The Foreign Service Journal, October 2006

CLASSIFIEDS AFSA ELDERHOSTEL Raising Awareness Among a Vocal Group BY ASGEIR SIGFUSSON, AFSA/ELDERHOSTEL PROGRAM ASSOCIATE T heAFSAElderhostel programisdevelopingandexpandingevery season. The basic mission remains the same: To educate and inform the American public about the work and importance of the Foreign Service. The audiences—retired Americans fromall over the United States—have been highly receptive to the idea that diplomacy is an important tool of foreign policy, and they often vow to go home and advocate on behalf of the Foreign Service. This is a keybenefit of theprogram, as ourparticipants are typicallyhighly edu- cated people of significant influence in their communities. We have also been pleased to see many people return to our weeklong pro- grams multiple times, often bringing along friends. In order to use retired Foreign Service personnel as our featured speakers, wehaveorganizedour programs in locationswithahealthy concentrationof such retirees. In addition toWashington, D.C., our locations include St. Petersburg, Atlanta, Chautauqua and Tucson. In the spring of 2007, our newest location will offer its first course, the foreign policy issues of the Pacific Rim, presented in the heart of San Francisco. Our one-day programs, so-called “Days of Discovery,” have also turnedout tobe ahugehit. Wehave so far offered four different top- ics — all immediate sellouts — and in 2007 we will add three new topics to that roster, includingprograms onLatinAmerica andChina. We have also designed two new courses for our weeklong programs in Washington, D.C.: One features China and East Asia, while the other focuses on Latin America and Africa. Wehave alsobeen lucky tohave adeeppool of talent topull from as far as speakers are concerned. This fall, we were able to bring such highly-regardedexperts asAmbassadorsMarcGrossman, Beth Jones, W. Robert Pearson, David Newton, John W. Limbert and Thomas Hubbard to speak at ourWashington-based programs. We encour- age interested retirees tocontact us if theywish tocontribute time and knowledge to our efforts. Finally, we look forward to welcoming our hostellers in a brand- newWashington locationnext spring: theSavoySuites inGeorgetown. We are glad to be able to offer such excellent accommodations in the heart of the nation’s capital. If youhave an interest inparticipating inour programs, please visit www.afsa.org/elderhostel or contact AFSA Elderhostel Program Coordinator Janice Bay at bay@afsa.org . OC T OB E R 2 0 0 6 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 79 A F S A N E W S ATTORNEY WITH 26 years’ successful experience SPECIALIZING FULL-TIME IN FS GRIEVANCES will more than double your chance of winning: 30% of grievants win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my clients win. Only a private attorney can ade- quately develop and present your case, including necessary regs, arcane legal doc- trines, precedents and rules. Call Bridget R. 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