Originally published May 2, 2022
This past March, Board President Amy Alice Chastain and Programming Coordinator Hannah Huisman represented Global Ties Iowa at the 2022 Global Ties National Meeting. This meeting is hosted annually in Washington D.C. and is intended to help organizations around the country network, have insight on global exchange trends, and strengthen professional skills.
“It was wonderful to be physically present with people,” said Amy. “And I think the programming also reflected this kind of very different situation that we're in right now. For example, there was a two part session about burnout and self-care. That's not something you would expect to necessarily hear about professionally for a federal government program and for exchange professionals. But I think that's a very positive shift that we've seen across multiple fields”
Hannah also found value in the programming offered at the meeting.
“I really enjoyed the Succession Planning and Legacy Building session Amy and I attended on Saturday,” said Hannah. “Especially right now, it is important for us to be thinking about our impact on our community and what Global Ties Iowa will look like in the future. This session taught me so much about ways to improve the way we run our organization and how we can make ourselves more successful and spread our mission further.”
Beyond the convention center, the conference also brought the pair to the Meridian House, a historic building near the city’s center.
“I loved visiting the Meridian House on Thursday evening. The building, both inside and out, was absolutely stunning and it was such an honor to be able to tour inside and socialize with everyone in such a beautiful setting,” said Hannah.
Overall, Amy found the connections she made to be the most significant outcome of the National Meeting.
“There were several people that I've met online in these couple of years [who] I got to see in person. We got to make that stronger connection,” said Amy.
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