In-person Programming Fosters Return to Cultural and Personal Connections

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The United Nations of Team SVAT

After two years of virtual meetings, where we perfected the use of Zoom and asking people to unmute, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) has returned to in-person programs at full speed. While we all appreciated the chance to still connect during the throes of the pandemic, there is no true substitution for the connection face to face interaction offers. This was recently highlighted in the experience of Team SVAT, standing for Special Visitors, Ashi, and Tatyana (in reference to their resolute liaison team). This contingent of seven participants from various countries recently came to the U.S. for a...

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Embracing Pride through International Exchanges

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Embracing Pride through International Exchanges

The following post was written by Jack Fornasiero, Meridian’s Executive Office and Communications Fellow.   Each year, Meridian engages international visitors through exchange and leadership programs that strive to uplift the global LGBTQ+ community, in addition to our work ensuring the U.S. foreign service represents Americans abroad through diplomacy, cultural exchange, and informed leadership. During Pride Month and beyond, Meridian is proud to stand by our LGBTQ+ staff at Meridian, the U.S. Department of State, our community-based members, corporate partners, and those in the foreign service.   Meridian’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion is exemplified through programming like...

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Top Takeaways from the 2022 Global Ties U.S. National Meeting

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On March 16-19, 2022, Meridian joined fellow peers and organization members at the 2022 Global Ties U.S. National Meeting: Moving Exchange Forward. Over 400 attendees gathered to discuss strategies and resources to navigate programming, to learn about current events and trends affecting the United States and its foreign policy and to strengthen connections among those involved in international exchanges. As one of eight National Programming Agencies for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Meridian maintains a vital role both leading and participating in these conversations. Several staff attended the meeting both in-person and virtually, while also curating two panels focused...

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Women in Science: From IVLP to Opportunities in STEM

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To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are highlighting Sotheavy At, Strategic Communications Specialist at DAI Global/USAID Digital Asia Accelerator and alumna of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).   How has participating in international exchange for STEM issues transformed your life, career, or education? Did any new opportunities arise from this experience? Before the visit, I thought that only women and girls in developing countries like Cambodia faced barriers to pursue STEM-education and STEM-related work. From my visit, I quickly learned that most women and girls share the same journey...

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An eye on our most vulnerable

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Meer Ahsan Habib is a National Consultant – Communication Specialist, National Adaptation Plan Process at UNDP Bangladesh and 2021 participant in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project, “Transparency and Accountability in Government for the Indo-Pacific.” Habib develops the communications strategy of the National Adaptation Plan of Bangladesh. By engaging policy experts and the public, he provides policy analysis and suggestions to create an inclusive National Adaptation Plan and comprehensive position papers on climate change adaptation for Bangladesh’s Department of Environment. Habib is also a freelance columnist for several media outlets and has written numerous op-ed...

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