Become a Family Diplomat or Family Diplomacy Ambassador
For DDC members only: Learning Life is accepting applications from individuals and two or more members of the same family interested in serving for at least one year as an international Family Diplomats (FD), or Family Diplomacy Ambassadors (FDA). Strong preference is for applicants who can serve with one or more members of their family living in the same household.
About Learning Life and the Family Diplomacy Initiative
Learning Life is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit developing inclusive learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy in our increasingly interconnected yet divided world.
Learning Life’s Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) is an ambitious, long-term, grassroots effort to connect, train and empower a growing international corps of volunteer family diplomats (FDs) to advocate for families at local to global levels. We envision a world more connected and caring because every family has one or more FDs, and those citizen diplomats advocate effectively via nonprofits, businesses, media and governments for the needs, concerns and aspirations of families worldwide.
FD and FDA Duties
Family Diplomats’ duties:
- Attend five Family Issue Dialogues via Zoom per year to learn about these five major issues impacting families: war, poverty, climate change, gender-based violence, and/or the internet.
- Attend monthly Family Socials via Zoom in March-October to learn about family life across the world.
- Like, comment, and post about your family or families you know — including happy occurrences, like marriages, new babies, or holiday celebrations, and challenges, like deaths in the family, or news of how one of the above five issues is impacting your family — to FDI’s Facebook Group.
- Respond to Learning Life staff questions and calls to action via email and social media.
- Connect with your fellow FDs online.
Family Diplomacy Ambassadors’ duties:
- Recruit at least 10 FDs in their community, country and/or internationally. At least 5 of the 10 FDs should be families (i.e., two or more family members living in the same household) rather than individuals.
- Represent and advocate for FDI to media, businesses, nonprofits, funders and government agencies, in consultation with Learning Life staff.
- Help Learning Life advise, connect, train our FDs, in consultation with Learning Life staff.
- Meet with Learning Life staff as needed via Zoom to track your progress as an FDA.
Benefits
- Make diverse new friends and colleagues across the world.
- Contribute to building family diplomacy, giving voice to families for a more caring world.
- Help educate and mobilize people to tackle FDI’s five major focus issues: war, poverty, climate change, gender-based violence, and/or internet dangers (e.g., online predators, bullying, scams, addictions, disinformation, etc.).
- FDs: gain skills, knowledge and connections as a citizen diplomat on an international scale, and represent your country as a family diplomat.
- FDs who attend and participate in at least 3 of the 5 annual Family Issue Dialogues, and 5 of the 8 monthly Family Socials each year are eligible to receive a FD Certificate of Completion. Those FDs who attend and participate in at least 4 of the 5 Family Issue Dialogues, and 7 of the 8 Family Socials each year are eligible to receive a FD Certificate of Completion with Distinction.
- FDAs: develop your international leadership by advocating for and helping to grow FDI.
- FDAs who complete the above duties in a given year are eligible for an FDA Certificate of Commendation at the end of the year.
Expectations
FDs and FDAs can live anywhere in the world, but should:
- Be willing to fulfill the above listed duties of FDs or FDAs for at least one year, much preferably longer since FDI is an international community focused on building long-term relationships to address big problems.
- Have an internet connection strong and reliable enough to attend meetings via Zoom by audio at least, if not also video.
- Speak, read and write English at a level that allows you to understand and participate fully in international conversations with other FDs, FDAs, and Learning Life staff.
- Preferably apply with one or more family members who live with you. While Learning Life accepts individuals as FDs or FDAs we strongly prefer that two or more members of the same family serve together since this is family diplomacy.
- Have a free Facebook profile and Linkedin profile, through which a lot of FDI communications happen, and join FDI on Facebook.
- FDAs only: Your resume (required and submitted with your application) should demonstrate substantial professional experience, knowledgeable, skills and/or connections that can help you fulfill your FDA duties.
How to Apply
If you would like to volunteer as an FD or FDA, please complete the FD application or the FDA application. Either application should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete. Please do not fill out both applications, but rather choose to apply for the FD or FDA position based on whether the above-mentioned FD or FDA duties interest you more, and whether you feel you qualify for the FDA position.
Thank you for your interest in helping to advance family diplomacy worldwide!
