User:IVCLAwiki

International Visitors Council of Los Angeles (IVCLA):

Overview:

The International Visitors Council of Los Angeles (IVCLA) is a member of the National Council of International Visitors, a non-partisan, non-profit, volunteer organization, whose mission is to increase international understanding and cooperation. IVCLA works to accomplish this important mission by arranging professional programs, cultural visits and home hospitality for emerging leaders who are carefully selected by overseas American Embassies. Each year IVCLA arranges programs for nearly one thousand visitors from more than one hundred countries to experience the vitality and diversity of American institutions, values and culture. These programs provide participants with a first-hand experience of the way of life in the U.S.

IVCLA has been organizing professional exchange programs for foreign leaders since 1980. The success of this work depends upon the participation of volunteer IVCLA Citizen Diplomats. IVCLA programs benefit from the direct involvement of Citizen Diplomats who recognize its value to themselves, their families, and their communities. An IVCLA Citizen Diplomat becomes a vital link in the international relations of the United States in a way the U.S. government simply cannot provide. They welcome the visitors into their homes for dinner, conversation and sometimes for home stays. They meet with visitors at their businesses and offices for professional meetings, all of which provide the visitors with insight on how Americans live and work. International visitors in turn provide Citizen Diplomats with a better understanding about the rest of the world. These leading international visitors return home to share their experiences and apply the practical knowledge gained during their visit. These exchanges build relationships that are the best insurance for a world of peace and prosperity for future generations. Membership as a volunteer IVCLA Citizen Diplomat is open to all in the greater Los Angeles area. Furthermore, the IVCLA Visitor Alumni Network offers reciprocal introductions to IVCLA members who travel abroad. Past international visitors are eager to strengthen and expand the contacts established during their visit to Los Angeles. IVCLA is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of State, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, corporate sponsors, members and individuals.

Legacy of IVCLA:

Currently, forty-five former International Visitors are Chiefs of State or Heads of Government, including: Julia Eileen Gillard, Prime Mister of Australia; President Nicolas Sarkozy of France; and President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil. This illustrates the impact of the International Visitors Program throughout the world. The program enables emerging foreign leaders to obtain firsthand knowledge about the United States, its people, policies, and culture. Lasting business, cultural, and educational relationships with prominent professionals overseas often develop.

Links:

National Council for International Visitors IVIPS – International VIP Services IVP (IVLP) – International Visitors Program (International Visitors Leadership Program) http://www.alliance-exchange.org/citizenprofessionalyouth-exchange: US State Department Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs US Cultural Exchange Programs Public Diplomacy Cultural Diplomacy Citizen Diplomacy

Program Agency Partners:

- Meridian International Center -  Institute for International Education -  World Learning -  Academy for Educational Development -  Mississippi Consortium for International Development -  Graduate School, USDA -  Phelp Stokes Fund

Quotes:

Wendy Amin, VP National Council for International Visitors (1998-2005) “As you interact, break bread together, discuss dreams and ideas wth each other, something magical happens. The ‘us and them’ disappear. ‘They’ become part of ‘us.’”

Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State (1997-2001) “In an era of bluster and bombs, citizen diplomacy is a builder of bridges.”

Albert Einstein, Physicist “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”

Lee H. Hamilton, US Congressman from Indiana “International education is the single most effective tool of American foreign policy. It erodes mistrust, strengthens the bonds of understanding, and encourages reconciliation among peoples.”

Condoleeza Rice, US Secretary of State (2005-2008) “In today’s international system, the distance between here and there is getting smaller. The time it takes people and ideas to traverse the globe is rapidly shrinking. And the thoughts and actions of individuals carry more impact than ever. And as a result, exchanges between peoples are as important as exchanges between diplomats.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, Former United States President (1953-1961) “If only people will get together, then so eventually will nations.”

Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State “When you open your homes, when you open your communities, when you open your hearts to visitors from around the world, you give your guests a chance to see America at our best, to see our warmth and our base of diversity…Not only do you help acquaint visitors with what is in American hearts and on our minds, you also help to educate members of our own communities about hopes, fears and dreams of your visitors. As citizen diplomats, you bring world issues home to the American people in the most direct way possible.”

Maya Angelou, Poet, Activist “Is is wise, I think, for us to consider how similar we are: that human beings are more alike than we are unalike.”