IVLP Alumni Spotlight: Two Women Countering Violent Extremism

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Ms. Natascha Jensen (second from right) from Denmark with fellow IVLP participants at the CVE conference she organized in Aarhus in November 2015.

 

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 two alumni who participated in a Multi-Regional project for women engaged in countering terrorism on practitioner and grassroots levels in their own countries. The participants spent two weeks in the United States examining the growing threat of terrorism and extremist organizations, the role of women within these organizations, the radicalization of women, and the tools and strategies that help counter this threat.

 

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Meridian bids farewell to veteran Arrivals Officer Paula Manganelli

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Paula Manganelli (center in pink) poses with Professional Exchange Division colleagues.

For all these years she has been our mainstay, And she has done it in her lovely, quiet way So miss her we will, but we know you’re not far away. We’re happy for you — you can relax every day. Thank you Paula, for your kindness to us. That’s it.  That’s all.  What’s more to discuss? Meridian International Center Program Officers in the room greeted the farewell couplets with applause and laughter as Paula Manganelli, the guest of honor, sat by smiling. Paula retired last month after over 30 years of experience scheduling arrivals for Meridian’s Professional Exchange Division....

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Mapping IVLP Volunteer Service

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IVLP Volunteer Participation in Fiscal Year 2015

The spirit of community service has grown stronger every year since Congress enacted the National and Community Service Act of 1990. From President Bush’s Points of Light Award to President Obama’s United We Serve initiative, successive presidents have helped to strengthen this part of the American cultural fabric. After Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated as a national day of service in 1994, Americans everywhere worked to make it not a day off but a day on. Continue  

Program Theme Spotlight: Climate Change Adaptation

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A representative from the National Capital Planning Commission explains the function of the levee on the Capital Mall to an IVLP Climate Change group.

Program Theme Spotlight is intended to promote ideas, brainstorming and best practices on frequent IVLP project topics.

Climate change is one of President Obama’s top foreign policy and national security priorities. While world leaders continue to seek consensus on emissions reduction, the impacts of a changing climate are already being seen in regions and communities around the globe. Increasingly, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) projects will reflect this reality. While projects on key related topics such as green energy and sustainable energy management will continue in importance, one topic will make its way to the forefront: adapting to the impacts of climate change.

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