RESUME WORKSHOP - Foreign Service Youth Foundation

FSYF Resume Workshop- THIS WEEKEND

Sunday, January 03, 2016 1:00 PM / Lisa Mooneyham (Admin)

FSYF invites high school juniors and seniors as well as those already attending college to join us for our first Resume Workshop. This three hour event will cover best practices and techniques that will give you the tools to document your education, prior work experience, and highlight the special skills you have accumulated as a Foreign Service youth. 

More Information and Registration Here.

DACOR

DACOR Offers Dreyfus Scholarship 

& Fellowship Awards

DACOR, an organization of foreign affairs professionals, offers Dreyfus Scholarships and Fellowships to children and grandchildren of Foreign Service Officers. 

The purpose of this substantial bequest by Ambassador Louis G. Dreyfus Jr. is to support the education of children of Foreign Service Officers at Yale University or The Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, CT)

Application deadline for the 2014 - 2015 academic year is May 1, 2014

For more information, contact Ms. Brett Alison Gold, Associate Director of Education at DACOR. Call 202 682-0500 x17 or email bgold@dacorbacon.org.

FSI Announces:

 Going Overseas

Classes for the whole family

 4 Classes from which to choose 

Saturday, March 15 OR May 17, 2014

Going overseas involves both psychological and practical preparation for adults as well as children. Interactive presentations in these four courses introduce all ages to the impact and logistics of an impending international move.

Morning Options: 9:00am -12:00pm

Going Overseas for Families (MQ210)

This workshop designed for families, addresses the concerns and excitement around the coming international move and makes them think about how they plan to prepare for it. Specific sessions focus on making transitions and dealing with stress. Children in grades 2-12 attend this class along with their parents.

Going Overseas for Singles and Couples without Children (MQ200)

In this interactive workshop, individuals and couples discuss the four stages of moving and brainstorm methods to manage stress and communicate effectively through the transition.

Afternoon Options: 1:00pm -3:30pm

Going Overseas: Logistics for Adults (MQ220)

Adult participants attend this session to receive invaluable information on the logistics of moving overseas and learn the "nuts and bolts" of making an international move.

Going Overseas: Logistics for Children (MQ230)

Children in grades 2-12 will be introduced to the logistics planning necessary for their international move. The children engage in thinking about the impending packout and prioritize what they would like to take with them.

Who May Attend: 

Open to Foreign Affairs agency employees, adult eligible family members (EFMs), and children in grades 2-12.

Where and When:

At the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Service Institute, Arlington, VA on Saturday March 15 OR May 17, 2014.  See above for course times.

How to Register:

To register please indicate which course options you are interested in attending and include the name of participant(s), agency affiliation, and preferred email contact to FSITCTraining@state.gov .  

Tuition: No Charge

QUESTIONS:

For questions about these courses please email FSITCTraining@state.gov.

For more information about Transition Center programs and training classes for personnel, family members and members of household, see our website at http://fsi.state.gov//fsi/tc/.

FSI Announces 2014

Protocol and U.S. Representation (MQ116)

This hands-on course helps participants gain practical knowledge of diplomatic protocol and U.S. representational responsibilities pertinent to Foreign Service life. 

Upon completion participants will have gained confidence to attend receptions, make introductions, plan seating arrangements for a formal dinner, and adhere to formal dining etiquette. This course is well worth your Saturday!

This course will include:

·         A mock reception complete with a receiving line

·         Modern seating arrangement activity

·         All New! Hands-on formal dining etiquette simulation

2014 Course Dates:

March 1, 2014 

May 3, 2014

June 7, 2014

July 12, 2014

August 9, 2014

September 13, 2014

Who May Attend: 

Open to Foreign Affairs agency employees and adult eligible family members (EFMs).

Where:

At the Foreign Service Institute, George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Arlington, VA.

How to Register:

State Department EFMs register through the employee’s CDO/Training Officer or by following the “Apply Now” link here: http://reg.fsi.state.gov/CourseCatalog.aspx?EventId=MQ116   

All other USG EFMs must submit a SF-182. 

Tuition: $225

QUESTIONS:

For questions about this workshop please contact coordinators at FSITCTraining@state.gov .

For more information other Transition Center programs and training classes for personnel, family members and members of household, see our website at http://fsi.state.gov//fsi/tc/ .

AAFSW Happy Hour

for Foreign Service spouses, partners and employees

Organized by AAFSW, the non-profit volunteer organization for the foreign affairs agency community

Tuesday, Feb. 18

7 – 9 pm

Capitol Room, Oakwood Apartments

501 Roosevelt Blvd.,  Falls Church, VA 22044

▪ Enjoy wine, cheese and tapas

▪ Network and make new friends

▪ Talk to people who understand Foreign Service life

▪ Learn about community initiatives such as Livelines, the Foreign-Born Spouse Group, and much more!

RSVP (not mandatory) to Barbara Reioux at  office@aafsw.org

Learn more about

AAFSW

  

www.aafsw.org

Special Invitation:
Panel Discussion on Third-Culture Kids and the Foreign Service Experience

April 2 at 11:30 am

 

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) cordially invites you to attend a special panel discussion taking place at AFSA headquarters, 2101 E St NW, at 11:30 am on Monday, April 2.

Four nationally-renowned experts on third-culture kids (TCKs) will be on hand to discuss emotional resilience in TCKs, with a special emphasis on the Foreign Service experience. Why do some kids take well to life in the Foreign Service while others struggle? What sets kids up for success within this life? How can parents best position their children for achievement as Foreign Service brats? Our expert panelists are international educational consultant Rebecca Grappo, cross-cultural specialist Ruth Van Reken, author Julia Simens, and educator/consultant Rebecca Oden. They will be happy to entertain questions from the audience following the formal conversation.

All AFSA events are open to the public and are free of charge. Please feel free to forward this to anyone who might have an interest in the subject matter. We ask that all RSVPs be sent to events@afsa.org. If you are overseas or otherwise unable to participate, the event will be taped and made available on the AFSA web site (www.afsa.org/AFSAvideos.aspx) shortly after the program.

One thing leads to another...click-click...

...and that is what makes the internet so entertaining.


I'm always interested in staying current with vast collection of Foreign Service blogs, so I make an effort to check out the official State blogroll.  After a few clicks here and few scrolls there, I landed on the well-known Life After Jerusalem blog.  This blog includes the longest list of Foreign Service blogs I've seen so far.  The list just keeps going...and I keep clicking...


What I found: 


A blog I'd never seen before- all about life in Kabul as a Cultural Affairs Officer.  It has some interesting pictures.  Click here.


Another find:  A NY Times article about biometric data collection in Afghanistan.  If you are an EFM, and have worked in a consular section before capturing fingerprints, you will appreciate this article.  Click here.  

Wing Tips On The Ground, one of our favorites, includes a packing list and tips (including some great pictures) before heading to Iraq.  Click here.  

                      

Happy Monday!

Are you in the D.C. area on November 30th from 6pm-9pm?

Learn how to nurture and strengthen relationships during unaccompanied tours with FSI's Long Distance Relatioships class, MQ801.  This class is open to all foreign affairs agency employees and adult EFMs.  To register, email FLOaskUT@state.gov to find out how to register.  I took the class last year and thought it was well worth it!

Enjoy the weekend! 

Returning to D.C.?

On September 18^th the Foreign Service Youth Foundation is hosting a welcome-back picnic for Foreign Service families that recently returned to the D.C. area from overseas. Whether or not your family falls into that category, we hope you’ll attend—to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and welcome home your colleagues. The picnic offers food and fun for the entire family.

If you would like more details about the event, please email us at FLOaskUT@state.gov.

A great book for Foreign Service kids...

Three Little Kids and the State Department, an illustrated children's book by Foreign Service spouse Elaine Guihan, tells the story of her three boys growing up in a Foreign Service family, told from the children's perspective.   Perfect for eight to thirteen-year-olds it covers some of the problems and joys that children experience moving from post to post and culture to culture.  This book will give children a preview of what they might experience over the years.  Here are excerpts from the description in the November, 2008 issue of "Foreign Service Journal":

"Alex, Colin and Jim's dad is an FSO.  At an early age, they leave home with their parents and live in Mauritania, France, Cote d'Ivoire and Turkey with a surprising interlude in Washington, D.C.  Their life is not always easy but it's never dull.  Plunked down in the Sahara, the boys play in the desert, learn how to wear a headscarf and drink camel's milk.  After two years, they pack their suitcases and move to France, an amazingly beautiful place.  There they visit historic castles and roller skate at the Place de la Concorde.  More adventures follow in Turkey and Cote d'Ivoire.  Written in a light, wry tone the book is colorfully illustrated."  

The book is available on Amazon.com or Xlibris.com. 

"Hillary's Angels"

While browsing A Daring Adventure's blog I couldn't help but steal the great idea for posting this fun article about the Secretary of State's female security detail and post it on here.  The article was published in Elle magazine this month.  Check it out by clicking here.

Ideas for students...

A few years ago I had the opportunity to work as a summer hire in an Embassy overseas.  Not only did I really benefit and learn a lot from the experience, but I also had a really great time!  Are you the parent of a high school or college student interested in opportunities at the Department of State?  If so, encourage them to check out the newly revamped State website to find the program that best suits them!  Click here to see the list of the various programs to consider.

Opportunities like internships are available in Washington D.C...or...

...in cities all over the world!

"My family are the true heroes, I was just doing my job"...

All of us recognize the great contribution you and your families are making during the unaccompanied tour and the burdens and stresses this places on your children in particular.  To recognize the sacrifice that children make while their parent is serving a high-risk unaccompanied tour, our office distributes Medals and Certificates of Recognition to children age 0-21. 


Jason Banks recently returned from a one year assignment to Pakistan and ordered a Medal for his five year old son, Matthew.  Because Jason and his family are unable to attend the mid-July Washington D.C. award ceremony event, Jason thought of another creative way to honor his son:  he contacted his Mayor.  After speaking with Mayor Maher Maso of Frisco, Texas, Jason arranged for his son Matthew to be publically awarded his well-deserved medal.  Jason explained,  "I told my son it was for being so brave while I was gone and that the Secretary of State gave it to him.  I told the mayor that since we could not attend the ceremony in Washington, it would mean a lot to me, to have the Mayor present him with his award.  I personally emailed him and he responded in a couple hours saying he would love to do it and said that we should be at the city council meeting the following day."  Jason and his wife, Denise, were kind enough to share some adorable pictures of the ceremony with us to share on the blog.  We hope that this inspires UT families who have yet to request a medal for their children to do so! 

"I think the Mayor Maher Maso did a good thing...and wanted to show that the sacrifices made by the military and other federal government agencies are felt at the local level.  He went on to explain how proud he was about a Frisco resident for serving in such an austere environment and I told him that without the support of my family and a wife that was capable of “doing it all”, I never would have been able to mentally survive.  My family are the true heroes, I was just doing my job."

We hope the Medals and Certificates of Recognition will in some small way let UT children know their sacrifice is appreciated and reaffirm the proud tradition of the Foreign Service.  To request a medal for your child, please click here.  Please stay posted for details about the mid-July award ceremony at the Department.   

Thank you to Jason, Denise and Matthew Banks, Mayor Maher Maso and Kerri- UT Team's Medal specialist!

You are invited to the UT coffee club with the UT Team, fellow UTers and possibly some Embassy Cairo evacuees.

Please join us!

When:  Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 1:30PM

Where:  Contact UT team please

Call us at 202-647-1076 or email FLOaskUT@state.gov for event details and location. 

See you there!

Valentine's Day gift idea for kids...

Check out Hallmark's recordable storybooks!  The daughter of a friend of mine received one of these books for Christmas from her Grandma and was thrilled.  She walked around everywhere with the book and proudly told everyone, "My grandma is in there!"  

These are a such great way for your kids to hear your voice every night as you read them a bedtime story--- no matter where you are. 

In the D.C. area? Tomorrow at MainState...

“State of the Arts” Series

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

12:30 – 1:00 P.M.

Dean Acheson Auditorium

Join award-winning poet and writer Jehanne Dubrow for a reading of poems from her third book, Stateside.  This riveting collection, which has been featured on NPR and PBS, is an exploration of Dubrow’s experiences as a military spouse before, during, and after her husband’s deployment.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Contact FLOaskUT@state.gov if you have questions about the event.

-------------------------------------------------------------

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT AUTHOR:

Jehanne Dubrow is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Stateside(Northwestern University Press 2010), which describes her experiences as a "milspouse" (military spouse).   Her first book, The Hardship Post (2009), won the Three Candles Press Open Book Award, and her second collection From the Fever-World, won the Washington Writers' Publishing House Poetry Competition (2009).  Finishing Line Press published her chapbook, The Promised Bride, in 2007.

Her poetry, creative nonfiction, and book reviews have appeared in journals such asThe New Republic, Poetry, Ploughshares, The Hudson Review, The New England Review, Barrow Street, Gulf Coast, Blackbird, Shenandoah, Prairie Schooner, as well as on Poetry Daily and Verse Daily.  Her work has been featured on NPR's "Fresh Air," on the PBS News Hours "Art Beat" blog, in “Stars and Stripes”, and on the Academy of American Poets website.

Check out these EFM opportunities in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan...

Is your direct hire spouse/domestic partner thinking of bidding on an assignment in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq?

Did you know that there are EFM employment opportunities at these posts for you to accompany them?

NEA-SCA/EX coordinates the rewarding and valuable EFM opportunities to these unaccompanied posts and they would love to hear from you.

Additional Information and to apply:

AfghanistanEFMS@state.gov

BaghdadEFMAps@state.gov

PakistanEFMS@state.gov

APO huh?

Do you suddenly crave a certain food item while living overseas and wish there were an easy way for it to suddenly appear before your eyes? Ever wonder what APO stands for?  An APO address is an overseas military address APO which stands for Army Post Office.  

What should you consider when shipping to an APO mailing address?  Allow extra time-sometimes delivery will take a little longer than normal.  There might be an extra shipping cost.  Also, remember not all sites will mail to an APO address; here are just a few APO friendly websites:

 www.netgrocer.com, www.efooddepot.com , www.groceriesexpress.com, www.mybrands.com,  www.igourmet.com,  www.harryanddavid.com,   www.barnesandnoble.com,  www.borders.com   

If have additional questions about APOs visit the US Post Office site http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops.

Does anyone have any other suggestions to share for APO friendly websites?