Peru Leaders Examine Accountable Governance in Austin, Texas
AUSTIN, Texas, July 16, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Open World Leadership Center, a legislative branch agency, has sent a delegation of Members of Parliament from Lima, Peru, to Austin, Texas, from July 13-18, 2018. The delegation consists of four professionals accompanied by a bicultural facilitator and a bilingual interpreter. While in Austin, Open World delegates will be hosted by Friendship Force Club of Austin, in cooperation with GlobalAustin and the Austin-Lima Sister Cities.
The delegation of five includes four Members of Parliament: Richard Arce (Nuevo Peru), Jorge Melendez Celis (Peruvians for Change), Marisol Espinoza Cruz (Alliance for Progress) and Vicente Antonio Zeballos Salinas (Independent). They are accompanied by Francesca Varda, facilitator and Senior Political Specialist from the U.S. Embassy in Lima.
Prior to their arrival in Austin, delegates completed an orientation in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill. They met with Open World Leadership Center staff, the Historian of the U.S. Senate and the Peruvian Ambassador to the U.S. In addition, the delegation had policy meetings with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS), Rep. Scott Taylor (VA-02), Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-02), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Rep. Albio Sires (NJ-08), Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01), Rep. David Price (NC-04), Rep. Steve Womack (AR-03), Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-06).
In Austin, delegates will collaborate on best practices for accountable governance. Delegates will meet staff of the City of Austin, Austin Community College and the Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies (LLILAS). They will also visit the district office of Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10). Additional activities include a day tour of the Hill Country and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Ranch, a tour of the Texas State Capitol and a tour of the LBJ Presidential Library. The delegation will stay in the homes of local residents, serving as hospitality hosts.
More than 27,000 current and future leaders from post-Soviet era countries have participated in an Open World exchange program. Open World offers one of the most effective U.S. exchange programs to promote mutually beneficial options for depolarized engagement between future national leaders.
About Friendship Force
The Friendship Force Club of Austin was founded in 1984. Our mission is to sow the seeds of friendship across the nations of the world. Since 1985, our active members have participated in Friendship Force-sponsored trips to Australia, Africa, Cuba, Europe, the Far East, the Middle East and South America. In addition, Friendship Force clubs from Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Taiwan and some within the United States have visited us to have the Austin Experience. Our members are adventurers who enjoy forging new friendships as we explore places around the world. We live, work and play in Austin and the surrounding communities when we aren’t traveling. See http://www.ffiaustin.com/ for more information.
About Open World
Open World Leadership Center, a legislative branch agency, supports Congressional outreach for Members of Congress and conducts exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between emerging leaders and their U.S. counterparts in democratic institutions. Delegates are provided with extensive exposure to American politics, civic life and are hosted by American families. In 1999, Congress established Open World. Since then, more than 27,000 Eurasian leaders are alumni of Open World. To learn more about Open World, please click here: www.openworld.gov/.
Source: Friendship Force
Related Media
