New Facebook Group Connects CDI Families Worldwide

Learning Life is pleased to announce we have just established a Facebook group to connect families, volunteers and observers interested in our developing Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI).  

Launched in August 2016, CDI engages lower-income American families, starting in Washington DC, in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with lower-income families in other nations to nurture more capable and caring global citizens.  Since August, we have successfully conducted over 15 live dialogues and begun our first international, family-to-family collaboration — a photovoice project that will culminate in an electronic album presenting the families’ photographic answers to the question “what is the past, present and future of your community?” from their different vantage points in the world.

Learning Life has been posting news and educational content on our Facebook page since 2013, but our new Facebook group allows our CDI-participating families, volunteers and interested observers to comment and post photos, videos, and other information they wish to share from their different communities in the world.  Currently, we have families and volunteers from Washington DC, Dakar (Senegal) and Jerash (Jordan) participating in the group.  As CDI gradually expands, we look forward to the perspectives of more families and volunteers in more communities across the globe.

All interested observers are welcome to join our new Facebook group.  Please note though that you will need to request to join the group in order to see the group’s posts.  You can join the group here.  While you are on Facebook, please also follow our Learning Life page.  Thanks for your support!

Watch: First Citizen Diplomacy Initiative Video!

Learning Life’s first video about our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative is now out!  This short video is 2 minutes and 41 seconds long, and features scenes from our live, international, family-to-family dialogues, and our developing photovoice project.

This video was put together by Andrew Jorgensen, a talented senior in film and video studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.  Andrew is interning with Learning Life this spring semester, and will be producing more videos to showcase Learning Life’s CDI.  Stay tuned!

Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative engages lower-income American families in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with families in other nations to nurture informed, skilled, connected and caring global citizens.  Learn more here.

Intern Spotlight: Lorrenette Herring

This is the fourth in a series of spotlights on our spring 2017 student interns.  Learning Life’s students this spring are translating documents, conducting research, fundraising, doing outreach locally and internationally for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI), and other work.  Lorrenette Herring, interviewed below, is helping with community outreach and CDI content development, among other things.  

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire or Ivory Coast, West Africa. My parents are actually Liberian however due to the war they fled and that’s why I was born in Ivory Coast instead of Liberia.  I have yet to go back.  I was however raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  My father received a scholarship to come to Calvin College in Grand Rapids and then had us move from Ivory Coast to Grand Rapids. We actually joke about having the United Nations in our house because my mom, dad, and older brother were all born in Liberia, I was born in Ivory Coast, and my little brother was born in Michigan.

What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?

I  am a third-year student attending the University of Maryland, College Park. I am a French major, and a Black Women Studies minor.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like singing, dancing, meeting new people, and learning more about how different policies affect people of color.  I like to read mystery books, hang with my friends, and reach out to people about their religious beliefs about God and the world.

Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you as a person thus far?  If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?  

Yes, I am not a U.S. citizen and am a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.  [Editor’s note: DACA is a federal initiative established by the Obama Administration in 2012 that allows some undocumented immigrants who arrived in the USA before the age of 16 to work and defer their deportation for a renewable two-year period.]  So, I am following closely what the new U.S. President is or is not doing with that.   DACA has made me all the more grateful to be able to work,  drive (I don’t have a car, but I do have my driver’s license because of DACA) and pursue my dreams. It has made me want to advocate for, and help others with immigrant experiences like mine.  I am beyond grateful for the opportunities and very aware of the intersectionalities of being black, an immigrant, and a woman during these times.

What are your career plans?

As of now I want to help in the nonprofit world in the domains of immigration and/or civic engagement. After college, I want to go to graduate school for immigration law or public policy.  Further down the line I would like to create my own nonprofit, and open a home for immigrant women, children, and people of color.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I wanted to learn more about nonprofits and the work they do.  Learning Life’s CDI aligns perfectly with my field of work, especially the international dialogues, and understanding the way people view the world and the situations around them.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

The most beautiful place I have seen is Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.  While I don’t remember much about it, we have photos.  The climate is beautiful, very tropical and there are trees everywhere.  The water is very clear and blue.  The city is bustling.  There are ice skating rinks, swimming pools everywhere.  It’s like Miami, but in West Africa.

Intern Spotlight: Rahila Olanrewaju

This is the third in a series of spotlights on our spring 2017 student interns.  Learning Life’s students this spring are translating documents, conducting research, fundraising, doing outreach locally and internationally for our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI), and other work.  Rahila Olanrewaju, interviewed below, is helping with CDI program evaluation research and Learning Life educational content development, among other activities.  

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, but moved to the state of Maryland via the U.S. Diversity Visa Program. This program provides visas to countries with historically low rates of immigration and gives individuals the opportunity to become U.S. citizens. Since relocating to the U.S. at age 7, I have lived in Maryland.

What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?

I am a freshman Banneker/Key Scholar in the Honors College at the University of Maryland, and am studying Economics, Government & Politics with a concentration in International Relations.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy watching movies with my family, watching Ted Talks, writing poetry, practicing yoga and attending spin classes!

Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you as a person thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?

Relocating to America from Nigeria has opened a world of opportunity for me, at the same time it has exposed me to challenges unique to immigrants trying to adjust to a new world.  Living in the United States I have also observed many of the difficulties disadvantaged families face here and have volunteered with non-profit organizations such as the Manna Food Center, Interfaith Clothing Center, and the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless in order to serve families in need.

With the opportunity to live in the U.S. and receive an internationally-focused education, I am reminded each day that no dream is too large.  I hope to someday return to my country of origin and engage in development efforts in West Africa.

What are you career plans?

I plan to pursue a career in global economic development and policy. As a Nigerian-born American, I have a keen interest in social inequalities within America and West Africa and would like to work with an international organization where I can impact lives. My current interests lie in food security, poverty alleviation, and gender and racial equity in access to education.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I saw an opportunity to connect individuals across cultural lines, something I’ve been trying to do as an immigrant myself. I also wanted to engage with underprivileged communities in a different way than I had in the past, and the Citizen Diplomacy Initiative gave me the opportunity to do so on an international level. It’s also pretty awesome to be part of a team where everyone is aware of the need for global interdependence in addressing social concerns. Each of the interns on the Citizen Diplomacy Initiative has contributed to their communities in a unique way, and it’s inspiring to discuss topics like inequality and development from different perspectives with my peers.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

The most beautiful place I have seen on Earth is my grandfather’s village in Abia State, Nigeria. He serves as king in his community, located in the southeastern part of Nigeria, and it is amazing to visit with him every few years and see the changes he has been able to drive forward with the support of his community. It is such a beautiful place to behold, still one with nature, where the roosters still crow to signal the new day, and the streams run clear, with birds darting from one perch to another.