The Institute was founded to welcome professional interest groups from every nation of the world to come and spend time with a counterpart group in a workshop or corporate-retreat setting.
Establishment of IICL came right-out of the thought and observations of third grade public-school educator who at the close of the Eighties, began to ask herself, "What can I as an individual do for the peace of the world?"
Elsa Potter, born in Massachusetts and now living, working and studying in Belize, Central America, seeks interested parties of like mind to become part of this international worldpeace endeavour.
The Institute was founded at Kingsville, Texas on December 7, 1994 by a mostly broke and sporadically employed doctoral student of Texas A&M University-Kingsville who had not been present in the halls of academe for seventeen years. Potter went-on four years later to be named to the national Honour of Giraffedom in the Girafe organisation. A Giraffe sticks out its neck for the common good. Dr. Elsa Potter, founding coordinator and International Director of IICL, has done just that.
Within Belize alone, the ethnic and linguistic diversity are both astonishing and heartening. 'Small-group meetings between representatives of only two or three ethnicities at a time for dialogue, sharing and even the preparation and serving of traditional delicacies will be our modus operandi. As the Institute is set-up to be "at the service of the world and the community," we will dedicate appreciable space to a reading room to supplement the local area libraries, not duplicate nor replace them.
IICL also has responded at the time of national emergency--the 2008 inundations--with a small drive for the relief of flood victims. "It is wrong," said Dr. Potter, "To be off here spinning theories while our sisters and brothers from right here in this little country are suffering. We need to act for them."
Dr. Potter, now a retired educator, has been taking-care of IICL "on a shoestring and a prayer." She adopted a very simple Belizean lifestyle so as to forget herself one-hundred percent and to be at the service of others while she furthers the Cause that drives her life and all her ambitions.
Belizeans ready to ask what they can do for their country through this little NGO, are urged to contact Dr. Guillermo Rivas, Chair, Friendraising-Fundraising Committee, #17 bullet Tree road, San Ignacio Town.
All other interested parties apply through Elsa to the Development Office of North America, P.O. Box 1436, Austin, Texas, USA 78767-1436.
