Country: United States

Denver may be known as the “mile-high” city for its mountainous perch, but it’s also a beacon that attracts people from countries around the world. A thriving center of international exchange programs, the city and state contribute significantly to citizen diplomacy, which sheds a favorable light on the community and the country, helps local businesses connect with global opportunities, and generates lasting friendships.

The goals put simply: “Achieving peace and creating connections, one person, one community at a time,” said Alyssa Fox, a homestay manager for Sister Cities International, in a February 2017 Associated Press article.

Each year, Colorado hosts more than 500 international leaders, professionals and students, providing more than 3,700 cross-cultural engagements, with local citizens volunteering more than 20,000 hours of service, according to a recent report from Global Ties U.S., a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit.

At the same time, exchange programs hosted in Denver have generated about $1.5 million in annual revenue from hotels, transportation, food and entertainment,” says Gergana Kostadinova, the manager for professional and youth programs at World Denver, a community organization dedicated to advancing an understanding of global affairs and cultures.

Many visitors come through State Department-funded exchange programs, which are designed and implemented by World Learning, a nonprofit that oversees exchanges around the world. The organization taps its network of local partners, like World Denver, to find host families in the U.S. (more than 2,000 visitors a year) and carry out local programs.

“In addition to hosting students from countries like Iraq, China and Mexico, we also connect visiting entrepreneurs to local companies and non-profits to plant the seeds for business partnerships,” says Gergana. “These connections go way beyond a nice dinner.”

For example, young business and social entrepreneurs from Latin America and the Caribbean recently visited Denver for five weeks to meet with, network, learn from and volunteer at local organizations. After another exchange, Russian entrepreneurs invited three Denver business consultants to their country to conduct trainings on subjects ranging from marketing strategies to women’s issues, Gergana explains.

Another program organized reciprocal visits (sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in London) for community leaders from Denver and Birmingham, England, to exchange information on and promote tolerance, safety, security and cultural understanding, as well as techniques to prevent radicalization, in their communities.

Breaking down stereotypes

One of the great advantages for local hosts, who provide a home to visitors for days or weeks at a time, is to learn about the different perspectives of their guests and to break down stereotypes.

Carey Sacks hosted several visitors through World Denver, including teenage girls from Iraq and Chile and a young businesswoman from Russia. In addition to providing family dinners, a warm bed and sightseeing opportunities, Carey has cooked favorite foods with her guests, taken them horseback riding and even created a mock Halloween party in August because her Iraqi visitor, Aya, only knew about the holiday from television.

Aya, who wants to become a dentist to help the people of her country, lost her brother to an American bomb attack in Baghdad. “Her family was brave to send her here because they were afraid of Americans, and I wanted to show them how welcoming we can be and how cool our country is,” Carey explains. “Relationships matter.”

Paula Schriefer and her family have also hosted students from the Middle East. She says “we all genuinely grew to love each other. We hosted two Iraqi students, one a Shia, the other a Sunni, and they really bonded, too. We were all saddened when they had to depart.

“It’s an eye-opening experience for everyone, and its fun,” adds Paula, who heads the Spring Institute, an immigrant support organization. “The kids are nervous at first, but taking people out of their comfort zone allows them to open up. For some American hosts, “it may be their first exposure to Muslims from the Middle East.”

Having worked at the State Department and lived in the former Soviet Union, Paula says “people who’ve participated in exchanges become more than friends, they become incredible allies, and you find that they generally like Americans, if not their government’s policies.”

“The kids call me mom,” says Brenda Stokes, who, with her husband Allen, has hosted students from Mexico, Chile and Argentina. After introducing one student to pancakes and another to snow for the first time, “it’s amazing how quickly stereotypes break down and we start to feel like family,” she says.

“The more people cross boundaries, the better off the world is,” Brenda explains, noting that some of the guests thought all Americans carried guns.

Seeing the U.S. through their eyes

“It’s a way to connect with the world from our front door and see our country through another’s eyes,” says Donna Bryson, a former international correspondent for the Associated Press who has hosted students with her family in Denver.

“An Iraqi student who stayed with us for two weeks was surprised to see people in wheelchairs going to work or school. Not that her own country, wracked by decades of war, doesn’t have people disabled by injury or disease. But in Baghdad, she said, they’re hidden away. She helped me see that I’d taken for granted the progress here for Americans with disabilities.”

For Susie Shanley and her family, one of her guests, an Iraqi boy, really hit it off with her teenage son and they’ve become lifelong friends. The family and their guests attended a Rockies game and a jazz festival at a nearby park, rode bikes, and visited a mosque.

Enthralled by democracy

“I’m surprised how much they taught me,” says Susie, who once worked with a refugee organization and helped a Syrian family acclimate to the U.S. “The kids were absolutely enthralled by our government and how democracy works,” she says. “They made friends easily and learned we’re not out to get them. It’s easy for us to say ‘Muslim terrorists,’ because you can’t have empathy if you’ve never had a Muslim friend, and it’s easier to dismiss them if you don’t know.”

Ralph Ogden and Anne Wilcox, who are experienced world travelers, have hosted girls from China, Argentina, Chile and Israel, as well as boys from Kurdistan — and they’ve stayed in touch with — and even visited — most of them in their home countries. In fact, the Chilean student is planning to attend the Colorado School of Mines after graduating from high school and is going to live with Ralph and Anne.

“The kids have all been exceptional in one way or another,” says Ralph, a semi-retired attorney and international consultant. “Smart, curious, artistically talented — two are in medical school in the U.S.,” he says. “I was surprised at how open and enthusiastic they were about the opportunity to be here, even though they didn’t know what to expect.”

One of Ralph’s friends, a neurosurgeon, even arranged an internship at a Denver hospital for one of the students.

“Before we started hosting, we had some trepidation,” Ralph says. “But we became attached to them very quickly. “I’d have any of them back anytime. It was reassuring to learn that kids are just kids everywhere.”

Tulsa is an All-American city located in the heart of the country, but for some, its reputation as an international hub is growing. That’s the way Tulsa Global Alliance sees it, as expressed in its vision statement: “Tulsa is a vibrant community that thinks globally, acts globally and connects globally.”

Tulsa Global Alliance (TGA) builds global communities through its many exchange programs. According to Bob Lieser, Vice President of Programs, these exchanges enable us “to make powerful friends in vital countries.” He cites one famous example. When then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping came to the U.S. in 2012 on an agricultural mission, he insisted on visiting his host family from 27 years earlier. Xi wanted to reconnect with the Iowa farmers and other residents he came to know then. Today, he’s the President of China.

“With that exchange program, he gained an understanding of what America is about and what Americans are like,” Bob says. “Given today’s tense international climate, this kind of experience is incredibly important for future cooperation.” In fact, he adds, 300 current or former heads of state have participated in exchange programs to America.

“As the new Defense Secretary James Mattis put it recently, ‘“If you don’t fund the State Department fully [which funds many international exchange programs], then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately.’ That’s a powerful statement.”

Bob also recalls a legislative fellow from Pakistan who initially didn’t want to visit the U.S. because she had such negative views of our country. “But at her delegation’s farewell dinner, she said she loved her host family and didn’t want to leave. Changing perceptions like this is so strategically important for the U.S.”

The Local Impact
Beyond the impact on international diplomacy and world peace, exchanges also provide significant and concrete benefits for hosts and host communities, including Tulsa.

The International Visitor Leadership Program, the State Department’s premier professional exchange, contributes between $700,000 and $800,000 a year to the Tulsa economy, and has contributed $30 million over the last 40 years. Exchanges also establish future business relationships and generate additional tourism.

Many of these exchanges are designed and implemented by World Learning, a nonprofit that oversees exchanges around the world. The organization taps its network of local partners, like the TGA, to find host families in the U.S. (more than 2,000 visitors a year).

Personal Impact
On a personal level, retirees Jim and Charlotte Langley, who have hosted guests since 2003, say the programs have enriched their lives in many ways.

“You’re making personal connections with people from around the world,” says Charlotte. We’ve made so many good friends and now, especially with Facebook, we don’t lose touch. We’re continually communicating with the girls and young women who have stayed with us from Iraq, Pakistan and other places. And they invite us to visit.”

In addition to providing a place to sleep, meals and some transportation, hosts also show visitors what it’s like to live in Tulsa, from cultural and sporting events to visits to the mall — which “they love” — to Sunday at church, where two young women agreed to answer questions for the children’s group, Charlotte says.

“Our guests have also cooked their home specialties for us, and one time, when we had a party for hosts and visitors, they moved the furniture to show us the dances they know from home. It was so much fun.”

One of the biggest surprises, she says, was how much they admire America. “I thought they’d be more negative, but it was the opposite. One Muslim girl even asked for a bible to read, which the Langleys were able to get for her in her native language.

“It’s so important for them to see how we live and vice versa,” Jim says. “It’s so important for both sides.”

More Similarities Than Differences
Carla Lynch, an assistant professor of nursing who has hosted five times, says the exchanges provide “the cultural experiences at home without having to travel. You begin to realize we’re all very similar, despite our differences, especially the kids, who just want to hang out and use their phones. Real people are not scary; they want a happy life, just like we do.”

Carla also says the experience has been invaluable for her kids. “It keeps them open at an early age,” she explains. “It tears down barriers, opens eyes and changes minds about what the world is really like, beyond the politics. It would be a huge mistake to cut these programs.”

Karen Smith, who has supported exchanges through the Community Service Council, has helped to coordinate trips to the state capitol and local museums.

She explained that a young woman from Pakistan wanted to visit a domestic violence shelter to learn how we deal with the issue in the U.S. When she saw a room for male victims, she was stunned that men can be abused, too. In her culture, this is not considered and there are not support structures of this kind available to male victims.

“Only by developing one-on-one relationships can we break down misunderstandings and stereotypes and build empathy and trust,” Karen says. “It’s harder to be negative or hurt people when you know them.”

Turn Up the Music 
Leslie Melvin and her husband have hosted several potluck farewell dinners for 40 or 50 people, including teenagers from Iraq and Brazil.

“We turn the music up and just have a good time,” Leslie says. “It’s a fairly bittersweet event, however, because at the end of the dinner, Bob Leiser hands out certificates to each visitor and invites them to say a few words if they choose. Everyone realizes the Tulsa part of the trip is coming to an end. We take group pictures and there are hugs all around.”

One of her fondest memories was when the ice bucket challenge was all the rage. “The Iraqi kids did the challenge in our backyard and it went viral to Iraq in minutes! It just showed us how small our world really is.”

“I’m constantly reminded how much more we have in common than what sets us apart. Teenagers are teenagers for the most part, no matter where they live. And families are families. We truly embrace the spirit of TGA and the idea of citizen diplomacy — helping to make the world a better place one handshake at a time.”

The city of Detroit is in the process of revitalization, trying to overcome a legacy of economic struggles and urban blight. One small but important way the city is improving is through international exchange programs coordinated by Global Ties Detroit, formerly the International Visitors Council.

Marian Reich, the organization’s Executive Director, says professional exchange programs not only give area students the opportunity to meet and learn about people from countries they don’t know much about, they also build opportunities for local businesses by helping to establish partnerships.

Visitors come through State Department-funded exchange programs, which are designed and implemented by World Learning, a nonprofit that oversees exchanges around the world. The organization taps its network of local partners, like the Council, to find host families in the U.S. (more than 2,000 visitors a year) and carry out programs.

“When visitors see how Detroit is changing — and how different it is from their expectations — they’re inclined to make business connections and even come back as tourists with their friends, which puts money back into the local economy through hotels, dining, theater and, of course, shopping,” Marian says.

The cultural and human connections, however, may be even more important for the city and country.

Citizen Diplomats
“I went to a dinner on a Friday evening with a delegation of English teachers from around the world — Indonesia, Senegal, Mali, Israel, Vietnam, Nepal and Russia,” Marian says. “The hosts, who were Jewish, celebrate Shabbat on Friday evenings by lighting candles and saying prayers — and everyone took part. All the guests began to share stories about their own religious and cultural experiences. The hosts often invite their neighbors,” she adds, “who were thrilled to be included in an event so rich in cultural diversity.”

Because Detroit doesn’t have an international affairs department, organizations like Global Ties Detroit fills the void, enabling people to enjoy the intellectual and emotional riches of connecting with people from around the world.

Jim and Py Wolfe understand. Both retired teachers, the Wolfes are homestay and dinner hospitality hosts who have shared their home, culture, and friendship with hundreds of international delegates over the years. Not only have they remained in touch with exchange participants, but they even visit their new friends in their home countries, including recent alumni of the Community Connections program from Belarus.

“We like to travel and we like to entertain,” says Jim. “It’s a natural for us.” From cooking meals and hanging out at home with their guests to taking them to sporting events, art museums and shopping malls, Jim and Py enjoy every opportunity to learn about people and how alike we all really are.

“We know so little about Muslim countries, for example,” Jim says. “But they’re essentially just like us and want the same things for themselves and their families.” Exchanges are also a lot of fun. “One time, a couple of guests from Ukraine were telling a joke and we were laughing our heads off, but I really had no idea what they were saying. It didn’t really matter,” Jim recalls with a smile.

On a recent Memorial Day cookout, Jim and Py’s guests, from Kyrgyzstan, were enjoying hamburgers and hotdogs with their neighbors. At one point, though, it became apparent that all the men were missing. It turns out they went over to the side lawn, facing Mecca, to pray.

Sharing religious traditions, food, recipes, songs and dances are all part of the mix. One visitor from Ukraine even took out a tool bag from the garage to fix the broken table in the Wolfe’s kitchen, simply to be helpful.

“Just being together is so enlightening,” Jim says. “And we get so close that when our guests leave, we’re all crying. Now, in addition to receiving birthday and anniversary greetings from around the world, we’re able to stay in touch through Skype, so we can keep up with our friendships.”

Considering themselves “citizen diplomats” the Wolfes are committed to doing their part to change perceptions, which are often based on what people see on TV. “When you get right down to it, conversing with someone over a nice dinner demonstrates our common humanity. It’s that simple, and it’s important, especially now.”

Faris Alami, who is the founder of International Strategic Management in Detroit, which helps entrepreneurs with training, mentorships and grants, knows how important personal connections and international understanding are to his business and home life.

Investing in Each Other
Faris, who is a Palestinian Muslim, and his American wife Lara see international exchanges as the best way to build bridges, not only for themselves but for their three children, who range in age from six to eleven. Lara even insisted on remodeling their home to make sure it could accommodate visitors, who’ve come from places as far away as Mongolia, South America and Africa.

“We’ll find our kids playing pool, air hockey, chess and even the piano with our guests,” Faris says. “They are learning at a young age how to interact with people from different countries, just doing what they normally do and having fun doing it.

“You’d have to fly around the world to be able to bond with so many different people,” Faris says. “But here we’re blessed to meet so many wonderful people and enjoy our time together, which includes our neighbors and friends, who are fascinated by the experience and love to join in.”

Ultimately, Faris believes, such interactions can create a better world and impact public policy. “The more we interact, the more we change perceptions and attitudes, sometimes here more than anywhere else. It’s a better investment than fighting each other.”