PDx podcast – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

June 15, 2021July 7, 2022

Summer support for GW students

Six GW students receive Walter Roberts Endowment grants for PD internships

The Walter Roberts Endowment (WRE) and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) is pleased to announce that our $15,000 internship grant has been successfully awarded to six GW students to support them in their Public Diplomacy internships over summer 2021.

Walter R. Roberts, former diplomat and foreign policy and public affairs expert

Adeniyi Funsho will be working with IPDGC on the Public Diplomacy Examined (PDx) podcasts and the institute’s online engagement.

Other recipients of the grants are Kevin Cao and Charles Shapiro who will be working at Global Ties US; on the World Expo pavilion, and on membership and development.

Nikki Hinshaw will work for the Public Affairs office at the US Embassy in London.

Evelyn Adams will be with the Alliance for International Exchange, where she gets training on activities that promote the growth and impact of exchange programs.

Sophie Van Gilder will work on developing marketing and communication products for Strategies for International Development (SID). SID helps poor farmers graduate from poverty by helping them build successful farm businesses that increase their income. Their work is centered in communities in Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia.

WRE and IPDGC wish our GW students well as they embark on their public diplomacy experiences this summer.

March 5, 2021July 7, 2022

In PDx: Vermont meets the world

Promoting global awareness and understanding

In 1952, Vermont native Warren Austin, a former U.S. Senator and the first U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, founded the Vermont Council on World Affairs (VCWA) to promote awareness and understanding for world affairs through education and engagement.

For almost 70 years, VCWA has managed to welcome visitors from 75 countries and through these programs have contributed over $1 million in economic impact to Vermont’s economy.

In conversation with VCWA’s Executive Director, Patricia Preston (on left), PDx interviewer and SMPA graduate student Victoria Makanjuola learns more about how these public diplomacy programs build Vermont’s global reputation and enhances US interests by building relationships with leaders and communities overseas.

VCWA was also the recipient of a grant given to honor Sen. Patrick Leahy, the 2019 recipient of the IPDGC Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy. The grant of $5000 was used for a “reverse-exchange” program to Tanzania. Here are some of Patricia’s photos and recollections from that memorable program: 2019 Changemakers Summit in Dar Es Salaam.

To find out more about the Vermont Council of World Affairs and its programs, go to https://www.vcwa.org/

Enjoy the latest PDx podcast with Patricia Preston and the Vermont Council on World Affairs: Connecting the World to Vermont

February 5, 2021July 7, 2022

In PDx: Sports diplomacy and leadership

Using sports to change the world: one high-five at a time

At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, former South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

In total commitment to that idea, the Center for Sport, Peace and Society plans to create a more peaceful, equitable, and inclusive world through sports. CSPS is based at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and led by Dr. Sarah Hilyer.

Through mentorship and exchange programs, CSPS has taught leaders how to develop Action Plans for sport-based social change in their communities. These plans have contributed to the creation of national sports leagues and federations for women and people with disabilities and impacted legislation to make countries more inclusive and accessible.

In 2018, as part of the recognition of Sen. Bob Corker’s support for U.S. public diplomacy, CSPS received a $5000 grant from the Walter Roberts Endowment to support a public diplomacy project. Read more about that project HERE.

This year’s recipient of the Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy is Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas). Read about his active backing of the Fulbright program, the globally recognized U.S. Cultural Exchange Program with the goal to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and professional competence: HERE.

Find out more about the Center for Sport, Peace and Society and its programs, go to https://sportandpeace.utk.edu/

Enjoy the latest PDx podcast with Dr. Sarah Hilyer: HERE

November 19, 2020July 7, 2022

Listen to the latest PDx: looking for international careers

Getting a job that lets you see the world: how college students and young professionals can search for roles that take them far and away

In the second part of our interview with Dr. Sherry Mueller, PDx interviewer and SMPA graduate student Victoria Makanjuola learns what college students and young professionals can do to develop a global career.

In writing a book titled, Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development , Dr. Mueller and her coauthor Mark Overmann compiled many useful pieces of information, gathered resources, and collected interesting anecdotes for college students and young professionals to use as they look for global careers. They both push job seekers to challenge assumptions about what it means to pursue a career in international relations and to recognize that the path to career success is rarely straight.

Go to the the IPDGC Smart Power blog to listen to the podcast.

November 9, 2020July 7, 2022

New in PDx: Public Diplomacy Council and global engagement

In this episode of our PDx podcast, our interviewer and SMPA graduate student Victoria Makanjuola spoke to Dr. Sherry Mueller, volunteer President for the Public Diplomacy Council.

Founded in 1988, the Council is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in the professional practice, academic study, and advocacy for public diplomacy.

Dr. Mueller talks about the Council, its activities, and membership – especially its current initiative, the “Rising Professional” associate membership, to encourage newly minted foreign affairs professionals, graduate students, and other young colleagues with an interest in public diplomacy.

Click HERE to go to our Smart Power blog and to listen to our PDx podcast.

October 16, 2020July 7, 2022

Latest PDx podcast: Global connections

UN Day will be celebrated on October 24

The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter. This anniversary comes in a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe economic and social impacts. But it is also a reminder that times of struggle can become an opportunity for positive change and transformation.

In this PDx episode, SMPA graduate student Victoria Makanjuola speaks with Dr. Dennis Weng, Assistant Professor of Political Science at her alma mater Sam Houston State University, Texas. As an undergraduate, Victoria participated in the university’s Model UN and attended the national conference in New York City in 2019.

Dr. Weng, who was her faculty advisor for the Model UN team, talks about diplomatic relationships, foreign policies, and the importance of multilateral organizations.

Read more and listen to the PDx podcast on our Smart Power blog HERE.