Agenda

10:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Royal Sonesta Hotel Lobby

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Welcome Reception Finland

Heavy hors d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided

7:00 pm Dinner Off-site

Participants have a per diem allowance to spend on dinner at local restaurants.

7:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Finland

9:00 am – 9:30 am Welcome Remarks and Introductions New Sweden

• Paul Garr, U.S. Alumni Outreach Coordinator, Office of Alumni Affairs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

• Payge Jennings, U.S. Alumni Outreach Coordinator, Office of Alumni Affairs, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

9:30 am – 10:00 am How ECA Tells the American Story New Sweden

• Matthew Lussenhop, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State

• Participant Q&A

10:00 am – 10:20 am Networking Break New Sweden Pre-Function Area

10:20 am – 12:00 pm Exploring the Foundation and Examining the Implications of the “American” Identity New Sweden

Presenters will discuss the political, historical, and cultural landscape of the “American” identity and highlight the role that marginalized stories can play in transforming the way we share history, culture, heritage, and memory and build inclusive communities.

Moderator: Tai Soon Burgess, Selma Jeanne Cohen Fulbright Dance Lecturer Award

Presenters:

• Stephanie Jimenez, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program

• Irma McClaurin, Fulbright Specialist Program

• Shachi Patel, TechWomen

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Offsite

Participants will have per diem to purchase lunch at local restaurants.

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm The Network Effect: International Exchange Alumni New Sweden

Presenter: Paul Garr

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Alumni TIES Small Grants Program New Sweden

Presenter: Jessica Mead, Senior Program Officer, World Learning

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm Building Partnerships for Community Action

During the interactive activity, participants will gather in small groups based on themes of interest for community projects and engage in one-on-one consultations. Participants will build partnerships, share ideas, address challenges, and brainstorm solutions.

Facilitator: Payge Jennings

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Networking Break New Sweden Pre-Function Area

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Advancing the Practice of Conscientious Cultural Tourism New Sweden

Presenters will share the goals, principles, and impact of cultural tourism and discuss best practices for how to build bridges across communities through sustainable and respectful cultural immersion.

Moderator: Robyn Cutright, Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Presenters:

• Bobbie Bigby, Fulbright U.S. Student Program

• Melanie Wilson, Peace Corps

• Jennifer Spatz, YLAI Initiative Fellowship Program

5:00 pm – 5:15 pm Daily Closing and Announcements New Sweden

Facilitator: Paul Garr

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm No Host Local Alumni Networking Reception Kieran’s Irish Pub

Meet local exchange alumni from Minnesota and members of Global Minnesota!

7:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Finland

9:00 am – 10:30 am Understanding the Impact of Narrative and Linguistic History and Preservation New Sweden

During this presentation, participants will learn from presenters about the importance and challenges of narrative and linguistic history and preservation. Presenters will share how the language of stories and linguistics can shape the national identity and initiate a renewed discussion on multiculturalism and cross-cultural understanding.

Moderator: Leslie Anderson, Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Presenters:

• Eileen Angelini, Fulbright Specialist Program

• Ricia Chansky, Fulbright Specialist Program

• Mathew Holloway, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program

10:30 am – 10:45 am Networking Break New Sweden Pre-Function Area

10:45 am – 12:00 pm Cultivating and Sharing Marginalized Stories through the Arts

Participant facilitators will lead the small group discussions listed below and share strategies and methodologies on how the arts are used to successfully center marginalized communities.

• Creating Presence from Absence through Multilingual Poetry New Sweden

In this workshop, the facilitator will demonstrate the process of young adults navigating identity formation across different geographical spaces, divergent cultures, and multiple languages as they create poetry that documents the disruptions and joys in their lives and showcase their work to public audiences. Participants will engage in a discussion about incorporating language diversity in narrative writing as an expression of one’s identity and fundamental human right to linguistic freedom.

Facilitator: Patricia MacKinnon, English Language Fellow Program

• Theater Audience Development in Latino Communities New Sweden 3

Dating back to Aristophanes, theater is a tradition used to educate and entertain. In 1965, El Teatro Campesino used didactic methods during the United Farm Workers strike in California. Utilizing a blend of commedia dell’arte techniques and the “learning pieces” of Bertolt Brecht, the teatro created “actos” that helped spread the message of the farm workers movement. Using the same techniques, participants will develop strategies for outreach and audience development in Latino communities.

Facilitator: Carlos Morton, Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program

• Weaving Culture, Heritage, and Collective Memory through Photojournalism Fjords 3

Participants will take part in an open discussion on how visual storytelling is used to advance programs and initiatives related to culture, heritage, and collective memory. The group will share anecdotes and practical tips on how to achieve this, touching on cultural sensitivity, compelling imagery, sequencing, and various other topics.

Facilitator: Caroline Gutman, Global Entrepreneurship Program

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Offsite

Participants will have per diem to purchase lunch at local restaurants.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive, and Accessible Community Education and Engagement Practices

Participant facilitators will lead the small group discussions listed below and sharing effective programs and initiatives in incorporating and establishing diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices in their communities.

• Strange Fruit: Academic Lynching and School-Forced Trauma New Sweden

Willie Lynch’s idea of protecting the slave was embedded within psychological and physical torture: keeping him or her physically strong yet psychologically weak. Many of our schools promote and personify the measures taught by Willie. For many, schooling becomes a traumatizing experience. Participants will discuss the complex conflict and controversy behind instruction that is deemed anti-racist yet imprisons the mind via the art of dehumanization.

Facilitator: Cornelius Finley, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

• Combining Hip Hop with Community Programming to Expand the Voices of the United States New Sweden 3

Curious about how the revolutionary cultural movement of hip hop can be applied to community building? In this workshop, participants will participate in a live community “freestyle” song activity and explore how the five elements of hip hop can provide a platform for equitable storytelling, peer-to-peer relationship resilience and communal archiving practices that enhance community programming in an easily accessible way.

Facilitator: Ami Kim, Next Level

• Using Digital Media to Tell Inclusive Stories about American Cuisine Fjords 3

Participants will discuss creative ways to share stories about American identity while exploring the role of culinary traditions in shaping a national culture.

Facilitator: Seth Paternostro, National Security Language Initiative for Youth

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Meetings with Local Organizations

Participants will visit one of the following organizations based on their interests.

• Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul: https://www.csp.edu/center-for-hmong-studies/

• Minnesota State Capitol and Midtown Global Market: https://www.mnhs.org/capitol and https://midtownglobalmarket.org/

• Twin Cities German Immersion School: https://www.tcgis.org/

6:00 pm Dinner Off-site

Participants have a per diem allowance to spend on dinner at local restaurants.

7:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Finland

9:00 am – 11:00 am Meetings with Local Organizations

Participants will visit one of the following organizations based on their interests.

• American Swedish Institute: https://asimn.org/

• Green Card Voices: https://www.greencardvoices.org/

• Minnesota Historical Society: https://www.mnhs.org/

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Finland

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Shaping Our Future Together: Grassroots Mobilization and Authentic Community Engagement New Sweden

Presenters will share best practices and lessons learned on working with their local communities and key stakeholders. They will discuss how they mobilize community members, engage stakeholders, and secure financial support to develop programs and initiatives that focus on sharing marginalized and underrepresented stories.

Moderator: Eva Wingren, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program

Presenters:

• Andres Avila, YLAI Initiative Fellowship Program

• Amy Baldonieri, Museums Connect Program

• Sanjeev Chatterjee, Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm Next Steps for Sharing the Culture, Heritage, History, and Memory of Marginalized Communities New Sweden, New Sweden 3, Fjords 1

Participants will meet in small groups based on fields of expertise or interests (developed during the first day) to design initiatives or programs that promote and share the culture, heritage, stories, and memory of marginalized communities in U.S. history.

Facilitators: Paul Garr and Payge Jennings

4:00 pm – 4:15 pm Networking Break New Sweden Pre-Function Area

4:15 pm – 5:15 pm Seminar Reflection New Sweden

Facilitators: Paul Garr and Payge Jennings

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Closing Dinner Crave

Hosted by the U.S. Department of State

7:00 am – 8:30 am Breakfast Finland

7:00 am – 5:00 pm Departures

12:00 pm Hotel Check-Out