America.gov - Engaging the world

Webcast – Volunteerism in America

This digital videoconference aims to give Indian audiences an understanding of American volunteerism and community service and inspire ideas that will attract youth to come forward to support a national cause. It also aims to inspire leaders of nongovernmental organizations, officials, young leaders and youth to collaborate in finding ways to equip and reward volunteers who seek better lives for their communities.

Patrick Triano is director of outreach, training and member support for AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), the U.S. national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. He is responsible for program policy, marketing strategies, and curriculum design and implementation for volunteers and project managers. He has also served as the director of education for AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) and staff development director for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the administrative arm of AmeriCorps.

Donna M. Smith is the state program director for the Corporation for National and Community Service Field Office based in Albany, New York. She has worked with the corporation and its predecessor agency, ACTION, for more than 30 years, primarily supporting its Senior Corps and VISTA programs.

As director of volunteerism for America SCORES, a boys' and girls' soccer league, Nick Beckman works on strategies for increasing volunteerism and improving volunteer management and retention. He also designed and manages a nationwide AmeriCorps VISTA project that places 30 VISTA volunteers in capacity-building roles at America SCORES offices across the country. He is also the managing director of Up2Us, a nationwide coalition that seeks to increase the impact of youth sports as a tool for positive youth development.

If you would like to participate in this webcast, please go to http://www.cpcwebcast.com/state/. No registration is needed. Simply type in your preferred screen name and e-mail address to view the conference.

Fighting Pirates in the 21st Century

Nations worldwide are searching for new ways to stop pirates off the coast of East Africa. Join the U.S. Department of State's pirate expert Donna Hopkins for a live chat in which she will discuss what measures the international community can take to combat piracy. This is a follow-up event to Hopkins' chat on May 26. You can read the transcript from that session on America.gov.

Donna Hopkins is the State Department's program manager on piracy.

Sri Lanka and the Maldives Q & A

Sri Lanka's 26-year-old conflict has cost tens of thousands of Sinhalese and Tamil lives, uprooted countless Sri Lankans from their homes, left thousands maimed or wounded, and brutally divided the nation.

On June 23, join senior U.S. State Department official Gregg Sullivan for a question-and-answer session on U.S. relations with Sri Lanka. He will also be available to discuss the Maldives.

Gregg Sullivan has been the director of press and public diplomacy for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs since 2006. He joined the foreign service in 1992 as an economic officer, and has served in Bahrain, Egypt and South Africa. He has also served in Washington on the Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain desks. From 2000 to 2006, he served as spokesman for the department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in Washington, working extensively with domestic and international media. Sullivan has undergraduate degrees in economics and modern European history and a master's degree focusing on Middle East and Islamic studies. He has completed a year of Ph.D. study focusing on the Shi’a communities of the Arabian Gulf.

Fighting Corruption in Africa

On June 17, join U.S. Department of State anti-corruption adviser Diane Kohn for a live chat on "Strengthening Global Partnerships for Fighting Corruption and Ending Impunity."

Diane Kohn is a lawyer serving as an anti-corruption adviser in the Crime Office of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Her portfolio includes work in Africa and Latin America, and with APEC and the Group of Eight major industrialized democracies, and support for implementation of the No Safe Haven policy. She also represents the United States on the Committee of Experts for the review mechanism of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption.

Before joining the State Department, Kohn was program director for the U.S. chapter of Transparency International. Before starting her anti-corruption work, she was public affairs director for the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce (Ohio), executive director of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America, and assistant director for Latin American affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Is There Hope for Somalia?

Somalia is embroiled in a cycle of violence and instability, despite promising efforts at resolution in recent years. Approximately 43 percent of the population relies on humanitarian assistance to survive, and nearly 500,000 Somalis have fled their country and now live in overcrowded refugee camps throughout the region.

The Obama administration is working to address these challenges, along with international partners, including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the International Contact Group on Somalia, and the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, among others. U.S. foreign policy goals in Somalia include achieving political and economic stability, eliminating the terrorist threat, addressing the dire humanitarian situation, and eliminating the threat of piracy. The United States is also working with other states in the region, as Somalia’s challenges are intertwined with other conflicts and issues throughout the Horn of Africa.

Greg Garland is media and outreach coordinator for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs. A career U.S. Foreign Service officer, he has served in Mozambique, Angola, Mexico, Guinea and Poland, as well as with the Jacksonville, Florida, International Relations Commission. He graduated from Duke University and holds an M.A. from the University of North Carolina and a J.D. from California Western School of Law.

Webcast (in Spanish) – Obama and Latin America: The First 100 Days, the Next 100 Days

This Spanish-language program will discuss the Obama administration’s foreign policy objectives in Latin America, highlighting the positive aspects of engagement that have already occurred and the partnerships the administration hopes to maintain and develop in the region. Our guest will be MIchael Shifter.

Michael Shifter is vice president for policy and director of the Andean program at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. Since 1993, he has been an adjunct professor of Latin American politics at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Shifter writes and comments widely on U.S.-Latin American relations and hemispheric affairs. His recent articles have appeared in major U.S. and Latin American publications such as the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Journal of Democracy, the Harvard International Review, Clarín, O Estado de S. Paulo and Cambio. He is also co-editor, along with Jorge Domínguez, of Constructing Democratic Governance in Latin America, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. Since 1996, he has regularly testified before Congress about U.S. policy toward Latin America.

If you would like to participate in this event, please go to http://www.cpcwebcast.com/state. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

Webcast – Washington Foreign Press Center On-the-Record Briefing: Global Response to the Cairo Speech of President Obama

The Department of State, through its regional bureaus, is tracking the public reaction to President Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo, reaching out to Muslims in all countries. The high-ranking State Department officials covering Africa, Asia and the Middle East will discuss the impact of the speech from their region’s perspective.

Johnnie Carson is assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Glyn Davies is acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, Jeffrey Feltman is principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, and Patrick Moon is principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs.

If you would like to participate in this event, please go to http://www.cpcwebcast.com/state. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

CO.NX Webcast – President Obama's Policy Speech in Egypt

President Obama will travel to Egypt on June 4 for a historic speech in which he will seek to strengthen U.S. relations with the Arab world and the larger Muslim world. President Obama chose Egypt as the venue for the long-promised speech because the country "in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

"Our hope is not to draw a large crowd, but our hope is to reach a large portion of the world with what we hope is a powerful message," Gibbs said.

You can find a complete biography of President Obama on America.gov at http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/November/20081107130959xjyrrep0.4492609.html.

If you would like to participate in this CO.NX webcast, please go to https://townhall.connectsolutions.com/conx_obama. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

Webcast – Libraries and Their Clients: Free or Fee Services Supporting Social Communication in the Digital Era

The worldwide financial crisis urges libraries to search for more competitive, low-cost solutions in supporting scholarly research and public services, based essentially upon modern technologies. The aim of this digital videoconference is to display and stimulate valuable initiatives as well as to highlight the examples of low-cost/free-of-charge digital or print communication services offered and promoted by libraries.

Diane Nester Kresh is the director of the Arlington County, Virginia, Department of Libraries. She was formerly director for public service collections at the Library of Congress, where she directed a staff responsible for 15 of the library's reading rooms, including the historic Main Reading Room, and for custody and security of more than 113 million items in the library's general and special collections. She was selected to be among the 2001 Federal 100 for her role in launching the Collaborative Digital Reference Service. The award, given by Federal Computer Week to top executives from government, industry and academia who have had the greatest impact on the government systems community, honors those who have made a difference in the way organizations develop, acquire and manage information technology.

If you would like to participate in this event, please go to http://www.cpcwebcast.com/state/. No registration is needed. Simply sign in and choose "Submit & View Webcast."

How Does the World Confront Naval Piracy?

The United States has joined with 27 nations and six international organizations to create the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, highlighting America’s commitment to promoting maritime safety, safeguarding global commerce and ensuring safe passage for international humanitarian aid deliveries. As contact group representatives prepare to meet at the United Nations in New York May 29, U.S. Ambassador Greg Delawie answers your questions about diplomatic efforts to build international cooperation and make progress against piracy.

Greg Delawie is deputy assistant secretary for management and negotiations in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. A career member of the senior foreign service, he previously served as director of the Bilateral Trade Affairs Office in the Bureau of Economic and Energy Affairs. He most recently served abroad as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia. He has also served in Rome, Ankara and Frankfurt. Before serving in Zagreb, he was policy coordination director of the Human Resources Bureau.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, please go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/conx/. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation's Anti-Corruption Elements

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. government corporation designed to work with some of the world's poorest countries to reduce global poverty by promoting sustainable economic growth. Fighting corruption is at the core of MCC's mission and is a key part of the U.S. government’s approach to poverty reduction. MCC promotes measures to prevent and detect fraud and corruption before problems occur and after problems emerge. Alicia Phillips Mandaville will discuss the relationship between combating corruption and reducing poverty worldwide.

Alicia Phillips Mandaville is a senior policy associate at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. As a member of the development policy team, she is responsible for identifying policy issues, analyzing alternative approaches and recommending strategies for the most effective execution of MCC's mission. Before joining MCC, Mandaville served as the National Democratic Institute’s senior program officer for governance and poverty reduction and worked on poverty issues in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. She is the author of several publications on poverty and also served as a U.N. Development Programme consultant for legislative programs in East Asia and Central Europe.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, please go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/multilateralism/. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

Afro-Colombian Day 2009 Dia de la Afrocolombianidad 2009

Join Dr. Jerome Branche for an interactive discussion on culture and colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean. He will be covering such general topics as racism, slavery and colonial exploitation and the international development of capitalism. Acompañe al Profesor Jerome Branche en una discusión interactiva que tratara temas culturales e históricos como el colonialismo en América Latina y el Caribe. El hablara de temas tales como el racismo, la esclavitud y la explotación en la época de la colonia y su evolución hasta el capitalismo.

Jerome Branche is an associate professor of Latin American and cultural studies at the University of Pittsburgh. His work is oriented toward the Black Atlantic, critical race theory, pedagogy, and issues of culture and colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jerome Branche es profesor asociado de estudios culturales y latinoamericanos de la Universidad de Pittsburgh. Su trabajo está orientado hacia las comunidades negras en el Atlántico, teoría crítica racial, pedagogía y asuntos culturales del colonialismo en Latinoamérica y el Caribe.

If you would like to participate in this text webchat, please go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/colombia/. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program. Si Usted desea participar en este evento, por favor visite el siguiente enlace: http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/colombia/. No necesita registrarse. Solo debe elegir la opción: "Enter as a Guest,”: “Entre como invitado”, escriba su nombre y podrá participar. Si lo desea puede enviar sus preguntas con antelación o esperar hasta el inicio del programa.

English Roundtable: Classroom Assessment

At the end of our last two chats there was a request for us to discuss classroom assessment. Many teachers know what assessment is more from having been subjected to it rather than from having studied it in their pre-teaching courses. As a result, they are not sure about how to design or create effective classroom assessment that will help them to truly understand if students have learned the materials or developed skills. They assess everything the same way, with little variation, regardless of the reason for the assessment. Many do not know how to adequately assess productive skills that allow students to express their opinions and thoughts, so they only test general comprehension or the ability to use memorized vocabulary and texts with minimal manipulation. As a result, the assessment rarely matches the student-centered or communicative techniques that the teacher employs. The assessment is not really assessing what the teacher wants or needs to assess, and the scores are not reliable enough to make adequate assumptions about the students’ learning.

So, in our discussion, let’s look at different types of assessment and what each is used for. Let’s try to answer some of the questions about how to design an appropriate assessment that assesses what is taught and can give the teacher adequate information to evaluate the students’ learning. Our guest will be Damon Anderson.

Damon Anderson is the regional English language officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, please go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/englishroundtable. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

Conspiracy Theories

Many people believe conspiracy theories about the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, the origin of AIDS, the John F. Kennedy assassination, and other newsworthy topics. On July 14, we will chat about conspiracy theories with our guest, Todd Leventhal.

Todd Leventhal has researched the allegations involved in conspiracy theories for the State Department for 17 years, including disinformation and conspiracy theories about the origin of AIDS, organ trafficking, depleted uranium, the September 11 attacks, the Kennedy assassination and other subjects. He also worked as a journalist and radio broadcaster for the Voice of America for seven years, covering Soviet affairs in the 1980s and African issues in the 1990s. He has a master's degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School, a master's degree in Russian area studies from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado.

If you would like to participate in this CO.NX webchat, please go to https://statedept.connectsolutions.com/conspiracy. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.