PORTLAND, April 4-7—The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in coordination with the Institute of International Education (IIE), will host a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar in Portland, Oregon, for approximately 130 first-year Fulbright Foreign Students from more than 70 countries.
Seminar participants will explore the theme,“Global Challenges, Local Solutions: Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation” and will interact with Portland’s diverse community of businesses and nonprofit organizations that emphasize sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. The foreign students will investigate how social entrepreneurship addresses public sector challenges in environmental sustainability, public health, education, and economic and social equity. Fulbright Foreign Students will also donate their time and skills to assist a variety of local organizations through community service projects.
The four-day seminar is an opportunity for the news media to capture foreign students’ experiences with the Portland community. The seminar will also feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, home visits with local American families, and more. Reporters are invited to attend portions of the event and to speak with experts, current Fulbright Foreign Students, Fulbright U.S. Student alumni seminar participants, and the keynote speaker, Kohl Crecelius of the nonprofit accessories company Krochet Kids International, which helps impoverished women around the world benefit from the goods they make. Local reporters are also invited to interview selected Fulbright Foreign Students attending Portland area colleges and universities.
The press is invited to cover any or all of the following events:
Thursday, April 4
The keynote address given by Kohl Crecelius, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Krochet Kids International, from 8:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.
Friday, April 5
A panel discussion entitled Social Entrepreneurship—From Vision to Action from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Pam Kahl, Director of Marketing, Sustainable Harvest
- Amelia Pape, Founder and Director of Marketing, My Street Grocery
- Amanda West, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing & Communications, EcoZoom
Saturday, April 6
Fulbright Foreign Students’ community service activities: repacking and sorting food donations at the Oregon Food Bank for needy families; working through the organization SOLVE and with Reynolds Middle School students to beautify their school courtyard; revitalizing the St. John’s business district and the area along the Willamette River at Cathedral Park with Portland Organic Productions (PDXOP); at Central City Concern’s business enterprises including Central City Coffee and Clean & Safe; the planting of 1,000 native trees and shrubs along the Tualatin River to improve water quality and wildlife habitat with Tualatin Tree Planting; all projects from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Interviews with a U.S. Department of State Fulbright spokesperson or Fulbright Foreign Students can be arranged upon request.
Press attendance is by RSVP only.
The Portland Fulbright Enrichment Seminar is one of nine enrichment seminars hosted across the United States by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its flagship Fulbright Program. These enrichment seminars, an integral part of the Fulbright experience, benefit first-year Fulbright Foreign Students and support the overall mission of the Fulbright Program—to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. A video about the Fulbright Enrichment Seminars demonstrates their impact. For more information, see Fulbright Enrichment Seminars.
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