From Participant to Programmer: Meridian IVLP Alumnus on Exchanges with Meridian

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Manuel Comeron (bottom) pictured with the American delegation meeting with the Liège Police Force during the Community Connections program

In the fall of 2018, Mr. Manuel Comeron, an alumnus of the 2017 Meridian International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled “Strong Cities: Building Community Resilience to Radicalization and Violent Extremism,” was a programming partner for the Community Connections program. This iteration of Community Connections is a two-part international exchange program between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee and Liège and Verviers, Belgium during which rising American and Belgian leaders in violence prevention exchange best practices in countering violent extremism. In the first part of the program, Mr. Comeron organized a one-week program in Liège for 8 American NGO leaders, government officials,...

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Strengthening the Partnerships Between the State of Illinois and Korea – The Impact of a Program

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The U.S. and Korea participants meeting with former Congressman and then President & CEO of the Korea Economic Institute, Donald Manzullo.

To mark the 20th Anniversary of implementing the U.S. Congress – Republic of Korea National Assembly Exchange, Meridian conducted a longitudinal study, surveying alumni from the 2007-2017 programs to assess how this exchange has impacted the 340 Americans and Koreans rising leaders who took part in the exchange. Their individual stories are a testament to the long term-impact of this exchange and of its crucial role in fostering better relations between the United State and Korea. Featured below is the personal story of Tommy Choi, an alum of the 2013 program, who shared with us as part of the...

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“Indian and American women, while unique in some ways, face similar challenges in the media” – Interview with Participant in the U.S Speaker Program in India

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Cristal Williams Chancellor pictured with Arch Academy of Design with founder and director Archana Surana, her colleagues, Conrad Turner, counselor for cultural affairs, and Mandeep Kaur, cultural affairs specialist, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi.

Meridian International Center has been implementing the U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program for India sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi since 2013. By sending U.S. experts on various fields to India, the program connects U.S. experts with Indian audiences and institutions; promotes an understanding of U.S. strategic priorities, policies and institutions; and provides opportunities to discuss the political, economic, social, and cultural context from which they arise. Cristal Williams Chancellor, who serves as the director of communications for the Women’s Media Center, was one of our experts in this program in 2018....

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My Experience with YLAI – A U.S. Department of State Exchange Program

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YLAI 2018 cohort

From September to October 2018, Meridian International Center successfully implemented the Young Leaders of America Initiative (YLAI) 2018 cohort. This great program which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, brought 250 YLAI Professional Fellows from Latin America and the Caribbean to expand their leadership and entrepreneurial experience. YLAI is designed to address the opportunity gap for youth, especially women, by empowering business and social entrepreneurs with the training, tools, networks and resources they need to transform their societies and contribute more fully to economic development and prosperity, security, human...

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PAYLP Alumni Share Their Knowledge With Local Communities Back Home

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Our Alumnus Clarence Sarty from the team Liberia who shared their experience in a local radio station in Ganta city Nimba County Liberia.

In August 2018, Meridian welcomed 109 high school students and adult mentors from twenty-three African countries to the U.S. for the Pan Africa Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP), an annual three-week academic and cultural exchange on leadership development and civic engagement. Below is a blog post written by Vanessa Elongo Meridian’s PAYLP Intern who is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is an international student at George Mason University studying Integrative Studies with a concentration in International Studies. “It has been almost two months that our PAYLP 2018 Alumni of the summer cohort returned to their home...

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