July 2023 Newsletter

Jul 27

From the Desk of the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Greetings! While summers in southeast Louisiana are always long and hot, this one feels exceptionally scorching and many people and organizations slow down or close all together for a well-deserved summer break. Global New Orleans, on the other hand, continues to welcome visitors, fostering global connections through international exchanges. Citizen diplomacy takes no breaks! Our slow season is actually during Mardi Gras, when welcoming guests through the International Visitor Leadership Program slows to a halt in light of the hundreds of thousands of revelers that take over the city. I often feel like I have the best job in the city, for many reasons. And one of those reasons is a lighter workload during the Mardi Gras season!

Over the past few months we have held membership events, received a site visit from the Office of International Visitors, said farewell to a team member and welcomed a new one, had a successful GiveNOLA Day and hosted a musical performance at the Jazz Museum! Read more details within!

We are looking forward to more membership events in August, including coffee and conversation with a group visiting from Egypt and a happy hour at Urban South at the end of the month. I will also be attending a regional summit in Burlington, VT, in August and Kansas City, MO. It is always so inspiring to share time with other colleagues in the network so I am looking forward to that time and to bringing back stories and lessons learned.

Thank you for being an essential part of our journey. With your continued support, we look forward to nurturing the seeds of change and creating a more interconnected world, one exchange at a time.

Wishing you all a joyful summer! Stay cool!

In community,

Laila

GiveNOLA Day 2023

Global New Orleans community giving day proved to be an outstanding success and surpassed all expectations. Through collective efforts on behalf of staff and board, we were thrilled by the immense support from our generous community. We managed to raise an impressive sum of over $3,000, a remarkable achievement in itself. Our donations saw a 58% increase compared to the previous year.

Board member Mary McCarthy hosted a GiveNOLA party at her home and I think her words say it best! “GiveNOLA Day is the best day of the year! It is so energizing to be able to celebrate with the whole city as we come together to support organizations that are working to make it a better place.”

Thanks to you all for being the heart of our mission and for making GiveNOLA Day such a success!

Tom Rathburn, Office of International Visitors, visits New Orleans

In June, we were visited by Tom Rathburn, Resource Manager and Branch Chief for Community Relations in the Office of International Visitors, and he manages the overall International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) budget as well as grant funding for partners, including Global Ties US, in addition to myriad vital functions for the IVLP such as interpretation services, international travel funding, and the Accident and Sickness Program for participants. Together with the Nous Foundation, we hosted a networking breakfast for Tom, visited some of our professional resources, including the Historic New Orleans Collection and the New Orleans Jazz Museum. We also hosted a wildly successful happy hour at Bayou Beer Garden, co-hosted by the Japan Society. Of course, we capped off his trip with beignets at Cafe du Monde. We appreciate everyone who was part of making his visit so great!

IVLP Updates

June

Environmental Engagement and the Economy for the Indo-Pacific and Central Asia

Participant Countries: Australia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Cultivating U.S.-Africa Collaboration on Climate Resiliency and Health Security

Participant Countries: Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Young Asian Diplomats

Participant Countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

May

WEAmericas Program: Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

Participant Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela

July

Promoting Social Change Through Music

Participant Countries: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Finland, Haiti, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Taiwan, Tunisia, Venezuela, West Bank

Conservation and Biodiversity Protection in the United States

Participant Countries: Mexico