Citizen Diplomacy
Teacher, traveler, friend, diplomat.
By Kaitlyn Jahelka
English teachers abroad look forward to time spent in the classroom, adventures traveling in their host country, and the people they expect to meet in their new environment. But many don’t realize the important role they play as American diplomats to a foreign country.
The relationships that teachers establish with citizens of foreign countries are rewarding on more than just a personal level. Teaching English abroad is recognized as a major public diplomacy tool and has become one of the most popular forms of person-to-person diplomacy. Unlike traditional diplomacy, which is limited to government-to-government exchanges, public diplomacy is related to the interaction of regular citizens and is seen by many government officials to be more effective than traditional diplomacy. According to the U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Robert Callahan, public diplomacy “explains not only our government’s policies, but the culture, values, and what society looks like in the United States.”
The United States previously had an agency devoted solely to creating public diplomacy initiatives. Called the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), it was established in 1963 and was originally part of the executive branch of government. “USIA’s role was to explain and support American foreign policy, promote U.S. national interests, and promote mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through educational and cultural activities,” says Marianne Scott, a former USIA employee.
In 1998, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act merged the USIA with the Department of State. Though many of the initiatives and positions created under the USIA’s title still exist, the agency itself is not in operation. Its purpose, however, is still carried out by both the government and, some would argue, the people of the United States.
The current Department of State sponsors many programs in support of international education. Beyond teaching English in other countries, the department funds several scholarships and exchange programs to allow for U.S. citizens to go abroad and to bring foreign students to America for college or graduate school, as well as supporting university faculty members, artists, and young professionals. Some of the most popular programs include the Fulbright, a post-graduation option that funds one year of study or teaching in a foreign country, and the Gilman award, which grants money for economically disadvantaged students to study abroad.
“There has been phenomenal growth in mutual understanding programs, because there is so much commitment in the government to exchanges in public diplomacy,” says Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Tom Farrell. Farrell works in the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs in the Department of State, which supports academic programs and exchanges that include English teaching overseas and foreign language acquisition by Americans. Over the past seven years, spending on Department of State-funded English programs worldwide has increased from $2 million to $28 million.
The idea that public diplomacy serves as a tool to teach other peoples about American life and values is a major factor in the importance of teaching English abroad. “Anyone who learns English can not only communicate directly with other people who speak the language, but they also gain knowledge about the culture, history, and values of America,” says Ambassador Callahan. “When you speak the language, you open the shades and shed a bright light on an entire culture.”
One of the most important values of Americans that is shared during these stays is that of democracy: “Prosperous democratic countries are far more likely to contribute to global economy…and less likely to cause trouble,” says Ambassador Callahan.
Teachers must be conscious of the fact that they are seen, whether they like it or not, as representatives of the United States. “It’s more important to listen carefully than to speak your mind [when going abroad],” says Jed Willard, Director of the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School. Willard was a founding partner in LanguageCorps, a program that organizes work-abroad programs all over the world, and he also founded the public diplomacy committee at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. He emphasizes that as an American going overseas to teach English, it is vital to absorb as much of the other country’s culture as possible and bring the lessons learned back home. “You want to say you’re doing a great service by going overseas, but the trick is to do it correctly…and come back and continue by educating Americans,” Willard says.
Going abroad to teach English is more than just a service to the foreign citizens who receive English training and to the United States as a whole in terms of diplomacy. On the personal level, it is extremely rewarding. According to Jan Patton, Director of Admissions for LanguageCorps, “I can’t say it transforms everyone’s life, but most people find it to be a tremendous personal growth experience. Almost without exception, people have enjoyed living in and getting know another culture.”
While officials consider English language acquisition to be important around the world, it seems especially influential in countries where the training would not be available to students if it were not for Americans volunteering to teach there. “Rather than choosing a country, we should think about the student population,” says Farrell. “The personal rewards are greater when you have a greater impact in a less privileged area.”
This promotion of mutual understanding is key in the era of globalization, when many of our challenges affect the entire world, including environmental devastation, food shortages, financial crises, terrorism, diseases, energy shortages, and poverty, according to Scott.
“Many congressmen and other leaders have said that it’s better and easier to foster international understanding and cooperation than to deal with the consequences of not doing so, like war and economic competition,” says Farrell. Creating these roots of mutual understanding at an early stage is key, as young people are impressionable, eager to learn and explore, and truly represent the future of international cooperation.
As different parts of the world become evermore intertwined and barriers of time and space are broken, the ability to communicate across cultural lines and understand different countries is imperative. In teaching English abroad, Americans not only get to experience an entirely new culture and share that new understanding with other Americans, but language barriers are broken, leading to a more cooperative and productive global stage.