Blog
A warm welcome to our new Program Manager and many IVLP groups, and a reflection on our first YLAI cohort
June went by in the blink of an eye and here we are in mid-July. We had our first YLAI cohort, welcomed our new Program Manager, and hosted several IVLPs
Celebrating many welcomes and bidding a fond farewell this May
Welcoming YLAI Fellows, Leeanne, Yesenia, and more, bidding farewell to Jordan
One full year back in-person: So many rich experiences created and shared
Now as we welcome April 2023, we have passed the one year anniversary of our return to in person programming, which took place at the end of March 2022. Thank you to all who have been with us through these past three years, filled with uncertainty, innovation, and a constant striving to build connections between people - to make this world a better place.
Engaging in new ways in a new year
We are delighted to share with you a little bit about our first programs of 2023, as well as the myriad ways to join us and make connections in the coming weeks and months.
Thankful in real life
While keeping each other safe, we have been fortunate to host some 224 people from all over the world in 27 distinct programs since our return to in-person exchanges in late March 2022.
Our first in-person guests since March 2020
Meet our new team members!! Clockwise from top left - Jordan Blough-Orr, Dante Jean, Jordan Lee and Nite Lawantrakool
Reflecting on my first few weeks with Global Ties Kalamazoo
Nite reflects one her first weeks interning with Global Ties Kalamazoo.
Celebrating 6 years with Jodi
We are celebrating Jodi Michaels’ six-year anniversary at Global Ties Kalamazoo this month as the organization begins to plan its return to hosting in-person international leadership exchanges and to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
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.