Studer Community Institute

Local environmentalist to mentor in Cambodia

April 8, 2015
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Mollie A. Taylor, environmental technician with the Escambia County Community & Environment Department, is one of 12 Americans who will travel to Cambodia later this month as a mentor for YSEALI Generation: Earth, a fully-funded exchange sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Taylor first became involved in international professional exchange through her meetings with groups facilitated by the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council. "We always receive positive feedback from delegations spending time with Escambia County's Community & Environment Department," says Jena Melançon, founder & executive director of the Council. "Director Keith Wilkins is a strong supporter of citizen diplomacy and I knew that he would recommend a good candidate for the program." The project, funded through a grant from the Embassy of the United States in Phnom Penh, will provide 72 rising young Southeast Asian leaders with a deeper understanding of environmental challenges facing the region and beyond, along with the mentorship and means to collaborate in addressing these challenges. Cultural Vistas, an organization specializing in international exchange, and the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia, in close cooperation with the embassy, will administer the workshop and follow-on activities. At a four-day, mixed format workshop taking place April 22-25 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Taylor will work alongside 11 other American mentors and 12 ASEAN mentors in helping the young leaders to examine, among other topics, how to balance environmental challenges with economic opportunity. A series of lectures, facilitated workshops, interactive discussions and activities, complimented by site visits, will illustrate the cultural resources Cambodia is striving to protect against the ills of unsustainable growth. The workshop will also emphasize the need for partnering with other nations, including the United States.

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Local environmentalist to mentor in Cambodia

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