International Focus

International Focus wishes every team bonne chance as they compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics! Each year, we have the privilege of hosting and working with diverse international groups, and it is wonderful to see these countries represented at the Olympic Games. We look forward to their sportsmanship and cultural exchange during this exciting time. Outside of our programs, the Olympics are a unique chance for our members and staff to expand their cultural knowledge and celebrate international achievements. Like the rest of the world, we will be eagerly rooting for the success of our athletes and the spirit of cultural unity they bring to the games! QUE les GRANDS JEUX OLYMPIQUES COMMENCENT !  #Paris2024Olympics #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #InternationalFocus #IF #RaleighNC #TriangleNC #CulturalExchange #Multiculturalism #InternationalExchange

We at International Focus were tuned in with excitement to the 2024 UEFA Euro and CONMEBOL Copa America tournaments! Sports are a great way to connect people of diverse cultural backgrounds, and you can really see how fans’ passion for the game brings them together during these major competitions. With some great goals and lots of exciting young talent shining through, they were a joy to watch. Many congratulations to the 2024 champions of their respective tournaments, Spain and Argentina!

International Focus would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Deputy Consul General, Miguel Antionio Cuesta Zarco, and Mónica Lorena Colin Gutiérrez for the opportunity to meet with the Consulado De Mexico in Raleigh this July. This meeting allowed us to share our mission of fostering global understanding and serving as a cultural bridge for the international community in the Triangle Area. Our interns, Tacomas and Sophia, also had a good opportunity to observe the meeting and even practice a bit of their Spanish! By sharing our current programs and future goals, we were able to establish a promising connection with the Mexican Consulate, one we hope to see flourish in the future.     The Mexican Consulate of Raleigh works diligently to create a strong cultural environment for the Mexican community, serving both North Carolina and South Carolina. Much like International Focus, the Consulate acts as a cultural bridge between Mexico and the Triangle Area, hosting significant events such as Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead celebrations for the entire community to enjoy. At International Focus, we believe it is important to build relationships with the diverse communities present in North Carolina, and we are very excited to re-energize our partnership!  #IF #InternationalFocus #RaleighNC #TriangleNC #CulturalExchange #Multiculturalism #InternationalExchange #ConsuladodeMexico 

International Focus has the unique honor of hosting the Research Triangle Park (RTP) portion of the Trafficking in Persons Report Heroes International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)! This group of awardees received awards in recognition for their efforts in fighting human trafficking around the world and it was truly an honor to get to meet and work with them. We wanted to thank all those involved who both shared their knowledge and learned from these awardees: Moore & Van Allen PLLC Sarah Byrne, NC Stop Human Trafficking, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (Human Trafficking Commission), NC State Bureau of Investigation (Human Trafficking Unit), and Legal Aid of North Carolina Without this group of experts, these programs would not be able to be facilitated in the Triangle. Another thanks to Historic Stagville for providing a historic perspective of slavery to those who work to fight its modern incarnation. Thank you to Meridian International Center for working with us on this program and as always to our host families who work to provide a unique cultural and personal connection for all delegates. #InternationalFocus #culturalexchange #diplomacy #TraffickingInPersons #TIPReportHeroes #trianglenc #humantraffickingawareness #BringtheWorld2Raleigh #NorthCarolina #raleighnc #durhamnc #chapelhillnc

Have you heard the news? The winners of the 2024 Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund (#CDAF) were announced! The #CDAF2024 competition was the most competitive to date, with 43 #ExchangeAlumni teams selected. With their projects, these U.S. Department of State, International Exchange Alumni teams will serve communities around the world by tackling challenges facing the global community. To learn more about the #CDAF2024 recipients, visit the Global Ties U.S. website: http://gties.us/2024CDAF

Yesterday, U.S. Department of State honored the 2024 #TIPReportHeroes for their leadership in anti-trafficking. Post-ceremony, they will participate in a International Visitor Leadership Program exchange to meet American counterparts committed to #endhumantrafficking. We are excited to be able to host the #TIPReportHeroes in Raleigh this week and we ask everyone to stay tuned to hear about the meeting these delegates will have with their #NorthCarolina Counterparts.

We at International Focus recently hosted a delegation from Moldova to discuss themes in public and private economic development with local NC organizations. It was a great program and one evolving from something very unique to North Carolina! North Carolina has an official state partnership with Moldova, something which isn’t reflected very much in other areas, so we can look forward to hosting delegations from Moldova in the future as well! Interested in getting involved with International Focus? Visit https://lnkd.in/erdKJ-q or contact info@internationalfocus.org to learn more!

Youth Host Family Needed in the Research Triangle! We are currently urgently looking for 1 host family to host for the entire program! If interested in Hosting, please contact Maria Adoskina at contact@internationalfocus.org Please see more information below: A student delegations of 17 teenagers ages 15-18 and adult chaperones will be in the Triangle area for a Youth Leadership Program in July 17-30, 2024. The program is under the auspices of the U.S.A. Department of State, US Embassy in Baghdad, World Learning and International Focus, Inc. The objective of the program is to promote mutual understanding between people of the USA and Iraq by promoting interaction with peers and families, service-learning activities at universities and other facilities, and the creation of a service project to implement upon returning to Iraq. They will also participate in cultural outings, social gatherings and recreational activities. Thus, we hope to inspire and create a new generation of globally-minded leaders. We are in need of families to host our guests (1-2 / household). Host families would be expected to provide breakfast and dinner daily, a place to sleep and weekday transportation to and from a designated location that will be convenient to host families. Host families are free to entertain their guests as they please, for the weekends during their visit. Host families and host siblings are invited to participate in all the activities. All the participants will be carefully selected and screened by the US Embassy in Iraq.

As we enter into the last couple days of Spring, we wanted to look back how Spring went for International Focus! We were able to host a multitude of international visits and programs, all of which are thanks to our members. As we reflect, we wanted to look at one event which deserves a bit of highlighting. Towards the end of May, we hosted our Spring Global Social which paired the Blue Grass music NC is famous for with International Wines. This "Night of Wine and Line" was a huge success with all of our amazing members and guest having a fun night learning how to line dance. Thank you SKEMA Business School for hosting us for this wonderful event. We love brining these events to the area and know that it cannot be done without our members and sponsors. Consider getting involved with International Focus today to hear about all of our events ranging from relaxed Coffee and Conversations to high energy Global Socials. Join us at https://lnkd.in/easFSt9f to become a member and we hope to see you at our next event! #InternationalFocus #GlobalDiplomacy #culturalexchange #NorthCarolina #trianglenc #raleighnc #durham #ChapelHill #downtownraleigh #intercultural #multicultural #nonprofitorganization #501c3nonprofit

Big news U.S. #ExchangeAlumni! Global Ties U.S. has launched the #AlumniResourceCenter (ARC), a library of online career development courses for U.S. Department of State, International Exchange Alumni to learn how to market yourself, write the perfect cover letter, and leverage your #InternationalExchange experience. Learn more at gties.us/ARC, and be sure to check out these two webinars hosted by the ARC next week: - USAJobs: Apply with Confidence | June 17 at 6:00 p.m. ET - Alumni Panel: U.S. ExchangeAlumni in Federal Careers | June 18 at 1:00 p.m ET #CareerConnections