Program Theme Spotlight: The Power of Partnerships

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A Law Enforcement exchange program from Kenya visited the Red Wing Police Department in Minnesota to discuss the partnerships involved in community policing.

“Public-Private Partnerships are fundamental and inescapable,” pronounced an American speaker when explaining the U.S. system of government to a recent group of International Visitor Leadership (IVLP) participants.  This couldn’t be truer—regardless of the subject, one of the most salient aspects of any professional exchange program is the prevalence of public-private partnerships (P3s). Whether in support of business and economic development or other social, cultural or academic initiatives, P3s are the rule, and International Visitors take notice.  In fact, often the first example of an American P3 is the Department of State’s partnership with the National Program Agencies, Global Ties...

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African Women: Leaders in the Economy and Society

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AWEP 2018 participants celebrate their kick-off week in Washington, DC

Expanding markets. Ensuring quality control. Accessing supply and value chains. Broadening networks. Addressing management challenges. Showcasing women’s leadership. And yes, advocating for change. These are topics that a dynamic group of African women entrepreneurs are focusing on during their visit to the U.S. as part of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP). AWEP was launched, in conjunction with the 2010 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Every year, U.S. Embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa nominate leading women entrepreneurs to participate. While in the U.S., the group...

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The IVLP In One Pitch

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A Beautiful Night for Baseball

I anticipated that the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)  “Demographic Change and Immigration,” which opened on April 23, 2018, would be an excellent program. Sometimes, you just get that feeling. The meetings were spot on, the cities were diverse, and the visitors had a perfect blend of professional backgrounds—a journalist, an attorney, and a few elected officials. There was also uncommon diversity in the group, including first generation and second-generation immigrants from Tajikstan and Turkey. On April 23, I thought an excellent meeting on demographics with D’Vera Cohn at Pew Research Center might be the highlight. And while that meeting...

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Prime Minister of New Zealand is an IVLP Alumna

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Photo Credit: NZTE on Flickr)

This post is the seventh entry in a blog series detailing the itineraries of both current and former Heads of State who participated in a Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project arranged by Meridian International Center. The entry below summarizes the IVLP itinerary of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Continue  

IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Spreading Kindness in Trinidad & Tobago

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IVLP alumnus, Mr. Adrian Sealey, and Mayor of Anaheim, Mr. Tom Tait

IVLP Alumni Spotlight features U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni as they reflect on the impact of the program and how it has affected their work and lives. Here we feature the Co-Founder of a martial arts and community engagement center for at-risk youth in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Adrian Sealey. Mr. Sealey spent two weeks in the United States examining community resilience, leadership and advocacy skills, and effective ways to positively engage youth. This project was offered in support of the Strong Cities Network (SCN), the first global network of cities and other sub-national entities working together to build social cohesion and resilience to prevent violent extremism in all its forms.  Mr. Sealey and the other participants met with key SCN members, such as Mayor Tom Tait of Anaheim, California, who spoke with them about his campaign, “Making Kindness Contagious.” Continue