With travel on hold, museums and cultural institutions closed, and traditional events canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many embassies in Washington, DC have taken to creative methods to engage the public and replace their annual public diplomacy festivities. 

Speaking to Molly McCluskey at Smithsonian Magazine, DDC board member Moira Whelan shared how her family has been using digital tools to stay connected to the world, and why it’s important embassies are a part of those virtual conversations.

“One of the things that has gotten us through the year is we’ve gone on ‘trips’. I picked Egypt, my daughter picked Paris, and my husband and son also picked places. We watched videos, we read books, we ate the food. It’s helpful to add the embassies into that conversation, because they specialize in making their countries and their culture accessible to Americans. There is a way to be able to explore the world just by going to their website and following them on social media, and learning and plotting where you want to go in the world.”

Read the full article here.