Friendship, Cooperation, Diplomacy, and Unity: Chamizal National Memorial

09/20/20 • 16 min

Chamizal National Memorial is one of the most unique NPS sites. It is many things in one: an urban park, a performing arts center, and part of a cross-border park. Most of all it is a testament to the importance of diplomacy and a physical reminder of the peaceful settlement of a 100-year boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. Congress established the memorial in 1966 to commemorate the successful diplomatic conclusion of the Chamizal issue and to celebrate cross-cultural friendship and goodwill. As the park’s website says, “We celebrate the cultures of the borderlands to promote the same mutual respect that helped to diplomatically resolve an international disagreement.” The name of this episode derives from the sections of the site’s Junior Ranger program.

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Summer Work Travel Program and the National Parks: Two Seasons at Glacier NP

The Summer Work Travel program (bit.ly/SWTJ1) is one of several J-1 Exchange Visitor programs overseen by the U.S. Department of State. The Summer Work Travel program “provides foreign students with an opportunity to live and work in the United States during their summer vacation from college or university to experience and to be exposed to the people and way of life in the United States.” This week, Goksu, a fine arts university student from Ephesus, Turkey talks to us about her experiences over the three years she has done the program. She started in Newport, Rhode Island as a tour guide at The Breakers Mansion. She spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a server at Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park.

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Summer Work Travel Program and the National Parks: Acadia National Park and Beyond

The second and final part of our series on the Summer Work Travel (SWT) program (bit.ly/SWTJ1) features Narmin and Javanshir from Azerbaijan and Adrian from Slovakia. All three were participants in the SWT which aims to allow foreign students "to share their culture and ideas with people of the United States through temporary work and travel opportunities." These students are issued J-1 visas and the program has a long history and is one of many people-to-people diplomacy programs which aim to promote mutual understanding. Javanshir enjoyed his first summer as a SWT participant so much that he convinced his sister and another friend to join the following summer (2019) when all three worked at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park. Javanshir even baked some of the famous Jordan Pond House popovers! Adrian did not work at a national park but visited several NPS sites, including Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Glacier National Park) during the travel portion of his experience in 2019.