DECEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER

Dear readers, friends and colleagues of ICD,

We would like to thank you for your support of our 2007 programs, and look forward to working with you in 2008. Best wishes for a joyful holiday season and a happy new year.

The Launch of the ICD Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

The ICD is proud to announce the launch of its highly anticipated academy for cultural diplomacy. The decision to initiate the academy was a result of the very high interest, and the quantity and the quality of applications received for our current Young Leaders Forums. Due to the limited number of placements, pre-requisites and age restrictions under the Young Leaders Forums the ICD has decided to launch the academy so that people from a greater diversity of backgrounds, age groups and countries have access to an opportunity to learn at an interdisciplinary level about cultural diplomacy.

The Academy’s goal is to effectively promote an informed, systematic application of cultural diplomacy in all sectors of society. We provide a theoretical and practical curriculum to effectively prepare and enhance the current and future generations of leaders in all fields. Our curriculum and programs are designed in such a way that they complement other, more traditional academic regiments.  As a result, the Academy is designed to appeal to people in different stages in their career, and whether they are students, recent graduates or executives, the ICD is capable of providing tailor made seminars to suit the participant.  It is of the utmost importance to ICD that our student body is as diverse as our organizational mission. This diversity strengthens the discourse in the classroom and the overall experience. We are diligently committed to helping under-developed communities and countries to develop and strengthen their respective social, economic and governmental institutions. Therefore we encourage all to apply to the academy’s programs and we will admit students on a need-blind basis.

In addition to the academy providing cross-cultural training, our extensive and influential network will be open to the participants in order to provide them with the sometimes-elusive tools needed to combat adversity and social discontent in their respective countries.

By launching the academy we now hope to satisfy the demand and need for cultural diplomacy to all facets of life and on a world wide scale. A call for applications has now begun with seminars beginning at the end of every month, starting with January 2008. For more information please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_icdacademy

New ICD International Headquarters in Berlin

ICD is delighted to introduce its new International Headquarters in Berlin. After having been located for three years on Griefswalder Strase in the eastern part of the city, from 1st January 2008, ICD will be situated on Keithstraße 14, near Wittenbergplatz. The new location puts ICD right in the heart of western Berlin, near the Tiergarten and the famous and iconic Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche.

The new office offers considerably more space and opportunities for ICD operations. As well as increased office space, with the addition of classrooms and large meeting rooms. These are both necessary for the expansion of ICD in 2008 with the development of the ICD Academy and ICD Cultural Diplomacy Consulting. We are excited about the move and the new potential that it opens up, and see it as indicative of the increased role of our operations and cultural diplomacy in the world.

The Winter Edition of Pulse Berlin

The Bi-Annual Journal Published by the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy

The upcoming winter issue of Pulse is a collection of conversations about truth and authenticity, featuring discussions between well-known spiritual leaders, atheists, musicians, entrepreneurs, bio-ethicists, poets, mechanical engineers, activists, bloggers, filmmakers, international journalists and nomads.  The question of “what is true” may be impossible to answer; yet it remains a core motivation in everything from artistic inspiration to international relations.  In a world of “Wikipedia”, relativity and the multi-verse, truth tends to be whatever the majority allows to pass; yet we still find ways to trust in what we learn, in what we feel, and in each other. What dangers lurk in any discussion of truth?  And what are its pleasures and liberations? 

Pulse is a bi-annual ICD journal about the activity that happens in the places between definitions.  We live in a world where problems are no longer localized: issues in every discipline exceed the limits of that discipline and need illumination from many others, as do the problems of nations and cultures. Pulse Berlin is about opening new conversations between nations, cultures, and disciplines: We believe it is this interplay that ultimately leads to positive forms of change.  

For more information, please visit Pulse at:
www.pulse-berlin.com

Expanding Cultural Diplomacy amongst Nations

Under the current global political climate, with tensions over the war on terrorism, ballistic missile defense, and humanitarian crises to say the least the institute for cultural diplomacy, like many other observers, has noticed a lack of constructive engagement amongst nations in the area of cultural diplomacy. This lack of engagement has resulted in countries such as China, Russia, USA, Pakistan, and Iraq remaining culturally distant and attempting to meet their goals on an individualistic basis.

Understanding the challenges of today and that of the foreseeable future, ICD wishes to expand on its current cultural diplomatic efforts and provide a forum for young leaders to gain a thorough knowledge of one another while meeting their strategic aims in areas such as technology, investment, science, economics, and politics.

With cultural ties already established with many nations, now is the time to ensure the longevity of such ambitions. Bringing young Germans together with young leaders from various nations will forge a long lasting relationship based on dialogue, understanding and trust for generations to come. With many German programs and initiatives already established abroad, now is the time for the international community to establish itself in Germany. The institute of cultural diplomacy will continue its efforts in expanding cultural understand by continuing to facilitate programs which can bring young leaders from around the globe together. Starting in the first quarter of 2008 we will lauch new programs together with the Foreign Ministries of numerous nations around the world and we invite you to join us in this mission!

Reflections on 2007 at ICD

Research
Expanding and deepening research in the field of cultural diplomacy is an important ICD goal. Our research work includes such ICD activities as academic conferences, book publications and seminars, such as the one currently being taught on the topic of cultural diplomacy by our director, Mark Donfried, at the Humboldt University. He is also co-editing with Prof. Jessica Gienow-Hecht, member of the Board of Directors of ICD, a new volume, Searching for a Cultural Diplomacy, which will be published in mid-2008.

Programs
ICD is continuing to expand programs in order to include weekly and monthly events for the larger Berlin international community. You may have already seen some of these announcements in our newsletter. Also to be noted is the fact that the Robert Bosch Foundation is now the primary sponsor of the "Germany Meets Turkey- A Forum for Young Leaders" program, a genuine tribute to the pioneering vision of ICD. In addition, Bosch has doubled the program budget for 2008 and has requested that they be included as an equal partner with ICD in the development and operation of this program. Also, October marked the most successful “Canada Meets Germany- A Forum for Young Leaders" study tour to date. This is good news indeed and some contributions and sponsorships have already been received for the 2008 CMG program, although core financing for this program must, still be obtained. Additionally, ICD has launched new programs in the areas of Sports as Cultural Diplomacy (www.sportsasculturaldiplomacy.org) as well as Art as Cultural Diplomacy together with Marc Bogaerts, a Belgian choreographer famous for his international work with the Deutscher Oper, amongst other major institutions. (www.bogaertsproductions.com).

Cultural Diplomacy Consulting (www.cd-consulting.org )
Through the consulting division, ICD now has an effective channel to work together with the private sector. Specifically, since the last quarter of 2007, ICD is developing and helping to implement a program in the area of "Socially Responsible Investments" for a major European corporate.

The ICD Academy for Cultural Diplomacy
(www.culturaldiplomacy.org)
The Academy serves a significant component of ICD’s strategy to reach out to a much broader public and to give significantly more individuals the opportunity to learn both about cultural diplomacy and to participate in some of its varied dimensions. We offer 1-4 week modules for participants ranging from university students and beyond. The initial seminars will be funded and developed together with some of ICD’s close partners including embassies, foundations, universities and other academic institutions.