Global Ties ABQ is an extensive network of individuals, families, nonprofit organizations, businesses, academicians, and government officials that host world leaders in central New Mexico. We are a membership organization and welcome you to join us.
Global Ties ABQ is an extensive network of individuals, families, nonprofit organizations, businesses, academicians, and government officials that host world leaders in central New Mexico. We are a membership organization and welcome you to join us.
Become a Citizen Diplomat
Our Membership Levels
Member - $60 / Supporter - $120 / Benefactor - $150+ / Student - Free
Members will have the opportunity to spend time with our emerging world leaders, accompanying them to professional meetings and cultural activities, and hosting them for lunches and dinners. These acts of citizen diplomacy help build economic and cultural bridges, and promote peace in the world. Members and our community partners often develop business relationships with our world leaders, growing New Mexico’s economy and promoting Albuquerque as a thriving international city.
Membership and a brief training are required to host world leaders.
Home Hosting is an opportunity for Global Ties ABQ members (and their guests) to meet informally with International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants. It is generally a dinner in the host’s home or at a restaurant, but might also be a social activity such as a local sporting or cultural event, a sightseeing trip, or a barbecue or picnic depending on the group’s schedule. Hosts may be a family a couple, or a single person.
All IVLP visitors are carefully selected representatives from their home country who are in theUS as guests of the US State Department. They will be participating in a structured program of visits, presentations and discussions, starting in Washington, DC. It is common for them to be visiting several cities.
The Global Ties ABQ office will issue an invitation for volunteers to home host. As a member, you will receive this invitation via email. After the responses are received, the office will make assignments, making an effort to spread out the hosting events with different members - as this is a very popular GTABQ activity.
You will be asked to indicate how many visitors you can accommodate - keeping in mind that you need to count yourself and any guests you would like to include in the number you can comfortably host. If it is summer and you can host a picnic - you can probably have more than you could for a cold winter evening where all have to be indoors. That decision is up to you, but you need to remember to allow yourself time to participate and have fun!
About three days before the event you will receive your guests’ names, bios, and food
restrictions. (Note: all of this info comes from DC and sometimes they are not prompt with getting it to GTABQ)
The visitors will arrive/depart via Uber. We are not permitted to transport them.
Typically the time slot for this home hosting is 6 to 8 PM, but the invitation for hosts will include the date and time.
These evenings are about the exchange - not a fine dining experience. The guests often have had a hosted lunch for their program that day, and most guests are not accustomed to NM chiles, so beware of planning your favorite enchilada casserole! Many of our hosts have found it best to serve a buffet style meal - so that the guests can serve themselves, to their liking.
Often there are food restrictions - halal or kosher meat, for instance, food allergies. However, you may not know these far in advance, so think simple, good American style foods.
You can offer a variety of drinks - even alcohol - but maybe guests do not drink alcohol in any form. Soft drinks and juices are always appreciated.
Yes! Please do - our hosts have found it great to invite friends and neighbors who are
interested in citizen diplomacy.
- Have simple name tags for all to wear - first names - as our names and their names could be very unusual to both and having a name tag helps.
- The visitors all know one another well and have heard each other’s bios many times. So, when you get the visitors’ bios - go over them and share them with your other invited guests before they arrive.
- Your visitors will be very interested in your home, your family and your viewpoints. They will probably give you a small gift from their home country. You may reciprocate with a small gift item IF you so wish - this is not required. The delegates are selected for their outgoing personalities, so conversation will flow easily. Please do not state any of your political views. Ideally, refrain from criticism of our government, and theirs, of course.
- There may be an interpreter with the group who will join you at the table. It is a courtesy to look at the international guest, not the interpreter, when conversing.
- You may take photos alone or with you and are welcome to share your experiences on social media. However, some delegates, for personal and political reasons, may not wish to be photographed. Please accept their “no thank you” and perhaps ask them to take the photos for you.
- Global Ties ABQ is always looking for more hosts and future members. We would love for you to share photos for posting on social media.