GTAZ hosts leaders from Germany
Last week, GTAZ welcomed an #IVLP group comprised of nominated delegates throughout Germany; this was the first cohort of its kind, making it an extra special project for GTAZ to be a part of. "Countering Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim Violence and Xenophobia" was the theme of the project.
On Wednesday, July 28, the IVLP Delegates met with Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, the youngest woman ever elected to the Phoenix City Council Chambers. Councilwoman Ansari shared a number of DEI related initiatives happening within the city, which also inform her work, including the fight to bring every voice to the table when possible; to empower the next generation of young leaders as agents of change; and to a recognize a community's language and culture to best serve them.
The very next day, the IVLP Delegates engaged in a roundtable discussion with Dr. Volker Benkert, Assistant Professor of History, Arizona State University, School of Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies; and Paul Rockower, Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix. Together, the guest speakers compared and contrasted trends in #HolocaustEducation between countries; hate crime statistics and #PublicDiplomacy efforts surrounding Anti-Semitism; and touched on effective ways to have important conversations, which recognize a country's history without recreating emotions of pain and hurt, while creating effective coalitions to fight current and heavy community issues.
Global Ties Arizona continues to be grateful for the opportunities to engage with local community organizations and members, discussing topics of importance and significance in our world today. It is through conversations like this, that we believe our world can continue to reach a more peaceful, just and equitable place.
A special thanks to Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, Mr. Paul Rockower, Dr. Volker Benkert, the U.S. Department of State, MCID Washington, our interpreters and our International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Delegates who found value in coming together to address these courageous topics of conversation!
For this project specifically, Mr. Juan Diego leveraged the expertise as a global #IVLPalumnus to enhance global and cultural competencies among U.S. youth by engaging with aspiring high school artists at the Scottsdale Artists' School. Here, he shared about the culture of art in Costa Rica, the history of watercolor painting in the art world, and engaged in dialogue about the biggest inspirations of art in his own life and within the lives of his audience. Mr. Juan Diego describes art as a language: a language in which artists must create their own alphabets through forms, colors, shapes, mediums, and style.
"I go into my own world of imagination of expressing personality and character when I create art. It's almost indescribable." - Bella, Scottsdale Artists' School
Global Ties Arizona was humbled to be a part of such a unique program that increased ties between Costa Rica and the United States, primarily through art.
Once again, thank you to our partners at CulturalVistas, the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Juan Diego Roldán Castillo, the Scottsdale Artists' School, and our community supporting the international work that we do!Then, on Monday July 5, Global Ties Arizona hosted a virtual panel titled ‘Women in Mining.' Guest speakers for the professional meeting included Dr. Isabel Barton, Assistant Professor of Mining and Geological Engineering at The University of Arizona College of Engineering: Mining and Geological Engineering; Ms. Jennifer Burge, CEO of WorldwiseCoaching; Melissa “Mel” Sanderson, President of Mel Sanderson Consulting LLC; and Julia Potter, Geological Engineer and part owner of Tucson-based consulting firm, Call & Nicholas. During the 90-minute panel, our guest speakers and #IVLP Delegates engaged in meaningful discourse, covering a range of significant topics such as increasing the presence of women within the mining industry.
According to our guest speakers, research shows that women are more likely to gravitate towards careers, which feature environmental sustainability and science, while men are more prone to apply for positions focused on fields of engineering such as civil, labor, mechanical and construction sectors. For inclusive practices, some companies have begun to offer intersectional opportunities between mining and the environment, in order to more intentionally cater to women, however, efforts such as these are still few and far between nationally and even globally. Other considerations for inclusive practices that were mentioned in the panel include efforts to ensure paid maternity leave, incorporate intersectional topics of interest, close the wage gap between men and women, increase possibilities for higher education, and assuring the ability for women to move into higher positions of leadership within their respective mining sectors, at least at the same rate as men.
While this professional meeting confirmed that unfortunately these career-focused issues exist globally, cross-culturally and throughout our world, it also succeeded in creating connections amongst passionate world leaders focused on increasing respect, support and opportunities for women within mining, for the sake of more diverse and equitable work spaces.
A special thanks to GTAZ partner, Trevor Ritland, for producing an incredible video featuring Jerome, AZ; the Institute of International Education (IIE); U.S. Department of State; our guest speakers; our English-French Interpreters, and our International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Delegates for making this program a success!