National Literacy Month: Becoming a Global Citizen through Books

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This year back to school looks a little different, instead of buying supplies parents are figuring our the dynamics of virtual schooling. For young adults studying or hoping to pursue a career in the area of international relations or foreign policy realm, it is important to understand how interconnected our world is, to learn more about different cultures, and be globally literate. Literacy is extremely important not only in order to succeed but also in order to be able to make decisions and analyze situations. Through our various efforts, Meridian hopes to engage with and support future global leaders...

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Q&A Series with CEEJ Fellows Pt 1: Iliyana Dimitrova

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Iliyana interviewing John Bercow in in Westminster palace

The following information and answers were submitted by Iliyana Dimitrova, she is an International News Editor at bTV, Bulgaria. She is an incoming Central and Eastern European Journalism Program (CEEJ) Fellow. The CEEJ program was postponed and the fellows will be arriving in the U.S. to begin their fellowship in the spring. Until then they will be participating in a webinar series and will be highlighted through our CEEJ blog post series.  “It will be easy when you know how to do it!” That was the first piece of advice one of my first teachers in journalism gave me....

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IVLP’s Pivot to Virtual Programming: Reinforcing Networks

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Participants from a 2019 NGO Management Project Gather for a Reflective Action Planning Session

The following was written by Meridian Professional Exchanges Division Program Associate Julia Koski. Normally, connecting emerging leaders and Americans in traditional IVLP style is as straightforward as riding a bike, however, in the last few months, program teams have had to find a completely new set of wheels. The tried and true practice of bridging Edward Murrow’s “last three feet” with in-person programs is a paused reality due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and online convening tools have entered as the new medium to connect with and engage our global community. In this virtual pivot, Meridian mobilized to look...

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IVLP Alumni Spotlight: E-learning and Media Literacy

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Eugenie and Fellow IVLP Alumni Attending

This blog post was contributed by Lee Norrgard, Program Officer in Meridian’s Professional Exchanges Division. Even before the stay at home orders closed 124,000 elementary and secondary U.S. schools last spring, a survey of approximately 17,000 U.S. teachers and administrators almost unanimously indicated digital learning is now an integral part of teaching and learning. However, with the coronavirus acting as a catalyst, e-learning is dramatically changing education as millions of students remain distance learners. Without the internet, there would be no teaching and learning right now; but on the same internet, disinformation, misinformation and malinformation flourish. In a Stanford...

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Diplomacy today, diplomacy tomorrow

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Ambassador Bill Burns in conversation with Ambassador Yovanovitch at the Trainor Award Ceremony in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University on February 12, 2020 (Image: Georgetown University School of Foreign Service)

The following blog post is a three-part series adapted from Ambassador Yovanovitch’s Trainor Award lecture, delivered in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University in February 2020 and originally published on the Medium. In the series of blog, she reflects on her career in the Foreign Service, the state of diplomacy today, and the U.S. role in the world. PART 1: The power of example I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself and why I decided to become a diplomat. Because it was pretty unlikely, but all American stories are unlikely. That is the beauty of America. I grew...

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