Community leaders from six countries will travel to the United States February 11 to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Gold Stars’ Tour. The exchange brings IVLP alumni who have made significant impacts in their home communities back to the United States to share their insights and to discuss new strategies with their American counterparts.
The Gold Star participants begin in Washington, DC, where they attend the annual National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) National Meeting. The Gold Star alumni then travel individually to two cities they visited on their initial IVLP exchange, plus one new city. Finally, they come together in Jackson, Mississippi to share best practices and new strategies.
This year’s Gold Star participants are from Brazil, Burma, India, Iraq, Slovenia, and Zimbabwe. They are researching strategies relating to gender equality, minority rights, migrant rights, human trafficking, the arts and education as tools of empowerment, leadership, and judicial reform. More information is available in the participant bios.
The International Visitor Leadership Program, within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. The program connects current and emerging foreign leaders with their American counterparts through short-term exchanges to build mutual understanding on foreign policy issues.
For further information, please contact eca-press@state.gov.
