At yesterday’s Public Diplomacy Forum at George Washington University, I was really impressed by the showcased Youth Ambassador Program, started by the US Mission to Brazil and now implemented in 25 other US embassies. The program, utilizing few resources, seeks to make an impact on Brazil with a positive view of the United States through a three-week educational exchange. A total of 45 students coming from every Brazilian state are selected to complete one week in Washington and two weeks with a host family in a US state with the idea that they return to Brazil as informal ambassadors of American culture.
While educational exchanges as part of public diplomacy are nothing new, the US Mission to Brazil has been fairly creative and strategic in utilizing media, both social and broadcasting, to ensure that the 45 students can share their experiences in America to the whole Brazilian nation. The program counts on each student posting statuses about their experiences to Facebook, which the Mission estimates can reach a network of 400-600 people each. Further, after the students return they appear on the most popular television network for an interview about their time in the US. The US Embassy has partnered with Brazil’s most popular network and so not only do they offset the cost of commercials but an interview with a Brazilian student on a Brazilian TV show is much more effective in reaching the public, rather than a US diplomat appearing on TV talking about American culture.
I wonder, however, how the US Mission ensures a positive and enriching experience for these students, since their opinion is crucial to the public diplomacy outreach. How much control does the Mission have over the content delivered by the students and what do they do if the student did not have a happy trip? Further, is it better to send the student to a school/home stay in a diverse town where they might others who speak who are bilingual, possibly making the student’s immersion easier? Finally, what are the metrics for a successful public diplomacy outreach in this case? Is it measured by the student’s feedback (based on their exchange program’s content, itinerary, and experience), the amount of “hits” they reach trough the media, or by the cost saving efforts of sending only 45 students?
Claire
http://brazil.usembassy.gov/45ya2012.html
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