Here is a silver lining; while in 2019 – our last full year of in-person programming – we hosted 382 people from 58 countries, in 2021, in a 100% virtual exchange environment, we have been able to host 583 visitors from 112 countries.

Michigan’s “Global Ties” Partners map out a Diplomatic Path for International Exchange for Economic Prosperity!

It’s been a busy and exciting month as we continue to celebrate our 50th anniversary, were featured in Global Ties U.S.’ Exchange Matters as well as in the Heartland Hub of USGLC, participated in numerous IVLP programs, and welcomed Singapore-based CSP Fellow Miruna Ranjan.

Global Ties Kalamazoo is partnering with the West and Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Fulbright Association to host an online film discussion on the documentary “Between Earth and Sky: Climate Change on the Last Frontier.”

As we say hello to Fall, it’s a great time to reflect on the #YouthEmpowerment of IYLEP, which we hosted virtually this summer for Arabic speaking high school students, with partners World Learning and funded through the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The program focused on leadership development and identity building.

May 2021 brought the first anniversary of the killing of George Floyd, which has begun to transform the way issues of systemic racism are seen in this country. The road to address structural injustices in the USA is very long and winding, but this work is essential in order to build a brighter future for all people residing here now, and for all future generations. It is our hope that our work to connect people, across difference, can play a tiny, yet constructive, role in this transformation.

Wow! So many reflections on what it means to be a citizen diplomat in Kalamazoo, over our first 50 years, in this great piece by Second Wave Media. Thank you Leeanne Seaver, Betty Lee Ongley, Tom Kostrzewa and Jerry Potratz for sharing your stories. Also, so excited to hand off our Taste of the World event to Merze Tate Explorers and WoteSawa (more on that below). You will find all of this and more in this great article as we move toward our new name and our next 50 years!! Thanks Mark Wedel for this in depth piece.

As we bid farewell to women’s history month, we reflect on a hard month behind us. The anniversary of the pandemic declaration, the opening of the trial and the wounds of the killing of George Floyd, the continuing rise of Asian hate in this country, with a horrible shooting spree targeting Asian American women in Atlanta, and so much more to be concerned about in our world. At the end of this update, you will find a note about the current situation in Myanmar, which especially impacts the local Burmese community, and concerns all of us in West Michigan.