The Foreign Service Journal, April 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2021 67 AFSA NEWS Save the Date Foreign Service Day Virtual Events This year, Foreign Service Day will fall on Friday, May 7. As has become tradition, AFSA will host a full day of programming the day before, on May 6. Because of the ongoing restrictions due to the pandemic, AFSA’s programing will be virtual. As a part of the com- memoration, we will again encourage members to send letters to the editors of their local papers to raise aware- ness. We are also crafting a social media campaign for members to help spread the word about the work and value of the Foreign Service. AFSA members will receive more information about all of these initiatives this month. Members interested in receiving information about what is happening at the State Department for Foreign Service Day 2021 should email foreignaffairsday@ state.gov. Outreach News. We have been busy this spring in AFSA’s outreach depart- ment. In March, we rolled out two new speaker series. Inside Diplomacy is geared toward a more tradi- tional foreign affairs audi- ence. Liz Schrayer, president and CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, was our inaugural guest on March 11. Diplomats at Work is focused on introducing younger audiences to the Foreign Service. This centers on compelling stories that illustrate the work of the Foreign Service in a very tan- gible way for new audiences. If you missed these events, you can find the recordings at afsa.org/ first-line-defense. At this writing, we are planning for May and June events for both of these new series. We continue working with the American Diplo- mat podcast to bring the reality of what diplomats do to the public’s attention. Every Thursday, you can catch new episodes featur- ing retired and active-duty Foreign Service members. To listen, go to amdipstories. org, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. On Feb. 10, AFSA Presi- dent Eric Rubin appeared on the MediaFile student podcast, Long Time No See. Ambassador Rubin joined Ambassador (ret.) Marc Grossman to discuss the future of the Foreign Service after four years of a “hol- lowing out” of the State Department. Ambassadors Rubin and Grossman gave a rundown on how the Foreign Service got to this point, what prob- lems within the Service pre- date the Trump years, and what needs to be done going forward. Visit the podcast at bit.ly/mediafile-fs. We are seeking more messengers. As the result of our outreach campaign to community colleges and local organizations, we have seen an uptick in virtual speaker requests to AFSA. If you are interested in these speaking opportunities, please join the messenger Speaking of speaking, keep up the great work on the New Year Outreach Challenge! roster by emailing Nadja Ruzica, AFSA’s manager of outreach and strategic communications, at ruzica@ afsa.org . Speaking of speaking, keep up the great work on the New Year Outreach Chal- lenge! We look forward to hearing from you by Foreign Service Day about your engagement with your local community colleges and local organizations. As a reminder, many resources, from videos to talking points, can be found at afsa.org/first-line- defense. It’s a great place to start as you consider any opportunities to spread the word. As always, if you have any questions, please contact ruzica@afsa.org. And don’t forget to follow us on social media and share information on latest pod- casts and events with your community. n