Winter 2009/2010 Newsletter

Dear Members and Friends of NOCDC,

Thank you for all your support in 2009 and I ask that you continue to support the Council in the coming year with the same spirit and enthusiasm that you have in the past.   We had a very successful year in 2009 thanks to the efforts of Susannah Coolidge and her staff, Ines Sigel, and Kathryn Dickerson, and, of course, through the support of you, our members and volunteers.  

It has become a commonplace cliché to say that the world is becoming more and more an interdependent global community through modern technology.   Certainly in the 166 years since the invention of the telegraph there have been remarkable changes in the  ability to communicate across vast stretches of the world.  But despite all these advances, one thing has not been replaced or improved upon.  And that is the importance of people to meet face to face, exchange ideas and to form bonds of friendship.   It is that moment of personal meeting that can be more powerful than e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or the not quite extinct but not so robust Myspace.  The ability to send a message instantaneously to the far side of the world will never eclipse in importance the ability to form a personal understanding across the space of a dinner table. 

By participating in the Council, each of you is helping to spread a better understanding of the United States around the world and doing so at a time when that task is more important than ever.  And your reward for doing so is gaining that same understanding of foreign lands and cultures.  I hope that all of you find this reward as pleasant and exciting as I do. 

Once again, and on behalf of the entire board and staff of the Council, thank you for all your support and volunteer time in the past.  

With Best Regards,

Walter Wolf

NOCDC Membership

Many thanks to those members who have renewed their membership for 2010. For those planning to renew, be sure to send in your renewal notice soon so that you can be included in the numerous NOCDC events scheduled for this year. If you are not a member and would like to join the Council, please call the NOCDC at (504) 529-1509.

Upcoming Programs

We are always searching for individuals or organizations that can meet with groups. 
If you can meet with any of the following groups for a professional appointment, or if you know an organization or individual whose specialization aligns with a program theme, please contact the office at (504) 529-1509 or office@nocdc.com.  As always, also contact us if you are a member interested in hosting an individual or group in your home or at a restaurant, or providing them with transportation or tours of the city.

Roma Visitors Study Minority Issues

In November, four visitors from the Czech Republic
came to New Orleans to learn about ways to combat
racism.  The four participants included the director of the NGO Darjav, an editor of Reflex magazine (www.reflex.cz), the Advisor to the Minister of Regional Development, and the Roma Community Specialist of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic.  In a meeting with Mr. Jonathan Temple, Business Development Specialist with New Orleans' Minority Business Development Agency, the four learned about ways the MBDA assists minority-owned businesses to
start up, obtain loans, and expand their markets.

Participants shared with those they met in New Orleans stories of discrimination against Roma in the Czech Republic, including how Roma children are often separated from white children in remedial schools, shunned by employers, and how anti-racism bumper stickers similar New Orleans' Eracism stickers were scraped off of almost every car on which they were placed.  The group also met with ERACE, the ACLU, the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies, and the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation.

d
Belarusian Artists Visit Southern Rep

In November, five visitors from Belarus visiting New Orleans on a program titled "Promoting Tolerance through the Arts" visited the Southern Rep Theatre in Canal Place Shopping Center.  The group met with Aimee Hayes, Southern Rep's Artistic Director and former actor.  Following the tour of the theater and a discussion of upcoming shows, the group talked about their own careers in Belarus with Ms. Hayes.  In addition to learning about the theater's current productions, the visitors were interested to learn how Hurricane Katrina impacted the theater.  For more information about Southern Rep Theatre, visit www.southernrep.com.

d
NOCDC to offer Arabic and Turkish

Beginning on March 1 the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council and the Institute of Critical Languages & Cultural Exchange are pleased to offer Beginning Arabic on Wednesdays, 5-7:30 p.m. and Beginning Turkish on Mondays, 5-7:30 p.m. The intensive ten-week sessions will be held at the NOCDC offices at 1215 Prytania Street.  Classes will meet once a week and will run from March 1-May 3 for Turkish and from March 3-May 5 for Arabic. The professional instructors are native speakers and they offer a proficiency- based curriculum. Tuition is $325 and includes materials. NOCDC members at the Counselor Level will receive a 20% discount. Class space is limited. To register, call the NOCDC offices at (504) 529-1509. All students must be pre-registered and pre-paid by February 23. 

Thanks to Resources

Thank you to the professional resources that met with our international guests in November and December of 2009 and January of 2010.

American Civil Liberties Union - Ms. Julie Thibodaux, Education Outreach Coordinator

American Red Cross Southeast New Orleans Chapter - Ms. Kay Wilkins, CEO

Ashé Cultural Arts Center - Ms. Carol Bebelle, Director

Crescent City Lights Youth Theater- Ms. Julie Condy, Founder and Executive Director

Delgado Community College - Ms. Sarah Hailey, Service Learning Coordinator

ERACE - Bill Knecht, Chairman

Federal Emergency Management Agency - Ms. Gail Tate, Intergovernmental Affairs Lead

Greater New Orleans, Inc. - Mr. Michael Hecht, CEO

Hammond Health Unit - Ms. Suzanne Wall, Chief Public Head Nurse

Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies - Ms. Rheneisha Robertson, Executive Director, and Ms. Jennifer Glick, HIV Program Director         

International School of Louisiana - Ms. Hope Jones, School Nurse

Louisiana Department Health and Hospitals - Dr. Raoult Ratard, State Epidemiologist, Ms. Theresa Sokol, Chief of Infectious Disease Surveillance, and Dr. Susanne Straif-Bourgeois, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Section

Louisiana Public Health Institute - Ms. Marsha Broussard, Director, School Health Connection

Louisiana Small Business Development Center - Ms. Carmen Sunda, Director, and Dr. Ruperto Chavarri, Senior International Trade Consultant

Louisiana State University AgCenter - Dr. James Barnes, Director of the Delta Rural Development Center,  Ms. Michelle Rzepka, Program Coordinator, and Mr. Michael T. Carl, Director of Support, Infrastructure, and Distance Education

Louisiana Tuberculosis Control Program - Mr. Tyrone London, Regional TB Program Manager

Loyola Law School - Prof. Luz Molina, Professor, and Ms. Laila Hlass, Attorney for the Loyola Law Clinic

St. Paul's Homecoming Center - Ms. Ann Ball, Case Manager, and Ms. Cathey Randolph, Case Manager

Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation - Ms. Lan Chi Luu, Executive Director, Ms. Lauren Butz, Environmental Justice Coordinator, Ms. Christina Wadhwani, Health Outreach Coordinator, Mr. Tuan Nguyen, Deputy Director & Business Development Director, and Father Vien Nguyen, Pastor, Mary Queen of Vietnam Church

Minority Business Development Agency - Mr. Jonathan Temple, Business Development Specialist

Office of New Orleans Councilmember Shelly Midura - Mr. Seung Hong, Chief of Staff

New Orleans Center for Creative Arts - Mr. Brain Hammell, Director of Communications

New Orleans Criminal District Court - Judge Camille Buras, Rob Kazik and Carla Smith

New Orleans Food & Farm Network - Ms. Daphne Derven, Executive Director

Rabouin High School - Ms. Natalie Franklin, Principal

Regional Planning Commission - Ms. Caitlin Cain, Economic Development Director

Southern Repertory Theater - Ms. Aimee Hayes, Artistic Director

Tipitina's Foundation Music Co-Op - Mr. Todd Souvignier, Director

Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine - Dr. Latha Rajan, Clinical Associate Professor of Tropical Medicine

University of New Orleans - Ms. Dana Criswell, Program Coordinator/DSO, Intensive English Language Program

WWL-TV - Mr. Michael Perlstein, Managing Editor

Young Leadership Council - Ms. Erica Woodley, Board Member, and Ms. Vera Lester, Development Director

Thanks to Hosts

Thank you to all who welcomed visitors with home hospitality, sightseeing, or transportation in November and December of 2009 and January of 2010.

Ms. Jeanie and Mr. Dale Biggers hosted five visitors from Belarus studying the Role of the Arts in Political and Social Commentary and two Germans visitors     in their home for dinner.

Dr. Najoua Hotard hosted public health visitors from Bangladesh and India in a local restaurant for dinner.

Ms. Juana Ibáñez provided a city tour to two visitors from Germany.

Ms. Carol Lise and Dr. Irving Rosen hosted public health visitors from Pakistan and Kazakhstan in their home for dinner.

Ms. Carol and Mr. Harold Werling hosted an individual visitor from the U.K. in their home for dinner. 

November - January Statistics

Total number of visitors: 50
Total room nights: 152
Countries represented: Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Botswana, Burma, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, People's Republic of China, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela

 Thank you to our sponsors!

Honorary Consulate General of Albania
Honorary Consulate General of the Czech Republic
Honorary Consulate General of Japan
Honorary Consulate of Romania
Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange
Janie Glade Social Event Planning and Consulting
New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC)
Sisung Investment Management Services, LLC
Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA)

 New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council
1215 Prytania Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
www.nocdc.com
office@nocdc.com
office: (504) 529-1509
fax: (504) 529-1512

d