The Reno portion of their program focused upon

• How American municipal, county, and state governments interact, yet maintain their autonomy;
• How American municipal and state governments deal with issues such as transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption.

According to the US State Department Closing Report, “Overall our guests were impressed with the hospitability and friendliness of Americans, or as Mr. Abdullah Abu Bakar put it: “I’m a Muslim, but Americans are more Islamic than many Indonesians.” In Carson City, the delegation met with Ms. Sherry Rupert, the Executive Director of the Nevada Indian Commission. They learned about Native Americans, which almost all Indonesians find fascinating. Mr. Muhammad Kadir shared that as a Bugis, he is himself a member of an Indian tribe, although an Indonesian one. As Ms. Rupert’s responsibilities include acting as a liaison between the tribes and the state government agencies, she was an ideal person to show how modern Native Americans generally are, and the ways in which they integrate and interact with non-Native American people and institutions, while at the same time preserving their particular cultures and values.

PHOTO ATTACHED: Indonesian official chat with Ms. Heidi Smith of the Republican National Committee in her home in Reno NV. Heidi and Steve Smith hosted the visitors at their home for a home hospitality dinner. Ms. Adinda Muchtar. “I thought that Americans, being very capitalist and individualist, would be very closed. But people were so friendly here.”

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces , Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME

Prior to the concert Joaquin Roces was able to address the packed venue and spoke about the NNIC and its wide range of programs from cultural and educational exchanges to language programs. Mike Graff from IIE in Washington DC was also able to address the crowd prior to Whitney taking the stage. According to Knitting Factory staff, the venue was sold out with 1260 people in attendance. Half of the proceeds for all the merchandising for Whitney Myer were donated to the NNIC.

Whitney Myer Band plays to a sold out crowd at the NNIC Fundraiser at the Knitting Factory in downtown Reno

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces , Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME

Gaining People, Losing Ground: Balancing Population with Resources

The winner of the prestigious 2003 United Nations Population Award, Werner Fornos has been described as the foremost spokesperson on global population issues. He served as president of the Population Institute, a Washington, DC based nonprofit public interest group from 1982 until late 2005.

Mr. Fornos is an internationally recognized expert on world population issues. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Maryland; The Order of Merit, the highest distinction granted by the German Government to a non-German citizen in recognition of humanitarian efforts; and the Service Above Self Award, the highest honor given by Rotary International. Fornos has been named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association and is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International. He is a life-time honorary member of the Washington, DC Rotary Club and an active member of the Woodstock, Virginia, Rotary Club. Mr. Fornos is among the 50 persons in the world inducted into the Earth Times Magazine Hall of Fame for their distinguished contributions in the last decade to environment and development.

Mr. Fornos makes frequent national television and radio appearances and contributes to newspaper and magazine articles, appearing in such publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor. He is the author of the book, “Gaining People, Losing Ground.”

This event is free and open to the public. Join the speaker for an informal cocktail hour from 6-7pm (no host bar) at the Siena Ballroom. Contact the Northern Nevada International Center for additional information, Dr. Carina Black via email at CLICK ME

Or, call us at (775) 784.7515 extension 221

The Northern Nevada International Center is proud to announce that Khouala Bessam is one of the top students in Algeria. Ms. Bessam was a particpant in last year’s US State Department’s Algerian Youth Leadership Program which was hosted and conducted by the NNIC here at the University of Nevada. After completeing the program Ms. Bessam and her friends returned to Algeria and on June 6th 2010, she joined nearly 500,000 BAC hopefuls at testing centres across Algeria to begin the three-day exam. The BAC is a standardized college entrance exam for Algeria. Ms. Bessam has the best average in the whole Algeria (18.77/20) and is the top student in her country. We, at the NNIC, congratulate Ms. Bessam for her wonderful accomplishment and wish her the best in all her endeavors!

Ms. Khaoula Bessam

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces, Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME

The Northern Nevada International Center hosted an international visitor from Mongolia, from Jun 30 to Jul 5 2010. The international visitor was invited to Reno as part of the International Visitors Leadership Program of the US Department of State.

The Reno portion of their program will be focused upon:

• How to find & select information sources for news stories
• Producing balanced and unbiased news programs
• The role of media in civil society

Mongolian Journalist visits UNR's Reynolds School of Journalism

Mongolian Journalist visits UNR’s Reynolds School of Journalism and meets with faculty members.  A tour of the school was arranged by Ms. Zanny Marsh, and the visitor met with Professors Alison Gaulden and Rosemary McCarthy.

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces , Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME

Are you taking French or you took French in high school but don’t remember?

Are your children interested in participating in future leadership activities?

Then…

Consider hosting an Algerian high school student this summer, from July 5 through July 20!

Learn more about our Algeria-United States Youth Leadership Program, conducted by the NNIC in conjunction with the US Department of State, by attending a home host orientation on June 7.

Where?

Whole Foods Culinary Center (click for a map / driving directions)
(it’s in South Reno’s Whole Foods Market store)

When?

Monday, June 7, 4:30-7 p.m.

Please drop by – and learn how to become a Citizen Diplomat!

How?

If you are interested in becoming a Home Host for the AYLP, please download and print the Home Host application form (PDF, 50KB) and then – once filled out – fax it, send it or bring it to:

1. The Northern Nevada International Center (NNIC)
   821 N. Center Street
   Reno, Nevada 89501
2. Fax: (775) 337-1939
   Phone: (775) 784-7515

Our AYLP Home Hosting Flyer

You are more than welcome (in fact, we’d very much appreciate if you would!) to print out copies of our AYLP Home Hosting flyer (PDF, 458KB) and distribute it, post it on message boards, send it out among your friends and contacts… Thank you in advance!

25 Algerian high school students are concurrently being selected through Algeria by the US Embassy. The two groups will meet in Washington DC at the end of June for five days, then spend two weeks in Reno, three days in San Francisco and the final seven days at Lake Tahoe. They will conduct leadership programs, participate in volunteer activities, learn about how to use social media to engage their community with UNR Journalism Professor Todd Felts, participate in cultural diversity and conflict resolution seminars, and most importantly, learn about one another.

The eight finalists from Northern Nevada are:

• Madeline Burak from Reno High School
• Taylor Skipwith from Damonte High School
• Andrew Goligowski from Reno High School
• Ziad Rashdan from Reed High School
• Jackie Duron from Sparks High School
• Zoie Oberg from Wooster High School
• Sahael Hatefi from McQueen High School
• Amber Sulahria from McQueen High School

Gabreella Friday and Emily Autuna were selected from Las Vegas.

The Northern Nevada International Center also seeks home host families willing to host the 25 Algerian and two Vegas teens from July 5-20. This is an excellent opportunity to meet young people who are interested in learning about our country and culture. The center will hold a home host orientation at Whole Foods Culinary Center on Monday, June 7, 2010 from 4:30-7pm. Interested families should contact CLICK ME

• Community Connections • International Visitor Leadership Program
• Open World Program • Language Bank of Northern Nevada

Contact Information: Carina Black – phone: 775.784.7515, extension 221 – or via email: CLICK ME

The Northern Nevada International Center welcomed a delegation of Attorneys and Legal Counsels from Russia to Nevada on April 10 to April 18 2010. The delegation was in Reno as part of the Open World Program of the US Library of Congress.

The Reno program focused upon:

• Representing vulnerable populations and equal access to justice; and
• US judicial systems and legal education.

During the opening of the program, Victor Mercado, regional representative for Senator Harry Reid’s office, met with a delegation of attorneys from Russia at the Joe Crowley Student Union at UNR. Mr. Mercado welcomed the international visitors on behalf of the the Senator to our state as part of the Open World Program which is administered by the US Library of Congress. The visitors will be here from Apr 10th to Apr 17 and will meet with US colleagues, and attend training sessions at the National Judicial College. Mr. Mercado presented the visitors with Wolfpack Football Jerseys provided by UNR’s Associated Student Union of Nevada.

A highlight of the visit was the delegation’s program at the National Judicial College on the campus of the University of Nevada Reno. The visitors met with Chief Judge Jerome Polaha of the Second Judicial District Court (Washoe County). The visitors met with Judge Polaha and discussed the US Judicial System, and in particular the state system in Nevada. Additionally, the visitors and the judge discussed the differences in the legal education between the US and Russia. The visitors noted the lengthy process in the American system which required a Bachelors degree prior to pursuing a jurist doctorate, while in Russia one can go directly to law school. Pictured is Judge Polaha with the Russian attorneys at the Judicial College.

During their visit to the Nevada Supreme Court, the Russian attorneys met with Justice Mark Gibbons of the Nevada Supreme Court and Justice Gibbons discussed the Supreme Courts Access to Justice program; the advancement of women in the judiciary over the last 25 years; and court security. Justice Gibbons and the delegation talked about the recent killing of a Moscow judge who had handled several high profile cases against ultra-nationalists in Moscow and the arrest of the militia members in Michigan.

At the end of the program, Host Family Steve and Nancy Casper hosted a closing reception at their home in Reno. All the host families, friends and NNIC staff were in attendance. At the closing reception, the delegation was presented with certificates by NNIC Board Vice President Claudia Ortega-Lukas for successfully completing the program. Upon their return home to Russia, the Program Facilitator, Yekatrina Alekseeva, commented via email “Now we are all safely home and back to work. So many adventures just in one visit! Please send our best regards to all host families. All my delegates really enjoyed staying with them. They spent great time in Reno. Thank you very much for the program and for all your assistance. The visit was both informative and very interesting. Best regards to everybody we met in Reno.”

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces, Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME

Hindu Baccalaureate Service, only one of its kind in Western USA, will bless graduating class in the traditional style according to ancient scriptures. The event is free and all are welcome. Food will be served after the Service.

Swami Vedananda, well-known Hindu monk from California, will be the keynote speaker. It will also include prayers/blessings by Christian (various denominations), Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’i, Confucian, Native American, etc., religious leaders.

Organized by Indian Student Organization and South Asian Association of UNR in collaboration with Universal Society of Hinduism, the purpose of this Baccalaureate Service is to root the graduating class in divine spiritual and cultural tradition so that they have a spiritually meaningful life in addition to material success.

RSVP at CLICK ME will be appreciated. Please arrive on time.

At the 11th Annual Global Gala, Dr. Carina Black unvieled the Rhoda’Bobby’ Talso Educational Outreach Scholarship. Ms. Talso dedicated herlife to educaional outreach, community connections and service, as well as broadening her knowledge through international travel. Picture with her daughters, Maija and Liisa, is Mr.Wayne Howle, NNIC Board President, and Jill Derby, Honorary Chair ofthe Global Gala. Mr. Howle and Ms. Derby presented several certificates and awards honoring ‘Bobby’ Talso’s work in our community. Maija and Liisa recieved them on behalf of their mother.

For more information, please contact Joaquin Rafael Roces , Program Coordinator, via email at CLICK ME