Public Invited to Community Conversation about Pittsburgh Region's Global Future; GlobalPittsburgh Hosting Session Oct. 26 with Power of 32 Visioning Project

Globally-minded residents of the Greater Pittsburgh Region are invited to share their opinions and ideas about the region’s future as a hub of international connections and cultural diversity on Tuesday October 26, 2010 in the University Club Gold Room near the University of Pittsburgh from 6-8 p.m.

GlobalPittsburgh, which attracts and engages internationals in the region, has partnered with Power of 32, a regional visioning project, to host a Community Conversation about the region’s global future. The University Club is located at 123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Power of 32 is a regional initiative that provides an opportunity for all of the 4.2 million residents of the region, which encompasses 32 counties and crosses four states, to actively participate in creating a shared vision for the region's best future.

This is a free event, but pre-registration is requested by calling 412-392-4513 or emailing tcbuell@gmail.com.

In announcing the hosting of this Community Conversation, GlobalPittsburgh also committed to including the counties in the Power of 32 region in its programs and services.

“We strongly agree that the Pittsburgh region extends beyond county and state borders,” said GlobalPittsburgh President Roger O. Cranville. “In fact, we have already made several positive connections in West Virginia in our efforts to connect the region with the world, and will continue to expand our scope throughout the Power of 32 footprint.”

The Power of 32 is the largest visioning effort ever undertaken and differs from other planning efforts that have occurred in our area in that it recognizes the region has common challenges and opportunities in the global economy, but is larger than the scope of any one political entity, authority, or organization.

“We are extremely pleased that GlobalPittsburgh has become a region-wide partner, “ said Selena Schmidt, Executive Director of Power of 32. “Our initiative is modeled on other successful efforts in Torino, Italy and Essen, Germany. GlobalPittsburgh, which is connecting and developing our international community to the world, is a great partner in our efforts to show what can be done through the power of collaboration.”

The 32 counties included in the visioning effort – 15 in southwestern Pennsylvania, five in eastern Ohio, 10 in north central West Virginia, and two in western Maryland – represent the cultural, geographic and economic region with metropolitan Pittsburgh at its hub.

The Power of 32 project does not have a pre-determined set of issues, and aims to include the broadest possible public participation from both people within the region and former residents around the globe. For more information, go to www.powerof32.org.

For more than 50 years, GlobalPittsburgh, formerly known as the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, has forged relationships between the Greater Pittsburgh Region and the global community through citizen diplomacy – connecting people and institutions in the region with audiences around the world through a wide range of hosting, training, networking, educational and outreach programs and services.

GlobalPittsburgh engages international delegations, groups and individuals by creating itineraries and facilitating introductions through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and other international programming agencies in many fields, including energy and environment, life sciences and medicine, education, business and technology, clean/green design, advanced manufacturing, arts and culture, government and finance, social services and law, and other areas.

GlobalPittsburgh welcomes individuals and families to engage in citizen diplomacy as dinner and home stay hosts, tour guides, office and event volunteers, and greeters for visiting delegations and individuals, and also provides activities for internationals and globally-minded residents through the GlobalPittsburgh Connect program.
 
For more information about GlobalPittsburgh, go to www.globalpittsburgh.org or contact Thomas Buell, Jr., GlobalPittsburgh VP-Communications, at 412-392-4513 or 412-720-2218, or by email at tcbuell@gmail.com.

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Learn About Hosting International Students at Free Program - October 13 at Avonworth High School

Avonworth High School Presents “Hosting Opportunities in Our Global Community” Wednesday, October 13, 2010 in the Avonworth High School Library at 7:00 P.M.

Evening presenters:
*American Field Service (AFS)
*Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
*GlobalPittsburgh
*Host Families of Avonworth Exchange Students
*World Heritage Student Exchange Program

Join our global community and get involved with the world!

R.S.V.P. by October 6th: 412 366-6360, ext. 1609
Light refreshments will be served.

Avonworth High School
258 Josephs Lane
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
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City of Asylum/Pittsburgh Program for Exiled Writers and Artists Featured on PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer"

The City of Asylum/Pittsburgh program, which provides safe haven to exiled writers and artists on the city's North Side, was featured on the PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on Sept. 30.

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO

Transcript

JEFFREY BROWN: And finally tonight: a safe haven for writers in danger.
You don't hear Burmese too much in Pittsburgh, and certainly not Burmese poetry. But, on a recent night, the writer Khet Mar read a poem about seeking shelter in this city, after being persecuted in her native country.

KHET MAR, poet (through translator): Life takes place amid blooming flowers. Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFREY BROWN: Khet Mar was one of several writers who performed at an annual jazz and poetry celebration for an organization known as City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, which provides writers two years of free living here and a chance at a new life.
KHET MAR: I wrote some political poems with my friends, and we distributed those poems in the crowd. That made me in the jail.
(LAUGHTER)
JEFFREY BROWN: In jail.
KHET MAR: Yes.
JEFFREY BROWN: Khet Mar was a writer, teacher and social worker in Burma in the late 1980s and '90s, when university students, workers and monks first took to the streets to protest the country's repressive military regime.
KHET MAR: Generals in my country don't want people know the real situation. For example, they don't want people know we are -- Burmese people are poor and very, very bad conditions.
JEFFREY BROWN: Much of her writing told of the plight of poor villagers. In one instance, she wrote of an uncle who was forced to work in a labor camp because he couldn't pay a government tax.
KHET MAR: He couldn't pay money. So, he went there and working in the very hot weather, and he died.
JEFFREY BROWN: So, you wrote a story about this?
KHET MAR: Yes.
JEFFREY BROWN: And, of course, that becomes a political...
KHET MAR: Yes. Yes. I think I'm writing social issues, but, in Burma, social issues are political issues as well.
JEFFREY BROWN: Because of her work and writing, Khet Mar spent a year in prison and faced regular censorship.
When fellow writers were jailed during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, she sought help from human rights organizations which work with the Pittsburgh asylum program. She moved here with her family 18 months ago. In addition to rent-free housing, she's provided with a $30,000 annual stipend and health insurance.
It's not amnesty in the legal sense, but, for Khet Mar, it's given her safety and freedom she didn't have in Burma. Her artist husband, Than Htay Maung, captured that in a mural he painted on their home, life in Burma on one side, in Pittsburgh on the other.
HENRY REESE, city of Asylum/Pittsburgh: I feel we offer them to a safe place to do what they need to do unencumbered.
JEFFREY BROWN: Next door to Khet Mar is the home of businessman Henry Reese. Thirteen years ago, he heard about the European-based City of Asylum program and decided to start a Pittsburgh branch. He used townhouses he already owned on his block and raised money from foundations and local donors.
HENRY REESE: This was a way that a small community could actually stand up and protect something that we all feel is important, bring that person into our community, and maintain that dialogue within our community in both directions.
We learn from the writers and benefit from it every bit as much as, I would say, initially they benefit from us just by being protected.

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Chatham University Among Six U.S. Institutions Selected to Develop Study Abroad Programs with Indonesia

Pittsburgh's Chatham University is among six U.S. institutions selected to develop study abroad programs with Indonesia through the Institute of International Education’s Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education, it was announced today.

The IIE is launching the U.S. Indonesia Partnership Program for Study Abroad Capacity to help advance Indonesian higher education institutions’ capacity to provide high-quality study abroad programs for U.S. undergraduates. USIPP, a two-year initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, will bring together six U.S. institutions with six Indonesian institutions to develop new, innovative study abroad opportunities for U.S. undergraduates in Indonesia and ultimately help Indonesian universities better prepare to host American students.

In addition to Chatham, the participating U.S. institutions are Lehigh University, Miami Dade College, Texas A&M University, University of Michigan, and University of Washington. Through IIE’s Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education and in collaboration with IIE’s Jakarta-based affiliate, the Indonesian International Education Foundation, the program will build a foundation for expanding academic partnerships between other U.S. and Indonesian institutions, enabling faculty and students at home and host campuses to deepen mutual understanding and broaden the ongoing exchange of individuals and ideas between the U.S. and Indonesia.

Over the two-year period, USIPP will work to develop and pilot six new study abroad programs for students from the United States. The initiative will interview the participating students and university administrators for feedback to identify lessons learned and next steps, so that institutions can provide high quality study abroad programs and prepare to host more international students in Indonesia. A final written report will serve as a hands-on tool for international education practitioners.

USIPP main goals are to help Indonesian institutions evaluate and improve their international capacity; identify both general and country-specific best practices in preparing for and building study abroad capacity, and disseminate these resources to the wider higher education community; deepen the academic engagement of faculty and institutions in the U.S. and Indonesia; and thus increase the number of U.S. undergraduate students studying abroad for credit in Indonesia.

According to IIE’s annual Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, also supported by ECA, more than 7,000 students from Indonesia were enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities during the past several academic years, while less than 100 U.S. students studied abroad in Indonesia in academic year 2007/08 (the most recent year for which data is available).

"Strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Indonesia through higher education is a critical goal for both countries, and it is an honor for IIE, in collaboration with IIEF, to facilitate constructive partnerships between institutions in the U.S. and Indonesia," says IIE President and CEO Allan Goodman. "The Institute has made a long term commitment, along with ECA, to deepening this relationship and looks forward to having an effective, sustained impact."

The Institute of International Education, a private not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. IIE designs and implements over 200 programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. These programs include the Fulbright Student and Scholar programs, the Gilman International Scholarship Program, and the Humphrey Fellowships, administered for the Department of State, as well as corporate and foundation training and scholarship programs. IIE also conducts policy research, provides advice and counseling on international educational opportunities abroad, and provides emergency support to students and scholars in danger. The Institute of International Education has a network of 18 international offices worldwide and more than 1,000 college and university members.


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Pittsburgh-Based Global Links Marks 400th Shipment of International Medical Aid Using Hospital Surplus Items

Pittsburgh-based international medical relief agency Global Links marks a major milestone in its 21-year history this week with its 400th shipment of critically needed medical supplies.

The 400th shipment, scheduled for today (Sept. 16), will be directed to hospitals and a primary care clinic in the Quiche region of Guatemala, an area hit hard by tropical storm Agatha in June 2010. This is the second of three relief shipments to the area.

Materials will include surplus medical supplies collected from Pittsburgh-area hospitals, including St. Clair, Jefferson, West Penn, Forbes Regional and hospitals in the UPMC health system, all of which have been matched to specific requests from doctors and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), who partnered with GL to support these shipments.

"A tremendous amount of meticulous planning and care go into preparing every shipment we send," says Global Links Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Kathleen Hower. "Over 1,800 volunteers of all ages and all walks of life donate more than 7,000 hours of service each year helping us collect, sort, and pack mountains of donated medical surplus."

Global Links shipments have benefited patients in more than 700 hospitals around the world in medically underserved communities where the need for even basic materials is profound, Hower said. The organization works closely with the Ministry of Health in each recipient country to ensure that our efforts support a country’s health planning strategy.

Past shipments to Guatemala have included operating room lights, tables, surgical equipment and linens, and materials to establish and equip birthing suites and a new intensive care unit in Coatepeque.

Global Links is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that collaborates with U.S. institutions to recover surplus medical materials before consignment to land-fills and makes them available to hospitals abroad through their ongoing programs.

Since its founding in 1989, Global Links has provided more than $160 million in critical medical aid to developing nations, including Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and Nicaragua.

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Pittsburgh Hosting International Student Summit on Cyber Security and Civil Liberties Sept. 17 - Webcast Available

International Student Summit - Cyber Security and Civil Liberties
September 17, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT
Cornell High School, 1099 Maple St., Coraopolis, PA 15108

On the occasion of Constitution Day, Cornell School District, the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, the National Flag Foundation, and Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3 will present an International Student Summit on Cyber Security and Civil Liberties for high school students around the world.

The Student Summit will connect students in the Pittsburgh region to students in countries around the world through video conference and webcast, engaging them in a dialogue exploring the tensions between cyber security and civil liberties issues.

Students worldwide may participate in the Student Summit through the interactive webcast. Students will be able to pose questions and share their ideas in real time.

Over the past few months, popular international magazines, news channels, and blogs have alerted audiences to the threat of cyberwar. The recent creation of the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence (CCD) Centre of Excellence show just how seriously national governments and international bodies are taking this new threat.

As the world becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet, cyber attacks could affect technological infrastructure such as power grids and banking systems. However, no formal definition exists for cyberwar. How can countries distinguish between hacking and an outright act of war? As governments debate how to grapple with this new security threat, how can an international dialogue contribute to meeting this new global challenge?

History shows that times of war have called for special security measures, sometimes at the expense of civil liberties. What are militaries, governments, and corporations doing to protect the internet? And what effect will cyber security measures have on civil liberties?

These are just some of the issues to be debated during the Student Summit.

International Student Summit: Cyber Security and Civil Liberties Details:

* Participation at Cornell High School or via video conference or webcast.
* Panel discussion and Q & A session with leaders who will share their perspectives on key cyber security and civil liberties issues, including free speech and privacy.
* Interactive breakout sessions facilitated by local experts in which students will analyze and discuss a cyber security scenario.
* Debriefing session for groups to share their approaches to the scenario.

Tentative Schedule

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Panel Presentation and Q & A Session

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Session

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Debriefing Session

Register Now!
Registration for the Cornell High School and video conference sites is open to students in grades 9-12. Students of all ages may participate in the webcast. To participate at Cornell High School or via video conference or webcast, please use the links below to register.

Participation at Cornell High School
Cornell High School can accommodate up to 350 student participants from throughout the Pittsburgh region. Registrations will be accepted on a rolling basis until the program is filled. Due to space constraints, each school will initially be limited to 30 participants. Additional students will be placed on a waiting list. Click here to register.

Participation via Video Conference
A limited number of schools can register to participate via video conference. Schools in the Pittsburgh region will be paired with international sites during the breakout session. Video conference equipment is required. Click here to register.

Participation via Webcast
Students throughout Pennsylvania, in other parts of the United States, and in other countries worldwide may participate in this International Student Summit through the interactive webcast of the panel from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Students will be able to pose questions and share their ideas in real time. Click here to register.

Click here to watch the live webcast on Friday, September 17, 2010.

Questions? Please contact Amiena Mahsoob or Allyce Pinchback at the World Affairs Council at amiena@worldaffairspittsburgh.org or allyce@worldaffairspittsburgh.org, or call (412) 281-7970.

A preparation guide is available for teachers to stimulate student thinking about cyber security and civil liberties issues prior to the event.


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Pittsburgh Mayor Ravenstahl Invited to Deliver Keynote Address at Prestigious Business Leaders' Council at Shanghai World Expo

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has been invited by the Mayor of Shanghai, China to deliver the keynote address next month at the annual meeting of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council (IBLAC). The IBLAC advises Mayor Han Zheng on issues and opportunities regarding the city's economic transformation and rise to global prominence.

Ravenstahl will visit Shanghai and Seoul, South Korea from Oct. 6-15. He will travel with Chief of Staff Yarone Zober, Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Dennis Yablonsky and officials from the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a conference affiliate.

The IBLAC has invited Mayor Ravenstahl to share Pittsburgh's story of regional transformation during World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, one of the largest world's fairs in history, according to Bill Flanagan, executive vice president for corporate relations at the Allegheny Conference. The invitation was prompted by the visibility Pittsburgh received through the G-20 summit and arranged at the suggestion of the global chairman of Ernst & Young, he said on the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership website.

In addition to delivering the keynote and meeting privately with government and business leaders, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference, and the PA Department of Community & Economic Development are arranging meetings for the Mayor with prospects for business investment.

After the Shanghai conference the Mayor will travel on to Seoul, South Korea as part of Pittsburgh World Tour 2010, the post-G-20 outreach organized by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. Mayor Ravensthal will meet with the local organizing committee that is preparing to host the G-20 Summit in November. The South Korean government has called Pittsburgh a "global best practice" in conducting an international summit.
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