Press Releases 2007

U.S. Embassy Supports Democracy Through Program Sponsorship

The United States Embassy in Kingston is pleased to announce that Mrs. Takeese Gilpin-Allen, Public Education Officer at the Electoral Office of Jamaica, has been selected to participate in the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Grassroots Democracy. The U.S. Department of State IVLP sends up-and-coming leaders from all over the world to the United States each year to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and experience the country and its institutions first-hand.

Mrs. Gilpin-Allen, who holds a degree in Economics and Law from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, has been with the Electoral Office of Jamaica for over a year. She is responsible for the design and implementation of public education programs to educate the public on the importance of the electoral system and the current changes taking place to enhance the system.

The three-week multi-city IVLP, which begins November 8, will take Mrs. Gilpin-Allen and her 21 counterparts to Washington DC where they will examine democracy in the U.S. and the critical role of citizen participation in the democratic process. In addition, they will observe the activities of citizen action groups as they interact with elected officials to influence political, social and economic change.

Mrs. Gilpin-Allen will meet with representatives of various political campaigns in Manchester, New Hampshire to discuss youth activism, voter registration, election administration processes and procedures that ensure voter education, and open and transparent elections.  She is also expected to visit New Orleans, Louisiana to examine a grassroots initiative that provides permanent and transitional housing along with full support services to adults and families living with AIDS and HIV-related illnesses.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, Mrs. Gilpin-Allen and her colleagues will have discussions with city officials on the formulation of local legislation and citizen participation in the legal system. This will include the role of neighborhood councils, community outreach and the impact of small community organizations.