Gulf Coast Diplomacy

10/22/2026

A change of plans for three international exchange programs: Hurricane Isaias forced us to make some difficult decisions about three International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) projects scheduled for Pensacola this month.

After assessing local conditions, we determined that we could not provide the safe, productive professional experiences these programs require. Our national partners redirected the projects to other communities.

The three projects were:
• Confronting Antisemitism in Schools and on Campuses, with exchange participants from Germany
• Law Enforcement Solutions to Combat Online Scams and Transnational Crime, a sub-regional project
• Resilient Cities: Disaster Preparedness and Response, with exchange participants from Taiwan

We are particularly grateful to the Northwest Florida professionals and organizations who had agreed to share their time and expertise and to the dinner hosts who had to cancel their hospitality plans. Many had spent weeks helping us prepare meaningful appointments and experiences.

We also recognize that some of these same partners were dealing with storm damage, power outages, and urgent responsibilities of their own. We deeply appreciate their preparation, flexibility, and understanding as we canceled the programs.

Our thanks also go to our national partners and the U.S. Department of State for working through these changes with us. We regret the missed opportunities for professional exchange, but the safety and recovery of our community had to come first.

We look forward to welcoming future exchange participants when Northwest Florida is ready.

10/21/2026

Youth Diplomats, we're looking forward to seeing you Saturday!

Our next Cohort 10 meeting is scheduled for October 24, and after the challenges our community has faced over the past two weeks, we're especially looking forward to bringing everyone together again.

We know recovery looks different for every family. Please check GroupMe for meeting details and updates, and let us know if your circumstances have changed.

We look forward to another opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and spend time together.

10/19/2026

It has been quiet here since Hurricane Isaias struck Northwest Florida. We know many of our friends, members, volunteers, and community partners have faced difficult days. Some are still dealing with damage, interrupted utilities, and the challenges of recovery.

We hope you and your families are safe and that each day brings a little more progress.
Like many organizations in our community, Gulf Coast Diplomacy has had to adjust its plans. We have also paused our Gulf Coast Diplomacy 250 fundraising campaign while our community focuses on recovery.

We will share updates about our international exchange programs in the coming days, but first, we want you to know that we are thinking of you and are grateful for the people who make Northwest Florida such a special community.

Please take care of yourselves and one another.

Photo by Joshua Burdick

10/05/2026

One volunteer can open the world to hundreds of students.

Volunteer of the Year Mary Kyte has welcomed dozens of international exchange participants to Pensacola Catholic High School over the years, inviting them to share their work, experiences, and perspectives with local students.

Those visits have created something much bigger than a single professional appointment.
Hundreds of Pensacola Catholic High School students have had opportunities to meet people from around the world, ask questions, learn about other countries and careers, and hear perspectives they might not otherwise encounter in their classrooms.

At the same time, exchange participants get to experience an American school firsthand and learn from the students and educators they meet.

That kind of access does not happen without a local person who sees the value of opening the door and continues to say yes.

We are grateful to Mary for doing exactly that, year after year, and proud to recognize her as Gulf Coast Diplomacy's 2026 Volunteer of the Year.

10/05/2026

One professional exchange can lead to much more.

A connection that began through an IVLP in Pensacola grew into an ongoing partnership with American Corner Pristina and, eventually, opportunities for young people in Kosovo and Northwest Florida to connect and learn from one another.

This is what we mean by relationships that continue beyond the original exchange.

10/02/2026

There’s a great story behind this partnership.

Our relationship with American Corner Pristina grew from a connection we first made at an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) meeting in Pensacola. That professional exchange led to a relationship that continued and eventually to Camp Global.

We love seeing where one exchange can lead and the impacts that it creates.

Global Ties U.S.

10/02/2026

What does an international exchange bring to Northwest Florida?

Last month, Gulf Coast Diplomacy welcomed exchange participants exploring "U.S. State and Local Government" through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), administered nationally for this project by Meridian International Center.

Local elected officials and public servants shared how our government institutions work. Legal and education professionals contributed their expertise. Thirteen Northwest Floridians expanded their professional networks through an Exchange Café. Our Youth Diplomats practiced asking questions, sharing their perspectives, and engaging with accomplished professionals from around the world. Local families made connections around their dinner tables through Home Hospitality.

That is part of the hometown return on international exchange: new connections, broader perspectives, opportunities for our young people, and a chance to put Northwest Florida expertise into international conversations.

We also heard afterward that those contributions mattered. Participants specifically cited lessons from local government and the courts, the importance of community engagement and trust, and the curiosity and perspectives of our Youth Diplomats among the experiences they would remember from Pensacola.

Read the full story and meet the Northwest Floridians who made it possible:

International Exchange with a Hometown Return What does American government look like from the statehouse to the school district? In Northwest Florida, international exchange participants saw it in action and meet the people who make it work. In August 2026, Gulf Coast Diplomacy welcomed an Internat...

09/30/2026

What happens when you invite a community to explore AI with international professionals working in the field? People show up.

Gulf Coast Diplomacy partnered with the Pensacola MESS Hall to bring four artificial intelligence professionals from India together with Northwest Florida residents for an evening of science, conversation, and connection.

The room reflected exactly what we hoped to see: young people, AI and robotics professionals, civic leaders, longtime Gulf Coast Diplomacy members, and many people who had never participated in one of our programs before. Only 12 of the 45 local attendees were Gulf Coast Diplomacy members.

Even better, the impact did not end when the evening did. One new attendee has volunteered to host international exchange participants for dinner, and another wants to become a Gulf Coast Diplomacy member.

This is one reason travel matters. Four professionals traveled from India to Pensacola, but the impact of that journey reached dozens of people who never left Northwest Florida. It created opportunities for people from different countries and generations to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas, and begin relationships that continued after the evening ended. Those person-to-person connections help build the trust and understanding on which peaceful relationships depend.

AI Night was supported by the Global Ties U.S. Dinner Diplomacy Program, made possible by Marriott International.

Thank you to Global Ties U.S., Marriott International, and Pensacola MESS Hall for helping us bring more of our community into international exchange.

09/30/2026

Sometimes the simplest hospitality creates the best conversations.

This month, Gulf Coast Diplomacy brought Northwest Florida residents together with international exchange participants from Indonesia and India for two Exchange Cafés focused on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Over apple pie, local professionals and community members moved beyond formal introductions and talked directly with people working on many of the same emerging issues in their own countries. Twenty-one local residents participated across the two gatherings, including five professionals working in AI or cybersecurity.

These are the moments we love: good conversation, new connections, and more people in Northwest Florida discovering that international exchange can happen right here at home.
When people travel beyond their own communities and sit down with people they might never otherwise meet, differences become conversations and strangers have the opportunity to find common ground. Those personal connections are one small but meaningful way travel can contribute to a more peaceful world.

Our September Exchange Cafés received partial support through the Global Ties U.S. Dinner Diplomacy Program, made possible by Marriott International.

Thank you, Global Ties U.S. and Marriott International, for helping us bring more of our community to the table.

09/28/2026

Sometimes the best exchange stories happen years later.

A few years ago, Gulf Coast Diplomacy welcomed a group of French students to Northwest Florida through the Youth Ambassadors program. Local families opened their homes, and teenagers from two countries spent time learning about each other's lives and communities.

This summer, two of them reunited in Paris.

They had stayed in touch over the years and, when they realized they had the opportunity to be in the same place again, made plans through WhatsApp to meet. They spent a couple of days exploring Paris together, including stops at the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

No program itinerary. No staff arranging the meeting. Just two young people who met through an exchange years ago and decided the friendship was worth keeping.

That's the part of exchange we don't always get to see. The program ends, but the relationships continue.