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Youth from Mexico, Panama & Dominican Republic Come to US for World Baseball

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs SportsUnited office will partner with Major League Baseball (MLB) to bring a baseball playing group of boys and girls and their coaches from Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic to Miami, Florida, to experience a shared love of baseball, from March 13-21. Their program will focus on helping youth see alternatives to violence and street crime through sports.

The group's itinerary will include a visit to the Boys and Girls Club, a program on conflict resolution, practice with American Little Leaguers, and baseball skills training at a local high school and college. The visiting players and coaches will have an opportunity for an inside look at Spring Training hosted by the Baltimore Orioles and also attend a MLB World Baseball Classic game. Journalists from Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic will join the group at various events and also will have their own individual program sponsored by the Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and its Foreign Press Center.

The delegation includes 14 youth, ages 13-16, and three coaches who were selected by U.S. Embassies in Panama, Mexico and the Dominican Republic working in cooperation with their local baseball federations and Little Leagues.

For more information, please contact Darlene Kirk at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on 202-203-7616 or kirkdx@state.gov or Heide Bronke Fulton at the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs on 202-647-0842, or bronkehm@state.gov. Starting on March 16th, visit: http://exchanges.state.gov/ to follow this program through the players and coaches' blogs.
Source: U.S. Department of State