News

February 09, 2012

GlobalJax Staff to Visit Washington D.C.

February 14-19, 2012 the GlobalJax staff including Sondie, Andrea and Madeline will be travelling to Washington, D.C. for the National Council for International Visitors annual conference. Also joining us as a scholarship recipient for the Emerging NCIV Leaders program is former high school intern Kate Hurlburt. Interns Kristen, Kim and Rebecca will staff the office on Wednesday and Friday for urgent calls and messages will be checked periodically. You can follow our conference participation by becoming a fan of our Facebook page or by following the Twitter hashtag #nciv1story.

February 02, 2012

Government & Transparency Leaders from the Czech Republic Set to Visit Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, FL, February 2, 2012 — Jacksonville is among the cities hosting a State Department-sponsored project that brings together a prosecutor, police officer, city government official, judge and a watchdog NGO leader from the Czech Republic for a three-week study tour on U.S. anti-corruption and transparency methods and strategies. The other cities are Washington, DC; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Providence, Rhode Island.

The participants will meet with their professional counterparts to explore effective mechanisms for maintaining accountability and openness amongst the three branches of government at the local, state, and federal levels. It will also illustrate how government accountability creates public trust in public sector programs and increases government effectiveness.

During their stay in Jacksonville, February 2 through February 7, GlobalJax hosts this delegation. Together they will visit key destinations to explore the Florida Sunshine Law, the role of the press and civil society in promoting transparency in government, openness and transparency in the contracting and procurement process, and promoting ethical government at the municipal level. Their meetings include a visit to the Jacksonville Community Council Inc to discuss community and civic engagement, and a full day of meetings at City Hall to discuss transparency of the procurement process, ethics, and sunshine state laws, as well the role of the City Ombudsman’s office.

The visitors will also receive a firsthand look at using the Freedom of Information Act as they visit the Florida Times Union. The visitors will also meet Jacksonville Public Defender to discuss our criminal justice system and case studies of corruption in the area.

Community participation for this program is limited to members of GlobalJax. For membership information, please visit http://www.globaljax.org/index.php/involved/membership or call (904) 346-3942.

February 01, 2012

Deadline Approaching for Middle & High School International Art & Essay Contests

The Amity Turkish Cultural Center would like to invite all area middle and high school students to participate in their Annual Art & Essay contest. The contest aims to promote awareness, understanding, and positive interaction among different cultures and communities. This year’s theme is ‘1 Billion Hungry in the World: What’s Your Role’? Local winners will compete regionally for an all expense paid trip to Turkey for 10 days for the student, teacher and school superintendent.

All submissions should be mailed to Amity Turkish Cultural Center no later than February 10, 2012. Teachers are expected to submit their students’ work. We hope you will encourage and help your students to take part in this inspirational contest.

For more information go to http://www.atccenter.org/contest/2011/index.shtml.

January 24, 2012

The Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Board to Award Scholarships

The Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Board is looking for Asian American High School Scholars to award a minimum of five $500 scholarships. To qualify for this scholarship applicants must be of Asian Ancestry, a senior in good academic standing, a Duval County Resident and attending College or University in the year ahead. Selection is based on Academic Rank and/or hardship, extracurricular activities and talents, leadership roles, awards, honors, verified community involvement, a essay and letter of recommendation. To be eligible completed applications must be emailed, postmarked, or hand devlivered to 1809 Art Museum Drive Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL 32207 by March 1, 2012. For inquiries or to request an application send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Sponsored by the Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Board
Board Members: Jay Gogaliya, Sophal Nou, Dr. Jing (Jasper) Xu, Ed Callao, Mai Dinh Keisling, Rajat Sharma, Lorelie Papel, Jo-Anne Yau, Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, George Banks and Youn-Jong Lee.

January 18, 2012

GlobalJax Recruiting Regional Editors for New Alumni Journal

Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the amazing visitors after they leave Jacksonville? Last month the Executive Council appointed Sandra Brooks, Communications Chair, as the Editor in Chief of an electronic journal accessible from the GlobalJax website that aims to find out. The journal will feature stories submitted by former International Visitors about their countries and their careers. Volunteer regional editors commit to meeting visitors from an assigned region, continuing relationships when they return home, and collaborating on articles to keep Jacksonville informed about world issues - right from the source. The journal is a part of our mission to maintain a lasting connection between our visitors and Northeast Florida.

If you are interested in participating, the following regional editor positions are available:
- Regional Editor Eastern Europe
- Regional Editor East Asia & the Pacific (Includes China, Japan, & Australia)
- Regional Editor South & Central Asia (The Stans & India)

For more information or to express your interest in participating send an email to the communications committee at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

January 16, 2012

Solace for the Children to Welcome Afghan Kids to Jacksonville this Summer

Since 2010, over 30 children from Afghanistan have called Jacksonville their summer home because of a local non-profit called Solace for the Children. The summer hosting program acts on the belief that mutual understanding of cultural differences and shared acts of genuine compassion are the foundation for true and lasting peace. While in Jacksonville, the Afghan children live with American host families and receive medical treatment donated by local hospitals and physicians. Though Solace's primary focus is medical care, another benefit is clear. Regular recreational activities available to the group during the summer program encourage all involved to develop new friendships, which bridge gaps of culture, religion, physical limitations and tradition. The children will arrive the week of Memorial Day (as they have in the past) and will depart on approximately July 11th. They will be here for 6 weeks – filled with medical check-ups, dental screenings, and fun activities. There are already many exciting activities planned for this summer!!
Solace's directors are still looking for host families and physicians to participate in this year's programs. If you are interested in learning more, Solace is hosting three information sessions in the coming months:

- Sunday, January 29 at 4 PM at South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church
- Sunday, February 12 at 3:30 PM at All Saints Episcopal Church
- Sunday, February 26 at 12:15 PM at Lakewood Presbyterian Church

For more information go to www.solaceforthechildren.org or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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