Mayor Andre Dickens meets with diplomats from Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe |
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Mayor Andre Dickens and our office met with diplomats from Slovakia and Switzerland to discuss opportunities for deepening ties between our two regions in the areas of education and youth engagement, diplomacy, business and entrepreneurship, sports, cultural affairs, and more. |
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We welcomed the Ambassador of Slovakia to the U.S., Radovan Javorcik, who was in town to officially open the Honorary Consulate of Slovakia in Atlanta - led by recently appointed Honorary Consul John W. Woodward. John is also VP of Global Commerce at Metro Atlanta Chamber and the country's first diplomat in the region. | | |
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We also welcomed H.E. Nomaindiya Mfeketo, Ambassador of South Africa to the U.S to discuss strengthening the City of Atlanta's relationships with the South African community, especially in the areas of diplomacy, women entrepreneurship, arts, culture and sports. |
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We had the pleasure of meeting and officially welcoming Consul General Urs Broennimann, Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta to our city. |
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We also welcomed H.E. Tadeous Chifamba, Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the U.S., to discuss opportunities for collaboration in education and youth, creative industries, tourism, and cultural affairs. Thank you, Ambassador, for visiting the City of Atlanta and we look forward to strengthening ties between our two regions.
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Did you know Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is home to a collection of stunning Shona stone sculptures created by Zimbabwean artists (located in the pedestrian corridor between Terminals T and A)? Next time you're traveling through the Airport, be sure to check it out! |
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MOIIA hosts Doing Business with the City of Atlanta |
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Our office, in partnership with the City of Atlanta Department of Procurement, Invest Atlanta, and The BIG Partnership hosted a "Doing Business with the City of Atlanta" workshop showcasing how businesses and organizations can work directly with the City of Atlanta. Topics were centered around how organizations can bid for contracts, become vendors, and apply for business licenses. Through this program, we aim to empower minority-owned and small business owners by simplifying the process and providing a direct line of communication with City officials while fostering a more diversified supply chain of vendors. Thank you to the speakers for their insight and for sharing valuable information for those interested in doing business with the city: Vanessa Ibarra, Jaideep Majumdar, Kevin Floyd, Laurie Prickett, Maya Jackson, and Darlene C. Lynch. A special thanks to business owners currently doing business with the city for sharing their testimonials: Subash Reddy Kuchikulla and Jeannette Flores-Katz! |
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It's ATL Year of the Youth! |
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Youth Mental Health and Wellness Fair at Abby Ridge |
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We hosted a Youth Mental Health and Wellness Fair at the Abby Ridge Apartments in Adamsville! Together, we served 51 household units with grocery items and resources for youth and families. Partner organizations connected attendees to youth behavioral health services, summer lifeguarding opportunities, parent support resources, teen mental health programming, summer camp registration, and more. Thank you to our amazing partner organizations: Atlanta Public Schools Multilingual Programs & Services HEALing Community Center Chris180 Center for Victims of Torture APD Multicultural Liaison Unit City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation Atlanta Braves Foundation Second Helpings Atlanta (SHA) Center for Global Health Innovation Pratt Industries Hello Fresh Delivery Southwest Ecumenical Emergency Assistance Center (SWEEAC) Jean Childs Young Middle School |
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Student engagement at The Lovett School |
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Our Executive Director Vanessa Ibarra spoke about our office with 9th and 10th graders at The Lovett School during their AP Spanish class. Students also had the opportunity of practicing their Spanish by asking Vanessa questions about her role, our office’s activities, and the city’s objectives.
Muchas gracias/ Thank you to Angela Mitchell and The Lovett School for the opportunity to further engage Atlanta’s youth and we look forward to collaborating on various upcoming projects for #ATLYearoftheYouth. |
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Speaking to students at Jean Childs Young Middle School’s Career Day |
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Our office's Peter Pimentel and Christina Chu recently spoke at Jean Childs Young Middle School’s Career Day! They shared insights about their education and career journeys, as well as how students can get involved with the work of our office. Students took a quiz that sampled questions from the Naturalization Test you must pass to become a US citizen and played a Name That Flag game to test their knowledge of the world’s flags. |
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Our Executive Director travels to Washington D.C. to make connections with COA partners |
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Vanessa Ibarra was in Washington, D.C. to make connections with City of Atlanta partners and discuss programming opportunities in the areas of city diplomacy, immigration, youth development, sports diplomacy, trade initiatives, women’s empowerment, community development, and more. During her visit, she met with:
Jonathan Beier, Associate Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute;
Daniel Richetti., Deputy Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State;
H.E. Ambassador Seleshi Bekele (Dr.) of Ethiopia to the U.S.; Senior Economic Officer Solomon Mekonnen; and Samson Arega, Ethiopian Airlines;
Maria Luisa Boyce (O'Connell), Vice President, UPS Global Public Affairs;
Josh Altman, Senator Jon Ossoff's Office, Military Legislative Assistant: Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Veterans Affairs Policy Advisor;
Steven Bosacker, Senior Vice President, Innovation, German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF Cities);
Matt Ferner, Program Officer, Sports Diplomacy Division, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State;
Diana Pliego Padilla, Policy Associate, National Immigration Law Center(NILC);
Cesar Vence, Senior Director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Americas & Executive Director of the U.S.-Colombia Business Council;
Laura Jiménez, Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of State;
Annie Wang & Jamal Halley, Senator Raphael Warnock's Office.
Thank you to all of our partners for your time and we look forward to future opportunities for engagement! |
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Welcoming delegations from France |
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It was a pleasure to welcome Arthur de Boisfleury of Business France to the City of Atlanta, who will lead a cohort of 8 French startups for a business expedition focusing on the Smart City, innovation, and technology ecosystem. We look forward to welcoming the delegation in May! |
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Celebrating Sister Airport Agreement between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Nigeria |
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport hosted a signing ceremony honoring a Sister Airport Cooperation Agreement between ATL Airport and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)! Atlanta has a sister city relationship with Lagos that dates back to 1974.
The City of Atlanta continues to be a welcoming city and we look forward to continuing our fruitful relationship with Nigeria. |
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Our MyCity ATL program hosted its second session with a workshop titled “Getting Into College as a New American” |
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MyCity ATL is a community engagement program by the Mayor's Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, structured to empower our immigrant and refugee population to directly engage with city services on topics that are important to #NewAmericans.
During this session, Mr. John E. Dreher, an International Student Specialist of Atlanta Technical College shared tips on applications, transcripts, proof of English proficiency, sponsorship and finances, orientation, and class registration.
Thank you to our partners at Atlanta Public Schools ESOL and Adult Education for their collaboration in these efforts. |
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Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office’s Lunar New Year Spring Reception |
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MOIIA team members Eduardo Muñoz and Christina Chu attended the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office’s (Hong Kong Meets America) Lunar New Year Spring Reception, celebrating the Year of the Rabbit. "Rabbits symbolize strength, energy and agility. These are also the characteristics of Hong Kong. In the Year of the Rabbit, we look forward to offering the world new business opportunities, novel cultural experiences and diverse entertainment for tourists," noted HKETONY Director Candy Nip. Over 200 guests from academic, political, business, finance, innovation and technology, and legal sectors attended the event, which was held at the Georgia Aquarium. We even reconnected with our former Public Service Intern Jongwon Lee, who now owns a law firm that specializes in personal injury, immigration, business, and liability law (Law Offices of Jongwon Lee) and is Counsel for the Korean-American Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta & the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta.
Team MOIIA would also like to extend heartfelt congratulations to Gene Hanratty, who served for 30 years as a senior consultant in Atlanta for HKETO. Thank you, Gene, for your many years of dedicated service to building connections between Hong Kong and the Metro Atlanta region, your commitment since founding the annual Dragon Boat Festival, and your ongoing support of our office's work. It's been a pleasure to work with you and we wish you all the best in this next chapter! |
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Celebrating International Mother Language Day |
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February 21st marked International Mother Language Day! International Mother Language Day recognizes that multilingualism advances #inclusion, which aligns with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2023’s theme for #International Mother Language Day is “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education.”
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Check out pictures from Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (GA)’s recent foreign exchange program, a 6-month international training program that graduated six Saudi Aramco Oil Company firefighters in January. Learn more about how language access played a key role in this educational program:
The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department reached out through iSpeakATL, the City of Atlanta’s Language Access Plan, to get an onsite interpreter for the Departmental Orientation session for the Saudi Aramco Cohort 21 International Fellowship Program.
Orientation covered sensitive topics like Sexual Harassment Prevention and Child Protection, so having an interpreter on-site ensured that information would be presented in a culturally competent manner, ultimately improving participants’ comprehension.
The same interpreter returned to support during the program’s Graduation Ceremony. One of the program graduates expressed his joy: “… our families back in Saudi Arabia will be greeted properly and our names will be pronounced correctly.” He went on to share that this meant a lot to him, as well as to his fellow graduates.
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Atlanta is not only a Welcoming City on paper, but the City of Atlanta is made up of employees who would go the extra mile to ensure that our programs and services are accessible to all who come to our City, language or country of origin notwithstanding. |
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Meeting with Tahirih Justice Center |
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Thank you Tahirih Justice Center for the opportunity to meet your staff and founder/former CEO. Since 1997, Tahirih Justice Center has provided free holistic legal and social services to ensure that immigrant survivors have access to protections, including stable immigration status. In response to the increasing need for legal service providers in Atlanta, Tahirih expanded its service area by establishing an office here in Atlanta in 2018. Atlanta’s immigration court has a 98% denial rate of asylum cases.
We are so appreciative of the support you provide to communities here in Georgia! |
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Asian American Advocacy Day at Atlanta City Hall |
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World Affairs Council of Atlanta to host International Women's Day Breakfast Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | 7:30 - 9:30 AM | The Carter Center |
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The World Affairs Council of Atlanta will host its annual breakfast with Barbara Pierce Bush, Co-Founder and Board Chair of the Global Heath Corps, discussing women in leadership and health equity. Member Admission: $75 General Admission: $125 | | |
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Japanese-American Society of Georgia Economic Impact of Sustainability Initiatives Luncheon Thursday, March 9 | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM | Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta |
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The Japan-America Society of Georgia invites you to a business luncheon featuring a discussion on sustainability initiatives in Japan and the United States including unique insights about SDGs, economic impacts of ESG guidelines, and the politics of environmental policy. Join us to learn more about the history, current trends, and future outlook of sustainability activities from the Japanese and American perspective, and how public and private sectors in both countries can work together to create a better world for generations to come. | | |
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SoccerCon: The Atlanta Conference on Soccer & Innovation Wednesday, March 29 | 6:30 PM | The Historic Academy of Medicine |
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The Atlanta SoccerCon will take place on March 29-30, 2023. The first day will feature panel discussions and a visit to Soccer in the Streets Station Soccer. The evening of March 29th will include a large public event, keynote speakers, posters of research papers, and will celebrate innovation in soccer organizations for marginalized communities. March 30th will have panels and workshops and one larger public event during the day. An edited book on Soccer & Innovation will be published in late 2023 or early 2024. | | |
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