The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2019

20 JULY-AUGUST 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Toribiong launched a multipronged campaign to encourage the nation’s youth to embrace healthier diets and lifestyles. She worked with the Ministry of Education to redesign the school lunch program and helped arrange for the donation of sports equipment to increase students’ physical activity. In Jerusalem, Chris Hodges was recognized for his work promoting media and public diplomacy engage- ment with Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza during a challeng- ing period of U.S. policy changes. After the U.S. embassy moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Consulate General Jerusalem merged with the embassy, becoming the embassy’s Palestinian Affairs Unit. To counter Palestinian anger over the embassy’s move, Hodges enhanced outreach to Palestinians by framing the bilateral relationship as one between two peoples, not just two governments. He highlighted the message of the endur- ing U.S. commitment to Palestinians via press guidance, academic exchanges and interviews conducted in fluent Arabic. He also worked with the embassy to lead a workshop for Palestinian and Israeli staff during which they could listen to and learn from each other. In Uganda, Niles Cole designed a cost-effective program to inspire young students, especially women, to pur- sue science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related careers. Cole helped launch a mobile STEM lab that travels to remote parts of the country to deliver a five-day program demonstrating the benefits of an interactive educational approach. So far, the Nile Explorer has visited 32 schools, reaching nearly 5,000 10- to 12-year-old students. The PDAA Awards Committee gave honorable mention to three other nomi- nees: Eveline Tseng, assistant cultural affairs officer in Kabul; Violeta Talandis, political/economic/public diplomacy officer in Asmara; and Yolonda Kerney, public affairs officer in Kinshasa. n This edition of Talking Points was com- piled by Donna Gorman, Shawn Dorman, SusanMaitra and CameronWoodworth.