WASHINGTON, DC -- After participating in the US Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), veteran educator, Junkanoo proponent and cultural advocate Arlene Nash Ferguson expounded on the necessity for The Bahamas to participate in professional exchange, especially in the area of cultural preservation.

"It is very important," she said.  "It demonstrates our eagerness to be a part of the world community and work with other nations toward common goals.

Programs such as this broaden our horizons, exposing us to new ideas and thinking in international circles, and this inspires us to bring new ideas home and adapt them where applicable and where needed to our local circumstances.

"The experience also deepens our appreciation of what we do have in the area of cultural heritage, and serves to underline the critical importance of preserving it."

 "The program," she added, "also allows us to establish links not only with persons in the same area in the United States, but also around the world: there were 18 participants in my program and only three nations from the Western Hemisphere were represented - Mexico, Guyana and The Bahamas."

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