Community Development in Iraq through Volunteerism

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The Volunteers of Duhok team discusses ways to engage students in community development through volunteerism.

By Ameer Sabri, Manager of Volunteers of Duhok University (VDU) Alumnus IYLEP 2015 Volunteers of Duhok University (VDU) is an initiative launched by a group of students from the University of Duhok – a fast-growing institution in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Established in March 2015, the idea of setting up a youth center was pitched by a student, Saeed Qasim, and his mates, Zeena, Pekhatin, Karzan, Matty, Khosh, Iman, Yoshia, Khalid, Shihab, Ahmed, and Iman Na’man to create and spread the culture of volunteerism among students. First of all, the VDU team developed a registration form for membership...

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Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup (December edition)

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From Cuba to Kenya, soft power diplomacy abounded in 2015.

As we say goodbye to another year, this edition of MCCD’s Soft Power features events from last month that are likely to impact cultural diplomacy in 2016. In the spirit of the New Year, we’ve coupled these highlights with soft power resolutions that anyone can take part in. Soft power diplomacy comes in many forms – maybe this month’s selections will inspire grassroots efforts in 2016.

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The ‘Wonders’ of North Korea or 15 Things You Did Not Know About the Hermit Kingdom

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Downtown Pyongyang

For the past year or so whenever the subject of North Korea comes up (and it does quite a bit especially when you work on a great program like the U.S. Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange Program), folks always ask me what was it like going there, how did I get to go there in the first place and why, and is it that weird as the media portrays it. Aside from the Korean experts I had the privilege of getting to know over the years, most younger folks get their news about North Korea from...

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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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