 Lauriann Greene-Sollin, Sommelier-conseil introduces wine tasting at Women International Networking (WIN) event
A note from the :
Executive Director
Dear Global Philadelphians
Once again, Philly abounds with global activity this past month - most notably the passage of a delegation from Israel and the establishment of a company from that country in Philadelphia. This a direct result of Mayor Nutter and his team’s visit to the UK and Israel last fall.
In addition, as “Ciao Philadelphia” concluded the city was selected to host an Italian led delegation of EU representatives, mainly from Washington, DC. They were here in honor of the Italian presidency of the EU, showcasing our city’s vast Italian heritage and visiting all of the business opportunities currently on offer in the City of Brotherly Love.
Both of these events underscore a fundamental aspect of attracting and doing business internationally. It is essential to meet face to face and spend resources on travel to other countries. GPA members will tell you that in many instances, the plane ticket and visit to a client were the deal makers that beat out the competition in their respective industries.
In other news, the association held its first ever Women International Networking (WIN) event combining a wine tasting with a LinkedIn tutorial and portrait session. On the same evening, we launched our Global Kids resource pages, designed to help out those seeking to pepper or enhance their children’s education with global opportunities of which there are many here in Philadelphia.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to our fourth annual members’ gathering. Every year we assemble our members for an Ideas Summit, to be hosted on December 8th at noon. All of our members will convene along with a few guests to discuss global branding for Philadelphia. For more information consult here
As always it is our pleasure to spotlight the global aspects of Philadelphia and to showcase our members’ work. Please connect with us to learn how we can help you.
Sincerely,
Zabeth Teelucksingh
Executive Director
215 851 8112
PS Did you know that the most important Cricket Collection in the US is right here in greater Philadelphia? Read on for more information here
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The GPA Scene
Ciao Philadelphia
Ciao Philadelphia ended its month-long series of events that celebrated the contributions made by Italians in the area of arts, culture, and industry on the world stage, in addition to the contributions made by Italian Americans to the success of this country.
Diwali
The Global Philadelphia Association in collaboration with MOIMA and the Department of Commerce hosted a celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in Love Park. The event included music and dance performances by the AMJ Dance Group from Drexel University, Bhangra Dance Group from Temple University, Mainline Indian Association, Sapna Dance Group and BAOP
Days of Eurasian-American Innovation Entrepreneurship Cooperation
During the Days of Eurasian-American Innovation Entrepreneurship Cooperation hosted by the Mid-Atlantic-Eurasia Business Council (MAEBC) the focused was on investment, entrepreneurship, innovative technologies. MAEBC also brought delegates from emerging Eurasian companies to IMPACT, one of the oldest venture capital events in the U.S.
Photo credit: Hernán Guaracao
Al Día Speaker Series: Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Gutierrez talked about how he rose from selling Zucaritas in Mexico City, to Secretary of Commerce under President George W. Bush’s administration, CEO of Kellogg's, and now Chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group.
Women International Networking
Over 50 plus women joined GPA for our first Women International Networking (WIN) event. The night featured wine tasting, a prize raffle and the launching of our Global Kids page. Our guest speaker Donna Serdula author of the LinkedIn Makeover shared her top 5 tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile, guests were also treated to a complimentary LinkedIn profile picture.
Behind the Scenes: Reading Terminal Market
Novembers's Behind the Scene visit took us on a food tour of Reading Terminal Market where we visited several merchants and enjoyed delicious local cheese at Valley Shepard Cremary and Meltkraft, soft Amish pretzels at Miller's Twist. Greek gyros at Olympia Gyro, candy at Chocalate by Mueller and fresh roasted coffee at Old City Coffee.
World Toilet Day
The Global Water Alliance and their partners came together on World Toilet Day to raise awareness for global sanitation issues . The event included live chamber jazz, cocktails, hors d'oeuvre and dinner on board the world’s oldest four masted ship, the Moshulu
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Israeli company picks Philadelphia for U.S. headquarters
Photo credit :Jeff Blumenthal
Mayor Michael Nutter's trade mission to Israel last year is already paying dividends. One Israeli company said it will open its U.S. headquarters in the Philadelphia region and two more are seriously considering it.
Eleven Israeli companies, in the health care or tech industries, came to Philadelphia this week for a two-day symposium where they scouted the city, met with potential investors, collaborators and clients.
The trip emanated from a surprise offer made to Nutter during his Israel trip last November by Chemi Peres, son of Israeli President Shimon Peres and founder of Pitango Venture Capital, Israel's largest venture capital firm. The younger Peres said during a meeting with the Philadelphia delegation that he would arrange a reciprocal two-day visit from Israeli companies.
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New Americans Tour of Philadelphia
Photo Credit: J.MacMillian for Visit Philadelphia
FACT: Dozens of answers to the citizenship test questions can be found right here in Philadelphia
Inspired by this fact and developed in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Immigrants and Multicultural Affairs, Philadelphia’s New Americans Tour offers an insider’s look at the people, places and events that shaped the country.
On this self-guided journey, you’ll learn the symbolism of the stars and stripes at the Betsy Ross House, get the full story on the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall and tour a Spanish-American cruiser to learn more about one of the nation’s pivotal battles.
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Global Philadelphia Association is proud to promote its members!
Please follow us    and contact our Marketing Director for partnership requests .
Welcome
New Members
Lutheran Family Services
Lutheran Children and Family Service (LCFS) is a nonprofit human services organization dedicated to protecting and empowering vulnerable children, youth and families throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. The mission of LCFS is to serve children and families in need. LCFS is a member of the Liberty Lutheran family of services.
Harmony for Peace Foundation
Harmony For Peace Foundation seeks to promote cross-cultural understanding through the arts, in particular music, serving as a bridge among nations to promote mutual respect, and a common path to world peace
Lechter & Sasso, P.C.
Lechter & Sasso, P.C. is a dynamic, innovative and resourceful "Boutique Law Firm" specializing in all areas of domestic and international business, commercial and transnational joint venture transactions, small business counseling, franchises, Federal Litigation, consumer fraud, arbitration and mediation, and non-profits.
Do you have international expertise that serves the world & Philadelphia?
Become a member of the Global Philadelphia Association and tell us why you or your business/organization is a GLOBAL GATEWAY for the Philadelphia region.
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Spotlight:
Global Kids
Philadelphia is a multicultural city. Our future is shaped by every one of these diverse cultures, the languages they speak, the customs they practice and the knowledge they can share. Each multicultural community makes a valuable cultural contribution to our nation at large, they enhance and sustain our diverse way of life, culture, and customs
This is why the Global Philadelphia Association is proud to announce the start of Global Kids, a resource page that will allow our children to experience all the wonders of multiculturalism in Philadelphia
World Heritage Way…
follow Philadelphia’s journey to World Heritage City status
At GlobalPhilly™ 2013, Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced the City of Philadelphia’s pursuit of World Heritage City status with the publication that Philadelphia had been accepted as an Observer Member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). This is a historic undertaking: Philadelphia - the first U.S. city to strive towards an internationally recognized designation of universal value.
As a contender for World Heritage City prestige, the Global Philadelphia Association (GPA) and the City of Philadelphia have entered into a public-private partnership to further develop this global engagement.
To date, “Project World Heritage City” has successfully reached several important milestones, but still faces a long road ahead.
Most recently*, GPA Executive Director, Zabeth Teelucksingh and Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development travelled to Quedlinburg, Germany as the guests of the OWHC Northwest Europe Regional Secretariat. The conference revolved around the theme “Crisis as Opportunity for World Heritage Cities – Resilience” providing insights as to the unique positioning World Heritage Cities enjoy when it comes to sustainable practices. The Philadelphia delegates presented a Pecha Kucha titled “Philadelphia – A City of Ideas” showcasing Philadelphia’s evolution from a “Colonial City” to a “City of Re-use and Re-invention.”
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Regional Spotlight:
Israel
Photo Courtesy of lonelyplanet.com
In this month’s edition of the Insider the Global Philadelphia Association is spotlighting Israel. Israel is a Southwest Asia country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and is home to over 8 million people. The world’s only majority Jewish state Israel possesses the highest standard of living in the Middle East and 5th highest in Asia.
Israel is a technologically advanced market economy its major industry’s include high-technology products, metal products, electronic and biomedical equipment, agricultural products, processed foods, chemicals, and transport equipment. The Israeli diamond industry is one of the world's centers for diamond cutting and polishing.
Israel a land of limited resources has emerged as a high tech miracle since the takeoff of the global software industry in the 1980s. Per capita Israel ranks number one in the world in terms of both startups and venture capitalists giving it the nickname Silicon Wadi (Wadi is Arabic for valley and is used in colloquial Hebrew). Silicon Wadi is considered second only to California’s Silicon Valley in terms of importance in the field of high-tech innovation and development.
The economic success of Israel in many ways is a prime example of how success is born out of adversity. Israel is a nation that since its birth has faced many multidimensional existential challenges in order to survive. This has bred a culture that encourages innovation and risk taking for the survival of the nation. For example enlistment in the Israeli Defense Force is a requirement for the majority of its citizen. In the military Israeli youth are taught teamwork, leadership, mission orientation and they get exposure to next generation military technology. These lived experiences especially in the context of an immigrant nation whose first generation citizens had already given up everything to come to Israel breeds a mindset that problem solves, questions, debates and innovates.
Can this success be maintained is the key question both now and in the future. For instance the technology sector is responsible for 40 percent of Israel's exports but only employs 10 percent of the population. Israel is great at creating startups but has had limited success at creating multinational giants like IBM or Google. There is also the issue of demographic and generational change. In the 1990s Israel benefited from the immigration of over a million Soviet Jews, many of whom were highly skilled. There is a fear that younger generations, who are avoiding conscription in greater numbers, aren't being taught nor possess the same zeal as the pioneering first generation Israelis. Israel will also need to better integrate the Ultra Orthodox Jewish and Israeli Arab populations who currently represent 30 percent and growing share of the population.
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We encourage you to use this hashtag across all social media to share articles, photos, information or insights about anything Global in Philadelphia region.
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Team GPA at the First Women International Networking (WIN) event
Global Gateways
The Global Philadelphian Association is proud to be a media partner in these exciting international events.
Global Ideas Summit
December 8 12pm to 2pm
During the Annual Gathering of Members the Global Philadelphia Association will be hosting the “Global Ideas Summit". The Summit will be a meeting of the minds for GPA stakeholders to share ideas of how to address major issues, topics and decisions facing the Philadelphia region as it becomes more globally recognized and seeks greater recognition.
Early bird $35 for until Nov 30
Free for GPA Members
More info
Human Rights and Free Press
December 10 5:30pm to 8:30pm
United Nations Association Chapter of Greater Philadelphia (UNA-GP) will be hosting a "Human Rights and a Free Press” for Human Rights Day. This event will promote awareness to the many threats, global and domestic, to journalists trying to report on matters that impact human rights.
Free Event
More info
The Nordic Economic Model: Successes, Challenges and the Future
December 15 1:30pm to 6pm
The Global Interdependence Center will be bringing together leaders from the corporate sector, government and academia to discuss the Nordic model’s performance during the recent global economic crisis.
General $75 - Student $25
Co-Sponsored by the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce
More Info
Other International Events
International Magazine
Drew Becker is President of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) in Philadelphia. GPA’s Layla El Tannir interviewed him to discuss his career, the role PHS plays in global tourism in Philadelphia, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show and what Philadelphia becoming a World Heritage City would mean for PHS.
A gem of Philadelphia’s Old City, The National Liberty Museum (NLM) opened its brand new interactive space “Welcome to Liberty”. To celebrate the opening the museum hosted some of the city’s key players at a reception, offering free reign of the museum and self-guided tours.
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World Days
World Toilet Day
2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation, including toilets or latrines, with dramatic consequences on human health, dignity and security, the environment, and social and economic development.
“Equality, Dignity and the Link Between Gender-Based Violence and Sanitation” is the theme for this year’s World Toilet Day, which seeks to put a spotlight on the threat of sexual violence that women and girls face due to the loss of privacy as well as the inequalities that are present in usability. Toilets generally remain inadequate for populations with special needs, such as the disabled and elderly, and women and girls requiring facilities to manage menstrual hygiene.
Philadelphia Zoo names 2015 the 'Year of the Gorilla'
For many years, The Philadelphia Zoo has been a leader in wildlife conservation efforts.
In continuing their mission, the zoo has named 2015 the "Year of the Gorilla" - a zoo-wide commitment of cross-disciplinary creativity, energy, and resources designed to mobilize action on behalf of gorillas and other great apes.
Kim Lengal, Philadelphia Zoo's Vice President of Conservation and Education, said deforestation can cause climate change, which causes changes in weather patterns and therefore changes vegetation growth.
"Gorillas live in a big salad bowl and they depend on different plants to be there," she said.
The zoo kick off the "Year of the Gorilla" on Nov. 13 with the 5th annual Global Conservation Gala, the Philadelphia Zoo's most important fundraising event of the year. At the 2014 Global Conversation Gala the Zoo launched the next phase of Zoo360 which will include a trail system for the gorillas.
For Fifth Consecutive Year, Arcadia University Ranked First in U.S. in Study Abroad
For the fifth consecutive year, Arcadia University is ranked first in the U.S. in study abroad, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors Report.
This marks the sixth time in the past seven years that Arcadia has been No. 1 in its respective category for study abroad participation. Arcadia earned the recognition based on the percentage of undergraduate students participating in a study abroad experience at a master's level college or university, as determined by the Institute of International Education, with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
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Job Bank
PHLCVB is looking for an International Tourism Sales Manager who will be responsible for the creation and execution of an international sales and marketing strategy in defined international markets that will maximize the potential room night production and attraction visitation levels as defined by the goals and objectives of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Business Plan. The International Tourism Sales Manager will also be measured through the submission of monthly sales activity reports.
Program Design Consultant
Catholic Relief Services wants to develop a short term, outcomes-intensive international field study/immersion program that aligns with CRS overall strategy goal. To accomplish this CRS seeks a highly qualified and experienced consultant who can conduct research, design a proposed program for their potential Solidarity Bootcamp Initiative (SBI/A), participate in the pilot immersion experience to test and refine the proposal, and revise the proposal accordingly.
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Introducing Global Gateways
Global Gateways is the Global Philadelphia Association's new venture that was launched in January. This initiative views each and every member of the Association as a "Global Gateway" for this international region.
What is it?
Global Gateways is a year-long program authored by the Association and its Members. Global Gateways is about connections, storytelling and trajectories. It is about giving our Members a chance to tell, in their own words, about their impacts and expertise as "Gateways" between the Philadelphia region and the world. One key implementation of the program is through a World Days Calendar: a dynamic, year-long agenda of internationally celebrated days tailored to our Members. The World Days Calendar will anchor the Global Gateways program throughout 2014.
Via our various web platforms, opportunities for collaborative events- and more- Global Gateways will promote and support our members in ways previously unexplored.
When is this happening?
It has already started. Global Gateways is the Association's latest Key Initiative and our website will be continuously updated with all of the "Gateways" events and news. Visit the Global Gateways page here.
How do I get started?
If you're a member of the Global Philadelphia Association, contact us to set up a conversation. If you're not yet a member with us, you can become one today.
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