Learning Life is thrilled to present our very first animated video! The 2.5 minute video explains Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative as FDI this month enters its second phase of development.
Launched in 2016, FDI is an ambitious, long-term effort to connect, train and empower families to participate in decision-making at local to global levels. We envision a world more connected and caring because every family has one or more family diplomats, and those citizen diplomats advocate effectively via nonprofits, businesses, media and governments for the needs, concerns and aspirations of families worldwide. In Phase 1 of FDI, from 2016 to 2021, Learning Life engaged families in different nations in live dialogues via Zoom, and asynchronous dialogues via our FDI Facebook Group to learn about each other. In Phase 2, starting this July, motivated volunteers across the world are getting training as family diplomats (FDs). Phase 3, the final phase of FDI’s development, will connect trained FDs with nonprofits, businesses, governments and media in order to advocate for the needs, concerns and aspirations of different families across the world.
We are pleased to release this new animated video, linked below, in tandem with the start of Phase 2 in order to help promote and grow FDI. “Family diplomacy is a global learning community and social movement any motivated person ages 14 and older with internet access and English speaking ability can take part in to help build a more caring world,” said Paul Lachelier, Learning Life’s founder and director.
For ten months, from August 2021 to June 2022, a team of volunteers including Lachelier and talented interns, Rachel Farzan, Maria Lujan (both from Virginia Commonwealth University), and Yutong Jiang (George Washington University) worked steadily together to produce the video. Learning Life is enormously thankful for their work.
Learn more about FDI’s three phases, Phase 1’s different dialogue projects and their impact, the thinking behind family diplomacy, and how you can get involved via our FDI page.
Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #13
About Citizen Diplomacy International
Due to globalization, the internet, rising education levels, and long-term democratization, citizen diplomacy is growing, and becoming a more important part of diplomacy and international affairs. Thus, in 2020, the Public Diplomacy Council of America (PDCA), a US-based NGO devoted to advancing the field of public diplomacy, formed the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group (CDRG) to advance the research and practice of citizen diplomacy. In 2023, the CDRG became Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI), a network and program of Learning Life, a Washington DC-based nonprofit devoted to developing innovative learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy.
CDI meets every three months online via Zoom for 1.5 hours to share research and news on citizen diplomacy developments worldwide with an eye to building a vibrant global CD sector for a more participatory, equitable and sustainable world.. Meetings typically begin with two presentations on CD research or practice, followed by discussion of the presentations, then news and announcements of past or upcoming international CD-related initiatives, publications, funding, conferences, etc.
Anyone — including scholars, students, citizen diplomacy practitioners, current and retired official diplomats, and others interested — can join CDI to learn, network, and/or present substantial research or practice in citizen diplomacy. For more information or to join the CDI email list, contact email@learninglife.info. You can also connect with CDI members via our Facebook group and Linkedin group, to which you can post citizen diplomacy-related articles, books, events, funding, etc.
Review of meeting agenda. During this time everyone is encouraged to post to the chat a one-paragraph bio about themselves. Introductions via chat saves us time, provides written details about you, and allows us to share your info after the meeting with those who could not attend. In addition, I will share the Zoom chat content to the CDRG email list following the meeting, so whatever you share will get a wider audience.
B) Meeting participants have the opportunity to publicize citizen diplomacy events, publications, projects, programs, and related needs. Participants can also post details and links to the Zoom chat box to share with the wider CDRG email list.
Learning Life Finalist for National “Civvys” Award
This week, the Bridge Alliance announced the finalists for the fifth annual American Civic Collaboration Awards, or “Civvys,” as they have come to be known.
The Civvys are the only national awards program dedicated to celebrating projects that emphasize working together across divides to strengthen communities and empower citizens. By leveraging collaboration as a core strength, these initiatives put community and nation before party, ideology, and narrow interests, embodying a civic spirit that inspires other Americans to take action. This year, in addition to collaboration, impact and scalability, award criteria included an emphasis on building a more diverse and equitable America.
From a record number of nominees, the Civvys Awards Committee announced 16 finalists, across three categories: National, Local and Youth:
National Category
Latinx House
SensibleSchool, Inc.
VoteAmerica
AllVoteNoPlay.org Civic Playbook
American Democracy Project
Local
Uniting for Action on the Maryland Economy
GenUnity
Voters First Virginia
Learning Life
Environmental Justice Coalition
NC Leadership Forum at Duke University
Youth
Certell Inc
Kids Voting Durham
Green Our Planet’s Farmpreneur Program
American Public Square at Jewell: Civics Education Initiative
Kentucky YMCA Youth Association
Learning Life was recognized for its work in building the metro Washington DC Democracy Learning Community (DMV DLC), starting with its regular Democracy Dinners in June 2019. Learning Life has used the Dinners to build a network of over 4,000 democracy sector professionals in the Washington DC metro area whom we invite to the Dinners. Close to 200 people have participated in the Dinners since June 2019, some repeatedly. In 2022, Learning Life is drawing on that growing Dinners network plus further outreach and research to plan for the next steps in the development of the DLC. A vision and action plan is scheduled for release in January 2023. For ways to connect and get involved in the development of the DLC, click the DMV DLC link above.
For more information about the Civvys Award, contact Sachi Bajaj at sachi@bridgealliance.us.
Stakeholder Spotlight: William Schneider
The “Stakeholder Spotlight” is a new occasional series of posts highlighting people who are helping to advance Learning Life’s work. Our second post in this series features Bill Schneider, Ph.D., whom you may recognize if you watched CNN in the 1990s and 2000s. Bill is a frequent participant in Learning Life’s Democracy Dinners and a strong supporter of our broader Democracy Learning Community. To learn more about Bill, click here. For ways you can support Learning Life, click here.
What is your current occupation?
I am currently Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Please tell us more about you.
Besides being Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at George Mason University, I have also been Visiting Professor of Public Affairs at UCLA and Boston College. I was the Cable News Network’s (CNN) senior political analyst from 1990 to 2009. I am now a contributor to Al Jazeera English and The Hill. I am also the author of Standoff: How America Became Ungovernable, published by Simon & Schuster in 2018.
Why did you decide to support Learning Life?
I decided to support Learning Life after being invited to participate in several Democracy Dinner discussions. I found the participants engaging, enthusiastic and deeply concerned about the survival of democratic values and institutions. I am happy to share my long experience writing, speaking and teaching about democracy with them. I believe I was the oldest participant, having observed, covered and taught democratic politics all over the world for more than fifty years.
