Multiregional Group, July 24-28, 2010

A large multi-regional group of 26 people from around the globe came to Vermont to learn about Vermont's experience in NGO management under the auspices of theInternational Visitor Leadership Program.

The State Department outlined the following objectives for participants:

• To examine innovative management strategies of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, public service and advocacy organizations in the U.S.;
• To explore the diversity of the non-profit sector in the U.S. and the dynamic relationships between business, government, and non-governmental organizations;
• To review methodologies used by NGOs for strengthening leadership, employing volunteers, fundraising and furthering missions.

This group - from countries as disparate as Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe -- had two full days of appointments in Burlington and Montpelier to examine public-private partnerships, corporate responsibility, and general best practices for a wide range of NGOs. The delegates came from: Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nigeria, China, Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Korea, Uzbekistan, West Bank and Zimbabwe.

The group arrived in Burlington on Saturday, July 24th, and was met at the airport by VCWA's International Visitors Program Director Eli Harrington. They settled in at the Courtyard Burlington Harbor hotel before a brief orientation and introduction to the city of Burlington and Vermont by Eli.

VCWA Interns Tori and Max with two delegates and the GM of the Courtyard Marriott, Joe Carton

Having a free afternoon, a portion of the group decided to explore Burlington waterfront area while another group walked up to the Church Street Marketplace to go shopping and see the Burlington Farmers' Market. The group reconvened in the hotel for the Vermont Council on World Affairs' International Visitor Reception Cocktail Party, where they had the opportunity to meet with VCWA board members and a Canadian delegation also in Burlington at the time.

On Sunday, the group took a day trip to see some of Vermont's cultural attractions and products in Waterbury and Stowe, including the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Cabot Cheese, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, and the Stowe Mountain Resort.

Ice Cream Citizen Diplomacy: one scoop at a time

Looking up the trail at Stowe Mountain Resort

The first day of professional appointments was spent in Burlington. In the morning, the delegates met with Will Patton and Owen Milne of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. After an overview of the organization the delegates split into two groups, one with Mr. Patton and one with Mr. Milne, to discuss corporate social responsibility and the organization's concept of a "social economy." After lunch, the delegates met with Jan Auman, President of ARD Inc., and other employees of the company in which they learned from presentations on civic engagement, grants management, and NGO capacity building.

Volunteer panelists and the group together at the Fletcher Free Library

The next morning the group began with a panel discussion with community leaders in the non-profit sector on volunteerism in the United States at the Fletcher Free Library. The panelists and delegates spoke about why they volunteer, who they volunteer with, how they began to volunteer, and how it benefits their communities.

Relaxing on the green before touring the Statehouse

Once the panel discussion had concluded, the delegates boarded a bus for Montpelier, where they had lunch and took a brief tour of the Vermont State House.

Soon after, they met with Noah Fishman, Program Officer-Europe & Eurasia, Erik Rwabuhihi, Program Development Fellow, Tom Wilson, Communications & Program Assistant, of the Institute for Sustainable Communities. The delegates learned about the ISC's experience with NGO capacity building and other aspects of NGO management. Read more about their time at ISC!

Visitors participating in a workshop at ISC

After one last night in their hotel, the group packed up and to visit other U.S. cities. Thanks to the delegates, panel discussion participants, professional resources, and everyone else who made the program a great experience for all involved!

See the Flikr sideshow:

Canada, July 24-27, 2010

A group of 5 international visitors from Canada came to Vermont in July with the International Visitor Leadership Program to learn more about new developments in US climate change policy.

The Department of State outlined the following objectives for the project:

• To broaden the visitors' understanding of the U.S. government' climate change policy;
• To examine the role of nongovernmental organizations and think tanks in formulating policy;
• To explore the role of public-private partnerships to promote alternative, renewable energy sources; and
• To gain a better understanding of state and local government policies on climate change.

Each delegate came from a different province and worked in a different field (nonprofit, journalism, provincial/municipal government) on the subject of environmental policy. The visitors came from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. On their day of arrival, the group was greeted with a reception held at the Marriott Courtyard by the waterfront. They then spent two days pursuing cultural activities and attending professional appointments in Vermont.

On the first full day in Vermont, the group split up for cultural activities. One portion of the group stayed in the Burlington area while the other went for a trip to Waterbury. The Burlington group visited to the ECHO Center, explored the Church Street marketplace and also went to North Beach. The Waterbury/Stowe portion of the group visited the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Cabot Cheese Store and Stowe Ski Resort.

The delegation began its second day headed towards Montpelier for professional appointments.  First, they went to the Department of City Planning & Global Community Initiatives to speak with Gwendolyn Hallsmith. Gwendolyn is not only the Director of Planning and Community Development at the Department of City Planning, but is also the Executive Director at the non-profit organization, Global Community Initiatives. The delegation learned about Gwendolyn's office worked with a number of local NGO's to create a "Master Draft Plan" in which she outlines all the necessary steps. They also discussed the forthcoming combined heat and power district energy system to be built in downtown Montpelier. This project was a great example of synergy as it will be funded by a federal grant, overseen by the city of Montpelier with consultation from the local NGO, Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC), and completed by a multinational private corporation.

Following the meeting, Gwendolyn accompanied the group to the Montpelier Rotary Club for a pleasant lunch before heading over to the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). The delegates learned valuable information about electric utility regulation by hearing about the operations of RAP and how they help public officials on electric utility regulation.

For their final professional appointment, the delegation met with Chris Recchia, Executive Director of the Biomass Energy Resource Center (BERC). In their meeting with Chris, the delegation learned how BERC assists communities, colleges and universities, state and local governments, businesses, utilities, schools, and others in making the most of their local energy resources.

Thank you to everyone involved with this program, especially to Claudia Lovell and Andrew Tetreault for an amazing cook-out at their lovely home in Montpelier.

Morocco, March 10-13, 2010

The VCWA was proud to host Mrs. Yamna Ghabbar as a voluntary visitor through the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program from March 10-13th. Mrs. Ghabbar arrived after attending the Beijing +15 Global NGO Forum in New York City and attending professional appointments. As she heads an NGO working to curb violence against women and families in Morocco, Mrs. Ghabbar's program in Burlington examined different approaches to treating and preventing these instances.

Friday, March 11th, 2010

Mrs. Ghabbar began her professional meetings with Ms. Darrell Morse of Women Helping Battered Women. The women found a great kinship as professional peers in a difficult field and had a powerful discussion about common issues.

For our next appointment, we headed over to the CUSI offices to get a tour and meet with Executive Director Kristine Bickford. During the tour, Ms. Bickford gave an informative overview of the CUSI programs and highlighted the children's advocacy and family counseling services in context. A special thank-you to Kristine, who not only juggled around her own schedule to meet with Mrs. Ghabbar, but also helped advocate for-- and arrange--our other appointments.

Following our time at the CUSI offices, we next visited State's Attorney TJ Donovan. Mr. Donovan was enthusiastic and curious to hear about the state of affairs in this field in Morocco. He also shared his insight on some of the methodology that relates to domestic abuse within the US--specifically an introduction to the "Duluth Method" and the "wheel." This industry information was helpful for Mrs. Ghabbar and provided her with some materials that could help her own efforts back in Morocco.

After a wonderful lunch in downtown Burlington, the last appointment of the program was with Autumn Barnett from the Domestic Abuse Education Program at Spectrum Family Services. Over the course of our program, we learned that one of the biggest differences between the U.S. and Morocco is in efforts to mediate. The meeting at Spectrum was unique because it was the only meeting with a group that concentrates on trying to educate the offenders. While this is still different from mediation between couples, it was interesting for Mrs. Ghabbar to see an American perspective.

Thank you again to Mrs. Ghabbar and to her escort and interpreter Ms. Rana Raad for spending a few days with us. We only wish we had more time! Our thanks also to all of our professional resources and hosts who went out of their way to serve as citizen diplomats and welcome our delegates. with particular thanks to Attorney General Bill Sorrell and CUSI Director, Detective Lt. Scott Davidson of the Burlington Police Department as well as SANE nurse, Ms. Joan Carson.

   Mrs. Ghabbar sits down for a discussion with Darrell Morse of Women Helping Battered Women

Worlds apart, united for a common cause  

CUSI Executive Director and Child Advocacy Director Kristine Bickford gives us a tour of the offices  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Donovan and Mrs. Ghabbar at the State's Attorney's offices in Burlington

Armenia, February 14-18, 2010

From February 14-18th the Vermont Council on World Affairs was pleased to host and coordinate the local professional program for a delegation from Armenia. The group visited Vermont as their last stop during a program titled High School Administration in the U.S. They came to the U.S. as part of the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program, which was also coordinated on the national level by World Learning.

The delegation itself was comprised of three high school principals as well as two officials from the Armenian National Ministry of Education. The goals of their professional appointments were to examine high school curriculum development, teacher recruitment and professional development, and the impact of technical/vocational education programs on the community.

Monday, February 15

The first meeting was held at the Green Mountain Suites Conference room by Mr. Mark Oettinger, Legal Counsel for the Vermont Department of Education. He provided an overview of the structure of educational administration and financing on the local and state levels. The group was interested to compare figures on the number of the schools, school districts and student population in Vermont. He also provided data on high school achievement scores, noting that Vermont consistently ranks high in comparison to the rest of the country.

The delegates take note as Mark Oettinger describes
the education system in Vermont

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Oettinger with our delegates at the Green Mountain Suites--
our thanks again to Grace, Michael and the rest of the staff
for their generous accommodations.

 

 

Afterwards the group enjoyed an abbreviated tour of the downtown and the Burlington Waterfront area.

 

 

The delegation(with our outstanding interpreters, Anig and Artur) on the Church Street Marketplace

The next meeting at Colchester High School was one of the groupp's favorites. It started with a tour of the high school and a meeting with Jim Price, Social Studies teacher and the principal of Colchester High School, Amy Minor. The visit concluded with a presentation and forum featuring dozens of high school students, mostly from Mr. Price's International Politics class. This encounter was especially touching for the guests--as the group entered, the national anthem of Armenia was played and the students stood as a show of respect. The visitors considered this gesture to be an expression of utmost hospitality and were excited for the opportunity to tell students about themselves and Armenia.  The students actively participated in the Q&A, asking very intelligent questions and providing thoughtful responses about the education system here in Vermont.

The group with Mr. Price in his Social Studies Classroom at CHS

The group sits down with Principal Minor

Presentation and panel in front of CHS students—one of the highlights of the trip!

Tuesday, February 16
Tuesday started out with an appointment at Linking Learning to Life -- a nonprofit organization which provides academic counseling and career training to prepare Vermont students for life after high school by focusing on the three C's: Career, College and Community. The group was very warmly received by the LLL staff and had a chance to sit down to speak with Executive Director Rich Tulikangas, College Connections Coordinator Dhyana Bradley, State Programs Coordinator & Marketing/Development Coordinator Lindsey Lathrop, PILOT Program and Mentoring Coordinator Megan Johnston, and last but certainly not least, Student Internship Specialist Dayna Collette.

Executive Director, Rich Tulikangas explaining LLL over coffee, cider
and cookies--thanks again for the hospitality!

 

 

 

 

 

With Mr. Tulikangas and Dayna Collette in the lobby of Burlington High School

The hosts provided information on the mission, organization and the funding process of LLL and then proceeded to explain their respective career, college and community programs. They described the relationship and interplay between LLL and local high schools--a process about which the delegates were curious to learn more. They also explained the way LLL collaborates with local businesses in order to provide assistance for the graduates to write resumes and cover letters, obtain interview and research skills, and experience their potential future careers through unpaid internships at area businesses.

After making the short journey from Burlington to Montpelier, the group had a half-hour meeting with Vermont Commissioner of Education, Mr. Armando Vilaseca. The delegates regarded this meeting as so productive that it was one of their brightest memories of the visit.   Even before being appointed Commissioner, Mr. Vilaseca's commitment to the VCWA and international understanding was well-known—he certainly proved it by giving up his only free lunch time during the monthly State Board of Education Hearings in order to meet with the group. Again, our thanks to him and his wonderful staff for helping to coordinate such a tight squeeze!

Commissioner Armando Vilaseca and the delegates
chatting about some common challenges in education

 

 

 

 

 

The group presented Mr. Vilaseca with a souvenir from Armenia
as a token of their gratitude--the VCWA sends him our thanks again.

During the brief appointment, Mr. Vilaseca spoke about the efforts of the agency in providing resources and tools to the field and transforming Vermont education to address the needs of 21st century.  He also noted some of the relevant strengths and weaknesses inherent in our unique education system here in Vermont.  The group asked about the Commissioner's thoughts on a variety of current issues such as school consolidation as well as overarching questions of statewide curriculum.

The day concluded with consecutive meetings with Associate Director, Winton Goodrich of the Vermont School Board Association, Executive Director Jeff Page of the Vermont Principals' Association and Executive Director Jeff Francis of the Vermont Superintendents' Association.  The representatives explained each of their missions and priorities. Mr. Goodrich spoke about the challenges of sparsely-populated areas where a school district may incorporate only one school and explained the role of the School Board and the policies that the boards introduced and worked out.

The group also learned that local control had evolved historicaly--an important part of the greater narrative in explaining education in Vermont--and were introduced to the policies on "Alcohol and Drug Free Workplace," student and administrative responsibilities, harassment, etc. The visitors asked for and received a sample of policies and procedures, the superintendent's report, and training materials.  The guests were interested in parents' involvement in decision making, how the school board circulated the policies and solicited the involvement of the general public in the process.

Wednesday, February 17

At the Center for Technology Essex the group was treated to an outstanding tour of the facilities by Mr. Grady Long. The group was impressed at the resources provided to students in the programs that they saw firsthand: Automotive and Construction Technologies, Engineering and Architectural Design, Cosmetology, Dentistry and Culinary. During the tour, they were even able to interact with students of these respective programs, who were more than happy to act as CTE ambassadors and provided the delegates with a firsthand perspective.

Management-in-training: Mr. Grady Long gives the group a tour of the facilities at CTE--
here the group saw students from the automotive tech programs in action.

Following the tour, the group met with Associate Director, Mr. Bob Travers. During the appointment, Mr. Travers continued with a further overview of the scope of programs offered at CTE. The group reiterated their positive impressions concerning the overall quality of instruction and facilities offered at CTE and had many questions about the funding structure. They were interested to learn about the services provided to the public at reduced cost (cosmetic and culinary in particular), which allow students to learn through experience. Mr. Travers also highlighted the unique nature of CTE as an all-day program and explained how they cooperate with local area high schools to ensure that students fulfill their own graduation requirements as well as those of CTE programs.

Associate Director Bob Travers answers questions and provides further detail about CTE programs and structure.

The group's final meetings took place at Winooski High School, where the VCWA Program Director, Mr. Eli Harrington--who also happened to be a graduate of the school--gave a tour of the facilities and introduced the guests to the Guidance Counselor, Mr. Brent Litterer. During this tour, the group was also able to poke their heads into Mr. Marc McQuinn's Social Studies class to briefly introduce themselves to the students.

Mr. Litterer began by giving an overview of Winooski High School and some of the unique (to the area) challenges and benefits that it deals with on a daily level—notably, that 35% of the student population has or are learning English as a second language.

Mr. Litterer further elaborated on the role of a guidance counselor in many American public high schools, explaining how he works towards addressing the various career, academic and personal needs of students in Winooski. He explained that for many students, one of the most important factors towards success is simply to have a connection with an adult to provide some guidance. He also described some of the services and programs available for those few students diagnosed with more severe learning or behavioral conditions.

Group photo of in front of Winooski High School