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.
Growth, relationships, culture and beauty: Alberta Brown reflects on her experiences in Kalamazoo
German Fellow Alberta Brown reflects on her eight-week field placement at Global Ties Kalamazoo and her time spent in our community in the fall of 2024.
#GivingTuesday 2024
Our world is a beautiful, maddening place. Enriching local community with global diversity, one relationship at a time, is not easy but it is what we do at Global Ties Kalamazoo, every day, and it can be so very rewarding for all involved. Today is Giving Tuesday. We would love to count on your support - this is a financial ask - but more than anything, we would love for you to get involved!
YLAI 2024 Outbound Exchange award recipient Traci Furman shares experiences hosting international fellows
YLAI 2024 Outbound Exchange Award recipient Traci Furman shares highlights from her experiences as Fellowship Placement Organization host.
A fall full of meaningful exchange
We say it often and we'll say it again. What we do is explore our shared humanity together. From long-term social work placements, to short-term IVLP visits, to everything in between, we create opportunities for people in Kalamazoo to engage with the world (23 countries and counting so far this fall). Read about board member Deborah's experience in New Orleans, Alberta from Germany's placement in our organization, and new intern Sofia's thoughts on her first few weeks with us.
CIP/IJAB Fellow Alberta Brown shares Kalamazoo reflections
CIP/IJAB Fellow Alberta Brown, who is in Kalamazoo this fall for an eight-week field placement at Global Ties Kalamazoo, shares her impressions of her first four weeks in Kalamazoo.
Gearing up for a full fall schedule following an exciting summer and Summit
We reflect on a busy summer including the Kalamazoo Diplomacy Begins Here Summit, IVLP groups, IYLEP year seven and more. We're also preparing for a busy fall with many home and virtual hosting opportunities
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.