Happy New Year from Diplomatic Perspective

As we kick off the new year, we want to reflect on our pilot program for DC high school students. The Diplomatic Leaders Development Program (DLDP), launched in 2021, exposes high school students to international affairs through education, opportunity, and social capital. While 2021 was a whirlwind with COVID-19 and other global events, we successfully completed 4 DLDP virtual sessions hosting students, speakers, and mentors from various backgrounds.

Topic sessions covered an introduction to international relations, humanitarian work, and college readiness. Over ten speakers and mentors in fields such as medicine, technology, government relations, non-profit, business, and education spoke to our students from McKinley Technology High School and Ron Brown College Preparatory High School. According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the percent of Black/African-American students who studied abroad in the 2019-2020 school year was 5.5% compared to 70% of Caucasian students.[1] Our solution to this data includes the following: 1) provide students with the necessary skills, cultural sessions, and international projects to become global citizens, 2) connect students to internationally-focused mentors such as graduate students, industry leaders, and business owners; and 3) give students a voucher to apply for their first passport and the opportunity to travel to Guatemala and complete community service.​ By introducing students to industry professionals and international topics, we strive to expose students to diverse entry points into international affairs.

A huge thanks to all of our supporters this past year, including speakers, students, parents, teachers, mentors, and board members. And a special shoutout to our co-founders, interns, fellow, and partners. We couldn’t have accomplished everything if it wasn’t for your help. Check out the following photos of our students, speakers, mentors, co-founders, and fellow from our Saturday sessions.

If you would like to support Diplomatic Perspective, visit https://www.diplomaticperspective.world/donate. Or visit https://www.diplomaticperspective.world/contact to sign-up and participate as a speaker or mentor in 2022.

[1] NAFSA: Association of International Educators (2021). Trends in U.S. Study Abroad.https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/trends-us-study-abroad.

Giving Tuesday 2021!

Diplomatic Perspective is asking for your support on this this #GivingTuesday! Giving Tuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity. As a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization, it is our goal to bridge the gap in international affairs by connecting diverse youth to underrepresented young adults. If we can achieve this goal, we can act as a driving force to cultivate and enhance future diplomatic leaders and peacemakers. Today, we’re asking supporters to donate $5, $10, or $20 to help us reach our goal of $5,000. Your donations will help support our DC high school students participating in the Diplomatic Leaders Development Program (DLDP).

Diplomatic Leaders Development Program

The Diplomatic Leaders Development Program (DLDP) is a 6-month program geared towards developing high school students within the Washington, D.C. area into global citizens through cultural sessions, skills institutes, and international projects. Each month, students participate in educational and engaging sessions, develop a global network, and receive the opportunity to have a global experience virtually.

This year, we were extremely grateful to have launched and accepted 17 students into our pilot program. Upon securing a partnership with DC Public Schools, 9 students from Ron Brown College Preparatory High School and McKinley Technology High School have diligently participated in our monthly virtual sessions since this October. We’ve onboarded 15 mentors from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and 2 industry professional mentors. To-date, our team has led 3 virtual sessions with all students and 4 speakers, focusing on international relations and humanitarian work.

With your support, we can secure passport vouchers for our DLDP students and help raise funds for future study/volunteer abroad trips. You can donate by visiting this link. Let’s give back this #GivingTuesday, and help us reimagine a world built upon shared humanity by giving students access to international opportunities.

Co-Founder Ryanna Miller Makes Pioneering Strides

Co-Founder Ryanna Miller (pictured in the top row, far left) and CEO of Global Ties Alabama, Jacquelyn Shippe organized a 3-day virtual conference - REACH: HBCU Global Institute. The event brought approximately 400 students and faculty together from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Alabama between April 6-8, 2021. Key actors such as international exchange professionals and U.S. exchange alumni participated as well and provided various perspectives to the field of international relations.

Various sessions were led by CEOs, former U.S. and foreign Ambassadors, returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Fulbright Program and Gilman Scholarship alumni, and many more. More than 30 speakers offered great insight into their international careers and backgrounds, while students were able to network and interact with engaging individuals. The conference held discussions on conflict resolution, music, medicine, mentorship, diplomacy, and other topics. It showed how many opportunities one can expose themselves to in the field and how there is no "one-size fits all" definition for international relations.

We at Diplomatic Perspective are very proud of our Co-Founder Ryanna and we look forward to hosting more events with our partner Global Ties Alabama. You can find a link to more details on the conference here.