The Johnson Foundation’s Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin, was the site in March 2004 for a gathering of thirty-two leaders from throughout the United States. Participants came from international exchange non-governmental organizations, local communities, educational institutions, corporations and local governments. Their intent was to develop a consensus and strategy for convening a National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy.

Acting as unofficial ambassadors, citizen diplomats participate in educational exchange programs and/or host such programs and exchange students here in our country. By focusing on public education and networking events, Americans are able to interact with, learn about and come to appreciate citizens of other cultures. The Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy, a non-profit organization, was established after September 11, 2001 and has created a nationwide network of community groups, rotary clubs, educational institutions, and international exchange groups, each of which is working to establish an agenda of initiatives to create citizen diplomats within their own communities. Today this group is leading a nation-wide effort to raise the profile and strengthen the impact of the citizen diplomacy movement. To learn more about the Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy and to access their publications, go to info@citizen-diplomacy.org.

As International Affairs Officer of a statewide womens association, I want to encourage everyone toward this shared goal of learning more about our world neighbors in an effort both to educate ourselves and to counteract the often erroneous assumptions made about our neighbors living in other world cultures. There are numerous pragmatic approaches to such learning. To begin, if you are a book club member, encourage your group to include at least one international read on your 2006-07 selections. My book club recently read Kite Runner and Reading Lolita in Tehran, sparking energetic and informative discussions. A friend's group in another state just completed Kite Runner and hosted an Afghani American at their discussion group who shared his own experiences of growing up in Afghanistan compared to the author’s experiences. A gourmet cooking group just enjoyed an afternoon with an Iranian woman who taught them dishes most favored in her culture. We are each surrounded by such opportunities in our daily life, it should be our goal to notice them.