nirupama Rao participated in a live CO.NX program on the role of people-to-people ties in U.S.-India relations. They were joined virtually by an audience of more than 100 at the American Center in New Delhi and more than 400 others who tuned in via other Mission India posts. Under Secretary Sonenshine and Ambassador Rao fielded questions on educational, cultural and sports exchanges, science and technology programs, access to higher education for rural Indians, and the role of Bollywood and Hollywood in spreading cross-cultural awareness. The program was streamed live on CNN-IBN's news site in India and Embassy New Delhi, American Center New Delhi and Consulates Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad all streamed the program live on their Facebook pages, drawing more than 600 "likes" and comments.

HIV/AIDs CO.NX Program Gets Robust Participation in Africa:  On July 13^th, CO.NX hosted a program withDeborah von Zinkernagel, Principal Deputy Coordinator for the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), focused on raising HIV/AIDS awareness in advance of the international AIDS conference. The program drew an audience of 250 people in addition to viewing parties at Embassies Accra and Abidjan. The program received an unexpected plug when Ellen DeGeneres tweeted the program URL to her 12.3 million followers. 

USUN Panel on Media in a Changing World:  Nearly 100 students interning at news outlets in New York City came to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (USUN) on July 23 to discuss "Media in a Changing World" with peers and media veterans.  The program began with a panel, moderated by Deputy Spokesperson Kurtis Cooper, featuring Richard Roth of CNN, Marcelle Hopkins of Al-Jazeera, Sylvan Solloway from the New York University Curtis Institute of Journalism, and Koda Mike Wang of the Huffington Post. The convergence of media and tech, social media, changing business models for news outlets, and many other aspects of covering international affairs were part of a lively discussion.  All agreed, as Roth said, "there's no dabbling in [this profession.]"  Through the program, USUN reached a high-power group of young adults, showing them what a press office does and encouraging them to be more aware of the State Department, the United Nations, and our work.

Press Conference with Visiting National Security Adviser: On July 18, PAS Baghdad hosted an on-the-record press conference for Western media outlets with National Security Adviser to Vice President Biden, Antony Blinken. The press conference focused on many of the major themes currently taking place in Iraqi politics and society.  Mr. Blinken was able to address issues regarding security, economy, political reconciliation, and regional concerns.  PAS Baghdad concentrated the audience on major Western media outlets to guarantee accurate, wide-scale international and local coverage of Mr. Blinken's statements, which in turn will help ensure an accurate message in Iraqi outlets that tend to pick up stories from the major Western outlets.  

Iraqi Young Leaders Offer a Window into Life in Iraq:   

From June 26 - August 23, 250 Iraqi undergraduate and high school students will participate in summer leadership exchanges at various U.S. educational institutions.  The students are in the United States to gain leadership skills that will help them develop their country and promote mutual understanding between Americans and Iraqis.  They are already serving as cultural ambassadors for Iraq in Richmond, Virginia, where the Iraqi Young Leader Exchange Program implemented by FHI 360 is now taking place.  The press stories here, here and here from Richmond.com describe the students' experiences sharing their culture with Americans.

Coca-Cola Scholars:  NEA/PPD hosted 100 Middle East and North African young leaders on July 13 to mark the completion of their month-long entrepreneurship education program sponsored by the State Department and the Coca-Cola Company in partnership with the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (IU.)  The young leaders showcased their community-based initiative proposals they developed during their program at IU.  Under Secretary Sonenshine and White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes addressed the scholars and NEA Spokesperson Aaron Snipe took extensive questions from the group.  The delegates expressed their sincere appreciation for the U.S. Government's sponsorship of the program and shared their excitement to implement their initiatives on returning home.

Palestinians Participate in Camp Discovery:  Over 630 Palestinian youths aged 8-14 from refugee camps and other communities in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem spent two weeks focusing on English language learning, artistic self-expression and scientific discovery during Public Affairs Section Jerusalem's summer camp for at-risk youth.  These activities encouraged the students to think independently, solve problems, and develop a love for learning.

USG Helps Thousands of Afghans to Learn to Read:  A $3.4 million, two-year grant to a local non-governmental organization helped thousands of Afghan women and men in all 34 provinces learn to read and do simple arithmetic.  At the July 15 graduation ceremony for Kabul area graduates, the Deputy Minister of Education urged the graduates to teach their family members to read. One of the graduates told the audience, "Education lets us know ourselves, and now I can serve my country better and get a job."

Karachi, Lahore Host Ground-Breaking Pakistan-India Bloggers' Conference: Consulates Karachi and Lahore hosted the first-ever bloggers conference in Karachi.  The "2012 Pakistan-India Social Media Mela" brought together bloggers and social media experts from across Pakistan and India.  The two-day conference included over 300 participants and speakers, and featured interactive sessions on the opportunities and challenges facing blogging and social media in addressing political issues, social concerns, the Kashmir dispute, human rights abuses, tech advancement, internet censorship, and cross-border visa issues.  Media coverage was extensive and reached tens of millions of Pakistani and Indian consumers.  Sample TV stories can be found here and here.  The event was Pakistan's leading trending Twitter hashtag over the weekend, and the country's largest media group referred to the event as "ground breaking."

"TED Talks" Arrive in Tajikistan:  Over 200 of Dushanbe's most progressive individuals gathered for Tajikistan's first TEDx conference.  Modeled after the TED Talks, the event was organized by socially active youth.  In addition to TEDx organizer and Global UGRAD alumnus Parviz Jamalov, several other prominent U.S. Goverment alumni spoke at the event.  

Pakistani Alumni Provide Health Services to Underserved Populations: The Bahawalpur chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. alumni network organized a free health fair at a local public school to educate the public on preventing the contraction of hepatitis and dengue.  Alumni promoted the health fair by distributing flyers door-to-door and personally encouraging people to attend.  Alumni provided free hepatitis C tests, medical examinations, and mosquito repellent to approximately 400 people, most of whom were women and children.  

Dominican Republic Sponsors "Concert for the Americas":  Prompted by Ambassador Raul Yzaguirre's wish to highlight themes of independence, democracy and freedom, U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo chose for its July Fourth evening celebration a "Concert for the Americas," held in the capital's premier venue, the National Theater.  Performers were Dominican-American bachata singer Prince Royce, winner of the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Award, and Mexican-American songwriter AB Quintanilla & Kumbia AllStarz.  The event celebrated the shared values and culture in the hemisphere. The concert ended in fireworks over the theater's courtyard.  The following Saturday, the entire event was broadcast on national television.  Media headlines continued for days: "A Fourth of July Dominican-style"; "Music unites peoples during U.S. independence"; and "Prince Royce: Musical Ambassador," with a quote from the artist about his pride as a Dominican-American to represent both countries.  The inclusion of Facebook and Twitter in the Embassy's concert planning strategy enabled post to make the transition, with concert attendance, from online followers to in person relationships.

Mexico Launches  "Se Pone Mejor" (It Gets Better) Campaign: In support of Secretary Clinton's emphasis on human rights in the Americas, Embassy Mexico City developed and premiered a "Se Pone Mejor" (It Gets Better) video featuring members of the Mexican Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community working in business, arts, and government, including an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna and a representative of the Embassy's Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) chapter.  The video reaches out to Mexican LGBT youth following the "It Gets Better" model, which offers personal experiences and messages of hope to LGBT youth.  More than 150 guests attended the screening event, which featured the video and provided participants in the upcoming Embassy Mexico LGBT IVLP an opportunity to interact with additional members of the community.  In the first 48 hours after the video, It Gets Better M�xico: Campa�a Anti-Bullying de la Embajada de E.U. en M�xico, was posted on YouTube, it received more than 1,000 views.