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Dear Friends,
March means Women's History Month in the U.S., International Women’s Day on March 8 around the world, and … our annual trip to the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting in D.C., starting next week.
What's the connection? There's actually a deep one between women and diplomacy. From history, we know that the Lucille Acherson was the first woman admitted to the U.S. Foreign Service in 1922 (just two years after women’s suffrage — you go, Lucille). In 1949, Helen Eugenie Moore Anderson became the first U.S. woman ambassador, to Denmark. More recently, the late, great Madeleine Albright became the first woman U.S. Secretary of State in 1997. Two of the eleven Secretaries since then have been women.
And women and gender issues remain a top policy priority for the State Department. Here at WorldBoston we have hosted many State-sponsored delegations focusing on women, including the high-level annual women in STEM project, Hidden No More, that we've been honored to facilitate locally since its founding in 2017. This month we'll welcome a group from Bhutan focusing on women in STEM. Other perennial WorldBoston visitor themes include women's entrepreneurship and women in politics.
Not too surprising, given our region's heritage of distinguished women from Phillis Wheatley, to the Lowell labor organizers, to our nation's first lesbian governor, and beyond.
We hope to see you soon.
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Mary P. Yntema
President & CEO
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Help WorldBoston bring the world to you!
As a non-profit organization, WorldBoston relies on community support to deliver our mission of fostering engagement in international affairs and cooperation between people of all nations.
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Pandemic Preparedness featuring Ashish Jha & Matthew McKnight
Tuesday, March 19, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Hybrid Event at the Boston Public Library
Research has shown that the question is not “if,” but “when” the next pandemic will occur. Although COVID has waned, there are many lessons to learn about what’s needed for a new, global biosecurity infrastructure to mitigate damage from the next pandemic. We need technology that can support rapid identification and understanding of emerging threats, such as collecting samples, analyzing data, and generating meaningful insights for public health officials and policymakers.
Join us for a timely discussion of this topic with Ashish Jha, former White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, and Matthew McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks. The program will feature expert remarks from Mr. McKnight and Dr. Jha, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.
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Tyranny of the Minority
Tuesday, March 26, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Hybrid Event at Foley and Lardner LLP
Join us for this installment of our popular Chat & Chowder series, featuring Steven Levitsky, Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, and Daniel Ziblatt, Director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University, to discuss his their book, Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.
Chat & Chowder programs are an excellent opportunity to engage with expert speakers and globally-oriented participants in an informal environment. Each event features a presentation, audience Q&A, dedicated time for networking, and (of course!) a selection of chowders and beverages.
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Academic WorldQuest and Global Up
On March 23rd, we look forward to hosting our annual Academic WorldQuest competition for high school students. We've reached capacity at 20 teams, and we anticipate stiff competition among our eager players! The winners of our local competition will go on to compete at the National Competition hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America in Washington DC in April. Stay tuned to find out the winners.
As you may already know, this year we are delighted to pilot a professional development opportunity for educators, coinciding with our annual Academic WorldQuest competition. This global skills training program uses the AFS Global Up curriculum, and offers educators the opportunity to build their cultural competence, while also helping us shape our future programming. We hosted the final virtual session in late February, and we look forward to seeing our cohort in-person at Academic WorldQuest, when we'll host a debrief and brainstorming session.
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Highlight
Though each of the nearly 90 delegations we host in Boston annually is notable in its own way, February featured a particularly special group participating in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). We were honored to host a group of high level Ukrainian government officials focusing on rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans.
The delegates, some of whom are veterans themselves, met with several of our excellent community partners, including those in the photo below: Dave Fortier of the One World Strong Foundation, Larry Ellison of the Boston Police Department (retired), and Richard Serino and Leonard Marcus of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University to discuss, among other things, supporting survivors of traumatic events, school safety measures, and leadership training for crisis mitigation.
This group reminds us of the importance of peer-to-peer diplomacy and the timeliness of State Department-sponsored visitor programs. We’re proud to have facilitated meaningful connections and learning opportunities during such a critical time for this delegation.
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We welcome your thoughts and ideas for in-person programming. If you have suggestions, please contact Vice President for Citizen Diplomacy, Sarah Sibley.
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Custom Visitor Programs: Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative
We’re excited to kick off the annual YLAI program in early March! On March 7th, our cohort of 13 Fellows from across the Americas will arrive in Boston to begin their month-long fellowship. While here, each Fellow will join a local organization/company to gain hands-on experience with business-practices in the U.S. Throughout the month, WorldBoston will program special activities for the Fellows to bolster their entrepreneurship skills and to get better acquainted with our great entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The YLAI program gives young entrepreneurs valuable training needed to start or expand their own businesses and boost their local economies. See below for our cohort, their countries, businesses, and industry sectors.
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Ana Paula Uriarte
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Brazil
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Escola Happen
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Education
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Catalina Bermudez Jurado
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Colombia
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Remote Hub
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Business Services
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Eddy Campos Silvera
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Cuba
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Five Senses Cuba
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Data Analytics
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Fabian Leonardo Huertas Ayala
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Colombia
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Panavayu SAS BIC
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Health
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Franseska Quezada Huamaní
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Peru
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Mipez
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Fishing / Community Development
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Gabriella Estefania Mendez Ruiz
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El Salvador
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Ethnos Eco Mercado
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Food and Beverage
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Juan Fernando Salazar Almeida
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Ecuador
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Marca Patito
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Environment / Circular Economy
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Lorena Stephanie Silveira dos Santos
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Brazil
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Aurora
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Youth Empowerment
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Luisa Sofia Figueroa Clare
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Honduras
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The Beauty Company / Sofia Clare Studio
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Beauty / Makeup School
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Natalia Andrea Cortés Morales
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Chile
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Fitchain
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Business Services
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Omar Alejandro Piñango Herrera
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Venezuela
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Grupo Lex Solutions
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Education / Law
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Rodrigo Manuel Parra Zacarías
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Paraguay
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Willdom
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Data Analysis and IT
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Rusbell Jesus Maria Morel
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Dominican Republic
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Constructora MorFab, SRL
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Construction
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A special thank you to the amazing, Boston-based, host institutions that will welcome the YLAI fellows this year:
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Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and implemented by IREX and WorldBoston, the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program is the flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Western Hemisphere. To learn more about YLAI, visit YLAI.state.org.
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Fulbright Visiting Scholars Enrichment Program
2024 is off to a busy start for WorldBoston’s Fulbright Visiting Scholars program! In February, we brought scholars and their families on a tour of the Perkins School for the Blind, a pioneer in disability-inclusive education, led by head librarian Jennifer Arnott. The scholars were very interested in the educational opportunities for people with visual impairments, and enjoyed seeing the modifications the Perkins School has made to its campus to be more accessible for its students.
In March, we look forward to hosting two programs for the Fulbright scholars. First, the scholars will visit Bunker Hill Community College to learn about the unique community college system in the United States. Then, coinciding with Women’s History Month, the scholars will have the special opportunity to meet with representatives from the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators to learn more about their current political priorities and their paths into politics.
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This Fulbright Enrichment activity is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE), and WorldBoston.
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Now more than ever, WorldBoston relies on the support of sponsors and community members to fulfill our mission. Donors who contribute $25 – $999 are proudly recognized on our website as Community Supporters. And, donors of $1,000 and above enjoy year-round sponsorship benefits; see a current listing of our generous sponsors here.
We are grateful for all of our 2023 Community Supporters, and we encourage you to contribute in the new year to become a 2024 Community Supporter. Donors will receive this year's new pin to recognize their support!
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Below are new Community Supporters in the past month — we thank them and hope that you will join. You can make a tax-deductible donation on our website at any time.
Deniz Ozturk, Valentina Moghadam, and Kristen Rupert
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Check your inbox every Friday for WorldBoston Recommends – our staff picks for high-quality virtual programs on global topics in the coming week.
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Missed any of our recent events? You can find video recordings of our events on our YouTube channel! Below are links to recent events:
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Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for updates!
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Wait, Did You Miss Something?
Don't forget to check our News section for announcements and past newsletters.
And for the latest, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram!
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The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State's premier professional exchange program and WorldBoston's main citizen diplomacy partner. Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. These visits reflect the International Visitors' professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States.
The U.S. Department of State's bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the IVLP. In doing so, the bureau enters cooperative agreements with National Program Agencies, a group of private, not-for-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C., that design and implement national IVLP itineraries. In addition to the National Program Agencies, the IVLP relies on the commitment and skills of local community organizations across the U.S., known as Community Based Members (CBMs). Under the professional association of Global Ties U.S., local CBM members develop professional programs, arrange cultural activities, and provide home hospitality for international visitors.
WorldBoston is part of the Global Ties Network of more than 90 CBMs in 45 states.
WorldBoston is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America,
a network of more than 90 independent Councils in more than 40 states.
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