Blog
Citizen Diplomacy Has a Big Impact in a Small City
Citizen diplomacy isn’t reserved for world leaders or global capitals. Here in Kalamazoo, every resident has the opportunity to build cross-cultural friendships and learn from people whose lives are both different and deeply relatable—just by saying yes to a new connection.
What I Learned this Summer at Global Ties Kalamazoo
Global Engagement Intern Sofía Hartman shares reflections on what she has learned working and growing with Global Ties Kalamazoo.
Take action: Your voice will help keep exchange happening in Kalamazoo
You can help keep international exchange in Kalamazoo. Contact your representatives regarding federal funding of exchange programs.
People are coming to Kzoo! And a call to action so they don’t stop
We’re back! Following a slow start, we’ve already welcomed three international exchange groups to Kalamazoo since late April. It is hard to put into words how great it feels to make these live connections in Kalamazoo with people from around the world. But we need your help... With all this joy in exchange, there is also a threat to their future.
2025 is filled with uncertainty, and no visitors to Kalamazoo - yet
Here in these uncertain times, we look back with immense gratitude for all we accomplished together in 2024. We hosted nearly 400 visitors from 88 countries (highlighted in map above), in more than 35 cultural exchange programs, engaging hundreds of local volunteers in meaningful cross-cultural experiences. Hoping for more in 2025. Call to action included in blog…
“Una versión de mí mismo más fuerte, reflexiva y abierta al mundo” (versión Español)
Ameth Rodríguez (Panama), participante de LAYA en el otoño de 2024, comparte su experiencia en Kalamazoo - blog invitado
“A stronger, more thoughtful, and more open-minded version of myself” (English version)
LAYA 2024 participant Ameth Rodriguez, from Panama, shares recollections from his time in Kalamazoo in this guest blog.
Why visit Kalamazoo?
Human and Civil Rights • Youth Empowerment • Transboundary Water Issues • American Pluralism • Renewable Energy • Disinformation in Media • Transparency & Accountability in Government • Women in Entrepreneurship • Engagement in the Arts • Higher Education and Study Abroad • Social Services
Land Acknowledgement
At Global Ties Kalamazoo, we live and work on the land of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. The city name Kalamazoo is anglicized from various indigenous references to its namesake river, and is located in southwestern Michigan—the Michigamme, “the place where food grows on water,” a reference to the abundant wild rice in our state. Indigenous nations of the Great Lakes region are also known as the Anishinaabe (original people) and their language is Anishinaabemowin.