Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a group of college students in Jacksonville, Florida. Like many students across the country, they were passionate about international education, exchange, and development, and had many interesting questions about the diversity of organizations involved in this field and where they could get involved.
This week, I am at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin attending a summit on citizen diplomacy, also attended by thirty-nine other leaders from various sectors. This conference exemplifies the diversity of organizations that have a hand in international fields. Leaders are present from Sister Cities International, the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Americans for Informed Democracy, the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, Rotary International, AARP, several law firms, consulting firms, and universities, and many others. One participant, Charles MacCormack, President, Save the Children, is actually profiled in Working World. Our focus at this summit is building coalitions between these organizations. The diversity of organizations that play a role in international fields is truly stunning. By focusing on each organization’s strengths, we can build enormous synergy with the potential to really get things done in the world.
If I could speak again with the students in Florida, I would share with them the excitement at this conference. Right now, the most exciting jobs in the field of international education, exchange, and development are the ones that are forging these coalitions between organizations, using one another’s resources, histories, and visions to create a more robust future in this field.
