Cameroon's First English ACCESS Program Graduates:  Ambassador Robert Jackson and the Inspector General for Bilingualism in the Cameroon Ministry of Secondary Education awarded certificates of achievement to the first set of the English Access Microscholarship Program graduates in Cameroon in a ceremony at the Chamber of Agriculture in Yaound�. This first-ever Access graduation ceremony in Cameroon provided an opportunity to showcase the effectiveness of the English Access Microscholarship Program and highlight the many contributions of the USG in support of quality education in Cameroon.

Youth Employment in Nigeria: Consul Geneneral Lagos organized a discussion on "Succeeding in the Workplace" as part the of the American Corner's "Conversation Caf�" speaker series. Local medical practitioner Dr. Kayode Ogunleye spoke about workplace ethics and tips to excelling in a workplace with the participants, most of whom were University graduates. There is high level of youth unemployment in Nigeria.  Hearing from an experienced professional on how to succeed in a workplace should boost participants' workplace performance. 

Fulbright Specialist Teaches Applied Drama in Rwanda:  Fulbright Specialist Linda Key directed Rwandan students from the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) and visiting U.S. students from City University of New York in a series of dramatic performances.  Key is visiting Rwanda on a program to develop applied theater at KIE.  The performances engaged Rwandan youth and contributed to education by training them in the theater arts as well as applied theater (the therapeutic use of theater for reconciliation, etc.). The activity supported post goals of promoting economic growth and prosperity and mutual understanding.

Vietnamese Student Receives World Deaf Leadership Program Scholarship:  The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, a local university, and Gallaudet University, the leading university for hearing-impaired students in the U.S., presented a full M.A. scholarship worth $117,000 to Ms. Nguyen Tran Thuy Tien. Tien is the first Vietnamese student to be granted the World Deaf Leadership Program award. 

EducationUSA Brings American Admissions Officer to Tibetan Schools:  An EducationUSA adviser and an admissions officer from Skagit Valley College located in Washington State jointly visited two Tibetan schools in Golog and Qinghai. The team gathered students from a girls school into an American-style classroom discussion format for a presentation about American education. Afterwards, they interviewed 42 students and explained to them the application process. On the second day, the team met 13 high school graduates in the boys school and instructed them how to apply to a U.S. community college. This program provided an opportunity to connect with new, youth audiences in an underserved area of China and to inform them about study abroad in the U.S. 

Embassy Singapore Donates 400 E-Readers:  Embassy Singapore donated 400 e-readers to the Singapore National Library, doubling the number of e-readers that are available for patrons and giving them access to the library's more than 15,000 titles. This adds to the five Kindles donated last year and the over 550 American titles donated to the library's virtual shelves. Next month, the library will host a multinational conference for librarians that will includes talks on how to integrate e-reading into libraries, using this donation as a global model. Post continues to work with the library on a grant that will allow the librarians to travel throughout the region to train local libraries on how to use electronic resources. 

Fulbright in Vietnam - Passing the Torch:  The Fulbright "Passing the Torch" program held its closing ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Launched in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Vietnam, 20 students from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi received needs-based scholarships and an 8-week internship at local NGOs, businesses, and government enterprises, meeting Mission goals of supporting young entrepreneurs.  At the closing ceremony, participants gave final presentations about their experiences during the program. 

London.  Several  

Israeli and Palestinian Participants Volunteer Together in Boston:  Demonstrating the spirit of cooperation they developed during their exchange experience, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants from Israel and the Palestinian Territories came together to cut down invasive plants on Boston's Harbor Islands. Throughout their programs, the participants learned about the importance of volunteerism, caring for natural resources, and accommodating a variety of perspectives. The participants were in the United States as part of the Peace Partners initiative to bring together people from Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Path to Paralympics - Brazil Sports Diplomacy Program:  In support of the U.S. Department of State's efforts to advance disability rights worldwide, 20 Brazilian athletes, with and without disabilities, came to Chicago for an 11-day program to focused on the promotion of youth sports opportunities for individuals with physical disabilities. The Brazilian athletes met with the Commissioner of the Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, learned about the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislation that impacts persons with disabilities, participated in a variety of adaptive sports, and visited Northwestern University to learn about accessibility issues in U.S. schools. (Photo: The Brazilian delegation met with participants from the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program and the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Organization.)

Tony Hawk Offers Startup Advice to Young Innovators:  Followers of Innovation Generation 'got lots of air' in the form of innovation advice from skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.  The series of video interviews included multiple themes relevant to budding entrepreneurs.  IIP interviewed Hawk during the Innoskate Skateboarding Festival sponsored by the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center of Invention and Innovation.  The campaign reached 1,043,806 people and resulted in more than 4,300 likes on Facebook.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Expert Partnership Commemorates One Year Anniversary:  Representatives from the science and engineering professional society partners of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Expert Partnership (STIEP) with the State Department celebrated the anniversary of the partnership.  Bill Colglazier, Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary; Jonathan Margolis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and Estelle Baird, IIP Deputy Director of Talent Management and Partnerships gave remarks that underscored the value of American scientists and engineers who can also serve as public diplomats.

Innovation Generation 

and G�n�ration Innovation

(French) promoted the Power Africa Off-Grid Challenge, which was announced by President Obama. The project will award 20 or more grants of up to $100,000 to African organizations to provide renewable energy sources underserved by current utility providers.  Community managers used a photo of President Obama demonstrating the "Soccket Ball," a soccer ball that stores kinetic energy when kicked, which can then power small electronic devices like cell phones. The two posts reached more than 64,000 people online. 

Emerging Art Connections Blossom: The Phillips Collection and Mission Pakistan teamed with art educator Rachel Goldberg for a month-long series of programs with Pakistani audiences to discuss citizenship, identity and public expression through art. Participants came from all over Pakistan and as a result, finished products represented Pakistan's pantheon of culture. Ms. Goldberg taught underprivileged children and orphans at the Mashal School and SOS Village how to use art to convey important stories from their past; hosted workshops for 100 emerging artists in Lahore and Islamabad; conducted training sessions for arts educators; and held discussions with art curators and gallery managers on how to engage with the community. Many of the pieces created during these workshops have been selected for an exhibit at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC this fall.

Pakistan Embassy Reaches over 20,000 Twitter Followers: During the week of July 22, Embassy Islamabad's Twitter account reached a milestone of over 20,000 followers, a nearly three-fold expansion since January 2013.  Major growth came during the recent Young Alumni Conference, when its hashtag was a top Pakistani Twitter trend for four consecutive days and twice appeared in Twitter's top international trends.  The U.S. Consulates' General Twitter accounts for Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar bring nearly ten thousand additional Twitter followers to the Mission. 

American Film Showcase Advances Disability Rights: Over 70 people attended a screening of the film Kids with Cameras, by ECA-funded American Film Showcase directors Alex Rotaru and Alex Ago, at the Corners in Khujand and Isfara. The film focuses on the challenges and successes of autistic children, and a panel discussion with the directors highlighted the challenges for the disabled as well as tips for aspiring filmmakers.

Ambassador Underscores Women's Political Participation: Ambassador Peter Bodde joined the Election Commissioner and other guests for a panel discussion about supporting women's representation during the electoral process, which was organized by Democracy and Elections Watch-Nepal and the National Democratic Institute. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Bodde noted that as a supporter of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in Nepal, the United States will work with Nepal's government and civil society to encourage women and underrepresented groups to participate in the political process. 

Ambassador Greets Access Program Alumni: On July 23, at the annual Access Alumni Club meeting, Ambassador Mozena addressed 80 Access program alumni from madrassas across Dhaka, who have completed the USG funded two-year English Language Course. The Ambassador stressed the importance of English language skills in driving Bangladesh's success, and praised alumni for their commitment to community service and to building a better Bangladesh. The event also recognized several Access alumni who have been selected for highly competitive State Department exchange programs, as well as alumni who have been admitted to Bangladesh's most selective universities. 

Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere (WHA) Roberta Jacobson Visits Brazil:  WHA A/S Jacobson addressed two plenary sessions of more than 400 Brazilian English teachers, who were meeting in Brasilia as part of the second Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Seminar.  Three of Mission Brazil's leading program partners/bi-national centers (Brasilia's Casa Thomas Jefferson, Sao Paulo's Alumni Association, and Rio's Instituto Brasil-Estados Unidos, IBEU), sponsored the event.  A/S Jacobson also participated in a roundtable discussion with youth leaders in the fields of IT and business, inaugurated the new consular area in Brasilia, and visited the oldest synagogue in the Americas in Recife.  (Photo:  A/S Jacobson with Ambassador Tom Shannon cutting the ribbon on Brasilia's new consular area.)