There are a few simple reasons most Fellows and students sign up for US-Brazil Connect’s Conexão Mundo Program. Brazilian students see the program as an opportunity to improve their ability and confidence in the English language. For US Fellows, Conexão Mundo offers a unique chance to build global leadership skills. World leaders have been drawn to Conexão Mundo and similar international exchange programs for a slightly more complicated reason: citizen diplomacy. Broadly defined as the engagement of individual citizens in diplomatic efforts, citizen diplomacy has recently gained attention as a key tool for improving US-Brazil relations.
The Obama Administration has committed to strengthening ties between the US and Latin America with its “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative. As the name suggests, the goal of the effort is to increase the number of US university students studying in Latin America to 100,000 and the number of Latin America students studying in the US to 100,000 by 2020.
"The Obama Administration understands that education and basic human connections are key in re-creating a productive, vibrant relationship between US and Brazil, especially as that relationship overcomes challenges to embrace a future of shared opportunity” commented Reggie Hubbard, US-Brazil Connect’s Global Leaders Program Manager. Hubbard also recently supported Vice-President Joe Biden on a trip to congratulate Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff on her recent inauguration.
Brazil has brought a new focus to educational exchange through its Science without Borders Program. President Rouseff has committed $1.36 billion to the initiative as of 2013, offering scholarships for Brazilian students to study at foreign universities and intern at foreign companies focused on the STEM disciplines.
On a smaller scale, US-Brazil Connect has long relied on the support of diplomats as it worked to connect communities in the US and Brazil. US-Brazil Connect won an initial grant from the US Embassy in Brazil to start Conexão Mundo in 2012. Since then, diplomats have spoken at several opening and closing ceremonies for Conexão Mundo.
US-Brazil Connect President Mary Gershwin hopes to continue to leverage Conexão Mundo toward the goals of citizen diplomacy. “We should never underestimate the power of people-to-people connections to form a bedrock of goodwill for international relationships and peace.”
