< Previous60 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 2 The International Relations Committee (IRC) is an ad hoc committee whose charteris “to reach out to probation and parole services in other countries in order to exchangeinformation on issues and programs, and to see what application this information mighthave for probation and parole worldwide.” Over the years, the IRC has accomplished its charterthrough an evolutionary process of work including: • International Workshops: Outreach and service as a liaison between APPA and international presenters. Our goal is to attract international workshop presenters at APPA’s training institutes and discuss how to reciprocate. • World Congress (WC): IRC members continue to be actively involved in a number of ways. We have served on the World Congress Advisory (WC) international relations committee update61 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION Committee in which meetings were held in Japan and Australia as well as on- going communication regarding hosting, promoting, and supporting other host countries; co-drafted the WC Terms of Reference (ToR) which was adopted at the 4th WC in Australia in September 2019 (the ToR is designed to be a living document to ascertain a ‘fit’ for each host that is unique in its country of origin, cultural elements, financial ability, and other surrounding circumstances; and provided input on keynotes, programming, and information related to hosting a WC. Stay tuned for the 5th WC in Ottawa, Canada, in 2021. • Ambassador Program Concept: International connections will remain as one of the IRC’s top priorities. Strengthening international networks and advancing shared learning will be important, albeit challenging given the distance. The IRC is in an early stage of discussion on an ambassador program concept. A number of APPA and IRC members are already doing the work as informal hosts and liaisons. Formalizing some of this work would be helpful to our international attendees and would strengthen relationships. • Other International Efforts: The Supervision Around the World (SAW) Project was featured in the Winter 2017 issue of Perspectives. This initiative is expected to be a good source for information about probation practices around the world. Julie • Special Thanks: Bob Anderson is thanked for his outreach to young professionals in Europe – he helps APPA gain international membership; and thanks to Ray Wahl and Bill Burrell for their continued guidance in the work of the IRC. THANH DANG is the current chair of the International Relations Committee and Community Justice Manager with the Multnomah County (OR) Department of Community Justice. She can be reached at international relations committee updateNext >