Congressional Districts Visited by IVLP Participants in 2015

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Congressional Districts Visited by IVLP Participants in 2015

Each year, in order to track the geographic diversity of our programming, we collect a list of the cities that our visitors see as they travel across the country. Last marked the 75th Anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program. Using the list of cities from that year we constructed a map to visually show our visitors travels. Would the data points cluster near the coast or major cities? What if we overlaid it with congressional districts? How would the spread be with red and blue districts? In the following maps we tried to discover the answers to those questions and more and the results might be surprising.

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Exchange Programs and World Press Freedom Day

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Participants in the Media Literacy: Promoting Civil Society through New Media program at the Foreign Press Center in New York. Photo credit: Brittany Lynk

Every 3rd of May, the world celebrates World Press Freedom Day to evaluate the freedom of journalists worldwide and to defend attacks on media. In 1993, the UN General Assembly proclaimed this date to act as a reminder for governments to respect their commitment to press freedom and for media professionals to reflect upon ethical issues in their field. Thousands of journalists, writers, activists and leaders recognize World Press Freedom Day as a way to address the main challenges concerning the freedom of information. Meridian’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) visitors address this subject matter by engaging in the power of international exchange through different experiences and ideas. Continue  

“America 101” to Genetically Modified Foods Seminars: Evolutions in International Exchange Trends

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Paula Manganelli addresses former and current Meridian Program Officers who gathered in honor of her retirement.

On Feb. 18th, Meridian International Center said goodbye to Senior Program Officer Paula Manganelli, who has over 30 years’ experience scheduling international exchange groups. During the send-off, I spoke to a host of other Meridian veterans about their programming experiences and changes in international exchange trends. Former Program Officer and Foreign Service Officer Dick Christensen attributes Meridian’s success in international exchange in part to its illustrious history. Meridian sits on a majestic lot on Crescent Place NW, just off of the 16th St. NW stretch in front of Meridian Hill Park, what was the geographic meridian of Washington, DC...

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Tragedy and opportunity | Reflections from a YLAI fellow

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YLAI group in DC

Kheston Walkins is a young entrepreneur from Trinidad and Tobago who was selected to attend the 2016 Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI) pilot program by the U.S. Department of State. This presidential initiative supports social and business entrepreneurs from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Here are some of his reflections on his experience attending this prestigious U.S.-based exchange. Tragedy and Opportunity: it is a strange courtship that is as clumsy as a duck’s waddle, yet the two travel abreast almost inseparably. My name is Kheston Walkins, and I am from Trinidad and Tobago. Let me tell...

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Program Theme Spotlight: Countering Violent Extremism

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Participants on a Women Countering Violent Extremism project met with Facebook to discuss the use of social media to effectively counter extremist messaging.

Secretary of State John Kerry stated recently that violent extremism may well be “the defining challenge of our generation.” Given this reality, many International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) projects are focusing on best practices to counter radicalization and violent extremism. Their goal is to create a global knowledge network that develops strategies for ongoing cooperation in these efforts.

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