Reality Tours as Citizen Diplomacy in the Time of Obama

By Malia Everette, Director Reality Tours

Many years ago President John F. Kennedy expressed these sentiments:  "Travel has become one of the great forces for peace and understanding in our time. As people move throughout the world and learn to know each other's customs and to appreciate the qualities of individuals of each nation, we are building a level of international understanding which can sharply improve the atmosphere for world peace."  Using tourism to promote peace continues to progress since President Kennedy's term in office.  In November 2000, over 450 world leaders of the travel and tourism industry ratified the "Amman Declaration" at the first Global Summit of Peace Through Tourism.  Excitingly this movement continues to grow and here in the US, we have welcomed President Obama's call for a return to Diplomacy.

As Global Exchange we have met and conversed with activists from around the world over the last year, and we've observed a palpable, nearly desperate, universal hunger (obviously shared by the Nobel Committee) for a more peaceful, less militaristic U.S. foreign policy.  For over twenty years now, Reality Tours has advocated that travel and tourism can become a global peace industry. Simply put, travel can be used as a tool to build understanding across cultures, ideologies, and physical boundaries.  This connection helps humanize the "other" and creates human empathy and connection.  On behalf of Global Exchange I invite you to be an ambassador for change in 2010 by joining us a Citizen Diplomacy Delegation to Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Palestine or the DPRK; by traveling as an abolitionist on a Human Trafficking delegation to Cambodia, Nepal, Peru, Thailand or Uganda; or as a student of peace by joining us on our Gandhian Legacy Tour to India.

Citizen Diplomacy in Iran

http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/962.html

Cambodia: Not For Sale Advocacy Delegation

http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/974.html

Gandhian Legacy tour to India

http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/936.html

For those of you here in the Bay Area:

Join us for a Global Exchange Reality Tours Fundraiser; a night of ecstatic dance, an hour science fusion lecture on "Insects and the Return of the Divine Feminine" by E.Emmet Brady

Come Support Global Exchange Reality Tours!  THIS WEDNESDAY, October 28th, 5:00 - 11 pm at the Historic Sweets Ballroom in Oakland.

$10 donation for fundraiser to benefit the experiential education and human rights program of Reality Tours.

$10 additional for Ecstatic dance 8-11 pm.

Malia Everette, Reality Tours Director will host this event

And be sure to join us at 6 pm for an hour long science fusion lecture by E.Emmet Brady "Insects and the Return of the Divine Feminine; Facts, Fiction and Fable"

Raw Fusion food and drink will be available for purchase by Table Nectar.

For more details contact:

Malia at malia@globalexchange.org or

Emmet at emmet@pmagevents.com