Past Program: U.S-Mexico Relations Programs
Introduction
#NatSecGirlSquad is launching its inaugural micro-certification program focused on the US-Mexico relationship, executed in partnership with the US-Mexico Foundation. Using the US-Mexico Foundation’s successful US-Mexico 360 Program as its core, this micro-certification program aims to strengthen US national security professionals’ understanding of the history of the bilateral relationship and enable them to think critically about how to best move it forward.
Read the rest of our Official Program Outline below for complete details!
Submit your resume in PDF form by COB March 31 to Carlie.
US-Mexico Foundation
The US-Mexico Foundation is a binational non-profit organization founded in 2009 that is dedicated to fostering bilateral cooperation and understanding between the United States and Mexico. The organization created the US-Mexico 360 Program, which seeks to bring key USA leaders from business, think tanks, and other research institutions, advocacy organizations, NGOs, schools, and universities to meet counterparts in a professional environment.
Requirements
Seminars: The program consists of four (4), hour-long virtual seminars on May 4, June 1, July 6, and August 3. Each of these seminars will focus on a critical topic related to the US-Mexico bilateral relationship: economic interdependence, security, migration, and smart power. The US-Mexico Foundation selects Mexican experts and professionals to ensure that the seminars facilitate nuanced and intentional discussions that avoid a US-centric perspective. Only selected program participants will have access to the four required seminars.
Concentrations: In addition to the required seminars, delegates can earn optional concentrations in economic interdependence, security, migration, and smart power by attending enhancement sessions hosted on Herd Mentality. Each concentration will comprise 2-3 Zoom webinars with instructors selected by #NatSecGirlSquad. These webinars will be scheduled weekly following the required seminar for that month. To earn a concentration, delegates must attend all the enhancement sessions for that topic. We strongly recommend that participants earn at least one concentration, but participants are welcome to earn more than one. Although we prefer that participants attend the enhancement sessions live, we will record the enhancement sessions to ensure accessibility for the participants during the pandemic. Program participants and #NatSecGirlSquad members will be able to attend these enhancement sessions.
Engagement: Programming will be executed via Herd Mentality to facilitate ongoing discussions with speakers, instructors, and peers to build relationships across areas of expertise, viewpoints, and locations. Participants will complete readings prior to the seminars and engage with others by posting at least once per week in the module on Herd Mentality. Posts should share relevant news, responses to readings, questions for debate, follow-up discussions after seminars, etc. Delegates should expect to devote approximately 2-3 hours/week to the program.
Upon completion of the program, all #NSGS delegates will earn the US-Mexico Relations Micro-Certification. #NSGS delegates will also have the opportunity to write and publish work on US-Mexico Relations through the US-Mexico Foundation’s research branch.
Selected delegates will pay a fee based on a progressive price scale determined by years of work experience. The purpose of the progressive price scale is to mitigate barriers to entry for professional development programming, so students will not have to pay the same amount as senior leaders.
Please refer to this FAQ page for more information.
Concentrations
Program participants will have the opportunity to earn an additional concentration in one of four areas: economic interdependence, security, migration, and smart power. Participants earn a concentration by attending the enhancement sessions hosted by #NatSecGirlSquad on Herd Mentality.
Economic Interdependence: This concentration focuses on the close economic relationship between Mexico and the US. Explore issues including cross-border trade, investment and finance, and the newly ratified United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Security: This concentration focuses on issues that affect the national security of Mexico and the United States including transnational organized crime, corruption, and military restructuring.
Migration: This concentration focuses on migration across the border between Mexico and the United States including factors that drive migration, characteristics of migration flows, and migration policy options for the Mexican and US governments.
Smart Power: This concentration focuses on opportunities for smart power, the combination of hard power and soft power strategies through contextual intelligence including public diplomacy, institution building, and multilateralism.
Travel Opportunity
Traditionally, the US-Mexico 360 Program takes place in Mexico City. While the ongoing global pandemic makes travel an unnecessary risk at this time, cohort members who successfully complete the program and remain Members in Good Standing will have the opportunity to participate in a #NatSecGirlSquad delegation to Mexico City, executed with the USMF. #NatSecGirlSquad and the US-Mexico Foundation will prioritize the health and safety of everyone involved and respect CDC guidelines.
