By Mark Rebstock, Interim President, NCIV
January 2012

Dear Colleagues,

All of us, as citizen diplomats, have stories about the impact of our work that motivate and inspire us. These might include stories of visitors whose views were changed for the better as a result of visiting your community, or a host family that now has a pen pal in another country, or a professional resource that forged a business relationship as the result of hosting an international visitor.

I remember accompanying a delegation of Afghani religious educators to dinner when I was the Executive Director of the IVC of Greater Cincinnati. They had spent much of the day at the Yavneh Day School, a private K-6 day school that caters to Jewish denominations. The delegation met with the principal, observed classes, and toured the campus. I spoke with one of the Afghan teachers, a woman, at dinner that evening, and I could practically see the mental shift taking place as she processed what she had seen that day. She was struck with the similarity between what was taught at Yavneh Day School and what was taught in her Madrassa in Afghanistan—similar principles of respecting your elders and your family.

By the end of that dinner, she had concluded that she was going to have to completely change her curriculum when teaching about the United States. She had been teaching about the differences that divide countries, and her experience in Cincinnati provided her with proof of the similarities that unite us.

That single moment with an IVLP participant provides a vivid story of the profound impact of citizen diplomacy. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories—they are key to our advocacy efforts, to recruiting volunteers, community resources, and donors.

The 2012 NCIV National Meeting February 15-18 at the Renaissance Washington, DC will be all about sharing these stories and how they demonstrate our collective impact. Two IVLP Gold Star Alumni from Israel and Greece will share their own personal stories. Also, a group of poets, who travelled to Tunisia and Egypt this summer, will use poetry and storytelling to capture the essence of the Arab Spring.

The NCIV National Meeting is our annual opportunity to learn from each other, exchange ideas and best practices, and share One Story at a Time: The Impact of Citizen Diplomacy.

What's your story?

Mark W. Rebstock
Interim President