Today, the personal and professional intersected when I had the opportunity to honor my grandfather, Fritz Perls. With his wife Lore, he invented Gestalt Therapy, a dramatic departure from traditional Freudian therapy, and revolutionized the field of psychology. On October 12, they and their work were honored at my grandfather's childhood home in Berlin. The Deutsche Vereinigung fur Gestalttherapie, which is the German Gestalt Therapy Association, organized the memorial event. Though many in the field of psychology consider my grandfather a transformative figure, he had never been honored in Germany. He observed the rise of Nazi power and left the country just in time, never to return. The Gestalt associations in Germany and throughout the world keep the body of his work alive and train new generations of psychotherapists in this newer, existentialist approach to the therapeutic… more »
On September 12 and 13 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the U.S. Department of State hosted the 13th TechCamp, a program initiated to build the digital literacy of civil society organizations around the world. TechCamp Kyiv, themed "Creating a Global Citizen: Building Schools without Walls," brought together over 80 civil society organizations comprised of educators, youth advocates, and community organizers from Ukraine and Belarus to work together and examine how social challenges can be addressed using effective, low cost, easy-to-implement technology solutions. TechCamps raise the digital literacy for civil society organizations by bringing in local and regional technology experts to educate, train, and work with civil society groups over the course of two days. The core of Secretary Clinton's Civil… more »
"If half of the world's population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal and social marginalization, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity is in serious jeopardy. The United States must be an unequivocal and unwavering voice in support of women's rights in every country, on every continent." -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
As a recent graduate entering the workforce, the issue of women's political and economic equality is a major concern for me. After graduation, I joined the U.S. Mission to the European Union's Public Affairs Office, and have been privileged to help advance this core value shared by both the… more »
I recently spent time in Istanbul to learn about some of the people who have sought refuge in Turkey. My day started with refugee families headed to America in the near future, followed by a meeting with UNHCR to discuss the plight of thousands of refugees living in Turkey but, for one reason or another, are struggling.
At the Resettlement Support Center run by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), one of our partners, I saw refugees from several countries being interviewed by ICMC staff about their experiences. These preliminary interviews are an important step in preparing refugees for the in-depth process run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Interpreters and ICMC staff were very busy working with refugees from Iraq, a woman… more »
Sitting down to dinner to wrap up two jam-packed days of outreach by Judy and Dennis Shepard in Poland to parents of LGBT individuals, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, TV reporters, and others, I was struck by how universally their story resonates even thousands of miles from the United States.
As co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Judy and Dennis have worked tirelessly to expand LGBT rights and protections through the legal system, while changing hearts and minds by telling the tragic story of their son's murder due to hate and intolerance.
The State Department is proud to be sponsoring the Shepards on a five-country, two week-plus European outreach trip. The Shepards' tour includes stops in Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, and… more »
Yesterday, London hosted the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games. The competitions begin today and continue until September 9. Colleagues from the U.S. Embassy in London met with U.S. Paralympians Tatyana McFadden and Josh George before they competed in the iconic London marathon earlier this year. In the above video, they share their hopes and dreams for this summer's Paralympic Games.
Voted one of the "top ten stars to watch" at the Paralympics, wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden will compete in the 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, and a full marathon. With such a huge range of events and distances, Tatyana has embarked on a grueling training regime that has earned her the nickname the "Beast." In discussing what it takes to become a world-class Paralympian, McFadden says, "You work so… more »
Thanks to continuing innovations in sports broadcasting and social media, it was easier this year than ever before to catch a glimpse of the Olympic Games from just about any vantage point -- from above the mat to underwater to behind the scenes with the First Lady. Over a brilliant final two days in London, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, used technology to give fans a view from the crowd.
NBA superstar, and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Dwyane Wade set aside some time last week, to coach UK kids. Wade is mentoring the London-area kids to teach them how to succeed in life through sport. Lessons he teaches his own sons. Since 2011, the Miami Heat guard has taken part in U.S. President Barack Obama's Fatherhood Initiative. Wade says the London 2012 Games are a chance for parents to use athletics to show their kids how diverse the world can be.
"The great thing about Olympic Sports and Olympic time is that you get the opportunity to watch sports that you might not have known nothing about or you might not have watched before...I know my kids love sports so it just makes it a little bit easier to say you don't like this one try this one. You don't like this one try this… more »
Table tennis may not be prime time viewing for all Olympics fans, as tonight's Closing Ceremonies in London likely will be. But Team USA Table Tennis is gaining new followers by acting as ambassadors for their sport and country by playing their favorite game with kids in East London.
"There were a few players out there who could really play so that was a good surprise," said Team USA player Ariel Hsing.
Sixteen-year old Erica Wu is the same age as many of the Tower Hamlets kids and teens she's meeting. For the first-time Olympian, this is her chance to make an impact beyond the arena.
"It's really great to come out and spread the sport since table tennis isn't as popular here as in like Asia or something, so it was really fun meeting all the kids," she said.
Some on the all-teen, table tennis team have made it to the Olympics before… more »
On August 11, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled from Africa to Istanbul, Turkey, where she met with senior government officials to coordinate on Syria. Secretary Clinton held detailed conversations with the senior Turkish leadership, including Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and a number of other key officials in the Turkish government. Secretary Clinton also had the chance to meet with Syrian activists.
During her visit, Secretary Clinton announced the United… more »
Thank you, Jonathan, for this insightful post on World Food Day and the importance of strengthening our efforts as an international community to end world hunger…
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Spokesperson Nuland (Oct. 17): "Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner, led a 22-member interagency delegation from the U.S. to discuss the full range of human rights issues affecting the country." more »
Oct. 16: Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, held a conversation with Ann Cody, Director of Policy and Global Outreach, BlazeSports; and Kirk Bauer, Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA. more »
![Robert Perls, Vice Consul of the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany, participates in the German Association for Gestalt Therapy (Deutsche Vereinigung für Gestalttherapie e.V.) ceremony unveiling of a memorial for one of the founders of Gestalt therapy Fritz Perls, the grandfather of Robert Perls, in Berlin, Germany, October 12, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1012_bob_perls_m.jpg)
![Educators, youth advocates, and community organizers from Ukraine and Belarus to work together and examine how social challenges can be addressed using effective, low cost, easy-to-implement technology solutions during TechCamp Kyiv at the at the Master Klass Cultural center in Ukraine, September 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_1003_techcamp_kyiv_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in New York City on September 23, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0924_clinton_ashton_useu_m.jpg)
![Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard meets with refugees in Istanbul, Turkey, September 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0918_richard_istanbul_refugees_m.jpg)
![Judy Shepard embraces a leader of a group of Polish mothers of LGBT children as Ambassador Lee Feinstein looks on, Warsaw, Poland, September 5, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0906_shepard_poland_m.jpg)
![Members of the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympic Games -- Ambassador Susan Rice, White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, Michelle Kwan, Curtis Pride and Reggie Love -- pose for a photo tweeted by Ambassador Rice in London, August 11, 2012. [USUN photo/ Public Domain]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20121018234240im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0813_rice_olympics_m.jpg)
