The International Center of Worcester (ICW) will host a delegation of three young community leaders from Egypt, from March 24 to April 23. Their travel was delayed by the popular uprising in their country, but finally they are able to visit the United States.
The delegation includes a human rights lawyer, the director of a community development organization, and a psychological counselor from the Egyptian public schools. They will meet with their American counterparts to exchange ideas, technical learning, and leadership skills. The goal is to promote social development and economic progress.
Each delegate will be placed in a month-long internship with local organizations focusing on education, democracy, human rights, and governance. The internships include Clark University, the East Side Community Development Corporation, the American Civil liberties Union, the Worcester Public Schools, YOU Inc., and the Fletcher Tilton law firm.
During their internships they will interact with other organizations and professional people throughout the Worcester region including the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Clark University’s MBA and MPA programs, and Seven Hills Foundation. They will meet with Mayor O’Brien and attend a Worcester City Council meeting. Two Clark University graduate students from Saudi Arabia and Palestine will help ICW coordinate the logistics of the program and be a resource for the delegates in adapting to American culture.
On Sunday afternoon, April 17, this delegation and another visiting delegation from Ukraine will be honored guests at a special social event at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA. For a modest donation, the public is invited. For more information, contact the ICW office.
The most dramatic result from these “Citizen Diplomacy” programs is that visitors’ perceptions of the American people are totally changed and they return home with a strong desire to strengthen friendly relations between our countries. What they tell their professional colleagues, friends, and families about America carries much greater credibility than communications from professional diplomats and the media.
ICW is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit membership organization that promotes “Citizen Diplomacy” by giving its volunteer members, local citizens, colleges, government, businesses, and cultural organizations opportunities for personal contact with emerging leaders from around the world. Located on the Clark University campus, ICW has been welcoming international visitors to central Massachusetts since 1963.
For more information, contact Royce Anderson, Executive Director of the International Center of Worcester, at 508-793-7626, icw@clarku.edu.
