Nearly three years ago, I submitted an ICMA scholarship application for an opportunity to travel to an international conference. I could have never imagined the onset of adventures and learning experiences that would follow.

I would like to share my international experiences with various ICMA global programs over the last few years, and more importantly, the transformative impact of these opportunities. As I continually reiterate to my colleagues, participating in these global programs has provided some of the most professionally and personally rewarding experiences of my life.

International Opportunities

John Garvey Scholarship (Tel Aviv, Israel)

As the world continues to grow smaller through globalization, ICMA displays its leadership and vision by subscribing to the credo “thinking globally, acting locally.” Accordingly, the ICMA International Committee and its various affiliate organizations convene annually to promote professional exchanges and contribute to the international knowledge base.

In February 2018, I received the John Garvey Scholarship to travel to the ICMA International Regional Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. This scholarship opportunity exposes young professionals to international experiences in local government by allowing them to attend events abroad. The conference included visiting and collaborating with numerous jurisdictions across Israel, attending a conference on smart cities and cybersecurity, and various cultural learning experiences in Jerusalem and other cities.

2019 ICMA International Regional Conference (Timisoara, Romania)

In April 2019, I attended the ICMA International Regional Conference in Timisoara, Romania. While attending the conference, I participated in the affiliate meeting to hear about issues facing our international partners. During this meeting, the executive director of the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities, Abdallah Anati, made a comment regarding ICMA publications; specifically, the overabundance of publications make it difficult to identify the most pertinent materials, and translating materials in Arabic is cost prohibitive. Finally, he stated that ICMA publications might need to be slightly revised for administrative relevance.

Subsequently, Mr. Anati and I became acquainted during the conference. Although we live two worlds apart geographically and culturally, we both share a strong commitment to local government and its ability to raise the standard of living in our communities. Essentially, we share a commitment to enriching the human condition.

Following the conference, we have been developing a pilot program to revise and translate selected ICMA publications from English into Arabic, specifically for the dissemination to all Palestinian local authorities (more than 400 municipalities and village councils). Key stakeholders committed to the Arabic Publication Pilot Program include ICMA, the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), and educational institutions.

Tranter-Leong Fellowship (India and Palestine)

ICMA established the Tranter-Leong Fellowship to encourage members to expand their international horizons. The fellowship aims to enhance the professional development of the member, further the local government management profession and encourage ICMA membership and international affiliate relationships.

In February 2020, I received the Tranter-Leong Fellowship to continue pursuing the Arabic Publication Pilot Program. Accordingly, I first attended the five-day 2020 ICMA International Conference in Jaipur, India. The purpose of the experience was to present the pilot program, provide a status update to the International Committee, and seek valuable feedback throughout the conference from committee members, ICMA staff, and affiliates. Furthermore, it was important to me to thank everyone for their acceptance and encouragement of mid-level career professionals (like myself) at these conferences.

Following the conference in India, I traveled to Palestine for one week to continue developing the Arabic Publication Pilot Program. The fellowship included conducting fieldwork and meeting with various local authorities to understand their challenges and opportunities in delivering public services. The local authorities I visited include Ramallah, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Qalqilya, and Nablus. In addition, I met with faculty in the Department of Public Administration at Birzeit University to discuss potential ways to partner in the future. Faculty were excited about the opportunity connecting theory and practice, but most importantly, because the publication materials can help train the next generation of public administrators across Palestine.

Volunteer Work (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

The fellowship leveraged a volunteer opportunity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With a population of around 113 million, there are an estimated 4.5 million orphaned or abandoned children in this country. The reasons are complicated, but include the ravaging effects of AIDS/HIV and crippling poverty that forces parents to abandon children they cannot afford to raise.

I arranged to visit the nonprofit agency, Selamta Family Project, which creates forever homes for these children. Thanks to the generous staff at the city of Palm Desert, we fundraised $1,000 for necessities such as hygiene products, shoes, over-the-counter medication, and a topnotch blood pressure monitor. My conference colleagues also conducted a last-minute raid of their hotel rooms for leftover and unopened hygiene products! Again, this opportunity is not possible without the Tranter-Leong Fellowship. If interested in donating to the Selamta Family Project, please visit selamtafamilyproject.org.

Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Program

Unrelated to the global opportunities described, ICMA also coordinates the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Program. The YSEALI Program creates learning opportunities focused on climate adaptation and sustainability for young professionals from Southeast Asia. Selected young professionals from abroad receive six-week fellowships and visit hosting local jurisdictions in America. A limited number of host jurisdictions may also receive two-week reciprocal visits to their YSEALI recipients’ home country in Southeast Asia.

In October 2019, my employing jurisdiction (Palm Desert, California) was supportive of hosting a YSEALI recipient in our community. Therefore, my family and I personally hosted at our home Ms. Slaitip Subhanka (also known as Tony) during her fellowship experience. Tony desired to study alternative energy, particularly solar, to reduce coal-fired plants in Southern Thailand. She is the co-founder of a successful nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing solar within her region.

During Tony’s experience, we spent most of our time meeting with agencies that directly correlate to her community challenge of increasing alternative energy in Southern Thailand. Learning experiences included meeting with public utility companies, regional planning agencies, solar companies, educational institutions, and nonprofit agencies dedicated to sustainability. We also toured wind and solar farms in Southern California.

The program provides a diversity of mutual learning experiences as well. Not only was this an excellent opportunity for Tony, but I became well versed in various subfields of sustainability. I now have a better understanding of energy production and conservation.

Furthermore, this opportunity enhanced my professional network by introducing me to various stakeholders and resources in the field of sustainability. The program also provided a wonderful cultural experience for my family, including my wife and two young children. We treated Tony like family throughout the experience, and likewise she appreciated living and exchanging cultural norms with my family up close and personal. Beyond learning opportunities, the program creates lifelong friendships.

Personal and Professional Growth

These recent ICMA experiences have resulted in some of the most exciting and meaningful public service opportunities over my career. Professionally, these experiences have helped me address my own community’s challenges and identify opportunities through different lenses. Personally, these opportunities ignite an entirely different fire inside me from a public service and humanitarian perspective. If interested in these types of learning opportunities, please consider the following:

1. Remain Active. My involvement in ICMA was mostly passive early in my career until about three years ago when I stumbled upon a scholarship opportunity. Like many things in life, you must become actively involved to truly find unique and enriching opportunities. Remain attentive to ICMA’s learning opportunities by attending conferences and participating in programs and other opportunities that connect you to its broad membership base. For managers, please encourage your staff to participate; managerial encouragement can make a tremendous difference in a career.

2. Leverage Opportunities. I could have attended the international conference (on scholarship) and reverted again to a passive membership in ICMA; however, I am choosing to leverage these opportunities in a more meaningful way. Find opportunities and continually see where they can take you in life. I can assure you I am just getting started.

3. Listen. The greatest lessons I have learned during these international experiences have occurred simply from listening. While the formal conference presentations and meetings are superb, I have found the informal conversations to be invaluable. As a mid-career professional, I have learned more about city management from just listening to my colleagues on extended bus rides, evening dinners among friends, and supplemental travel together.

Interested in Global Programs?

I have found myself at an exciting time in my life and career lately. It is amazing how receptive people are in this world when you are willing to help for the right reasons and without any financial motives. And seriously, how many can say they have met with the city manager of Bethlehem in his office overlooking the Church of the Nativity? I greatly encourage you to seek out global opportunities and see what’s out there for you and your career.

 CHRISTOPHER GERRY is a management analyst in the city manager’s office of Palm Desert, California. He is currently working on his PhD in public administration and policy at Old Dominion University.

 

 

If you desire to actively partner on making a difference internationally, please contact me directly at cgerr002@odu.edu.

Learn more about these and other ICMA opportunities through the following resources. Send an email to global@icma.org with any questions.

John Garvey Scholarship
Tranter-Leong Fellowship
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Program