Spotlight Interview: Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship

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Meridian Social Innovation Fellows

On May 4, 2015, Meridian welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship to Washington, D.C. The eight Fellows – who hail from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain – are global problem-solvers who bring together networks and resources to solve critical challenges facing their organizations, communities, and countries.  Meridian has brought together this distinguished group to drive ground-breaking advancements in the fields of youth and women empowerment, cultural integration, entrepreneurship, science, technology, and education. For updates on the Meridian Social Innovation Fellows’ experience in the United States, follow Program Associate Eirene O’Connor on twitter @EireneOC...

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The Transatlantic Relationship: 10 Year Recap

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Waving United States and European Union Flag

Eleven alumni from the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) were reunited in Washington, DC yesterday for a timely discussion of the transatlantic relationship. Three members of the group sat on a panel at the Delegation of the European Union to the U.S. along with David Mark of Politix and a representative from the Atlantic Council. The alumni were Edmundas Jakilaitis of Media 3 Television Production in Lithuania, Eric Bo Axel Sundstrom of Sweden’s on-line progressive newspaper Dagens Arena and Aikaterini Sokou of Kathimerini, Greece and Cyprus’ largest daily broadsheet.

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Swedish and U.S. Law Enforcement Counter Violent Extremism

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Swedish Police meet with U.S. counterparts from Emergence Group.

In June of 2013, Meridian International Center hosted six Swedish law enforcement officials seeking to curb the effects of violent extremism in their respective municipalities. These officers represented all geographic and cultural corners of Sweden– small towns, large suburbs and bustling cities. They came to Washington, DC with a large appetite for knowledge of our law enforcement tactics and strategies to employ in their hometowns. Our group was inquisitive, intelligent and intellectually curious. Sweden is part of a global initiative led by the U.S. Department of State to counter violent extremism. The visit was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy...

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Meridian International Center from the Eyes of an Intern

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Meridian Interns Sarenna Cech and Elizabeth Westbrook with Meridian employees

For the past semester, I have been extremely fortunate to intern in the GlobalConnect department of Meridian International Center. While I am still a bit in denial about the fact that the semester is almost over, this post will be an opportunity to reflect over the past couple of months and give my thoughts about interning at Meridian. First and foremost, for anyone who is interested in applying to intern in one of the many departments at Meridian International Center, I recommend it wholeheartedly. This internship has been a fantastic opportunity: I have been introduced to great people from...

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The Impact of Exchange: Changing Race Relations in South Africa

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Frederik de Klerk & Nelson Mandela - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 1992 (Copyright: World Economic Forum)

Today is Election Day in South Africa, 20 years after the country’s first all-race vote and the 5th national election since the fall of apartheid. Many are part of a generation of “born frees” – citizens born after apartheid that are voting for the first time. On this day, we remember a South African visitor that came through our doors for a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (formerly under the U.S. Information Agency) in 1976. He was a member of the South African Parliament under apartheid and had been serving for seven...

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