Web-based exchange program will foster collaboration between Icelandic environmental NGOs and U.S. counterparts
PRLog - Oct. 20, 2014 - WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Cultural Vistas is pleased to announce it will launch a three-month-long virtual exchange program for leading environmental NGO professionals from Iceland as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
This project will connect and foster collaboration between representatives of NGOs in Iceland and professional counterparts in the United States in an effort to address key environmental and developmental issues; and promote and support sustainable environmental practices. .
This marks the first IVLP exchange conducted primarily through video and web-based conferencing and sharing in the program's long-standing history, which dates back to 1940.
The three-month virtual exchange program will begin during the week of October 20 and continue through January 2015. It will be bookended by opening and closing sessions that bring participants together in Reykjavik.
Virtual IVLP projects are a means to extend the reach of people-to-people interactions, given U.S. Embassies have a limited number of spots each year to send participants to the United States.
Over the course of the program, the Icelandic professionals will take part in a series of facilitated online discussions, including bi-monthly "virtual town hall meetings", focused around U.S. environmental policy and advocacy; and specifically how nonprofits operate, build local constituencies and partnerships, and develop sustainable funding models.
In addition to events planned by the U.S. Embassy in Iceland, the three-month program will include various cultural activities, a staple of traditional people-to-people exchanges, such as Embassy staff-hosted home hospitality featuring typical American cuisine and a series of "virtual field trips" to major landmarks in Washington and across the United States.
This short-term professional exchange initiative is sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This project itinerary was designed by Cultural Vistas in close cooperation with the State Department in order to accomplish the following objectives:
- Analyze public and private sector efforts, policies, and techniques to address key environmental and developmental issues in the United States;
- Evaluate programs designed to sensitize industries, community leaders, and individual citizens to promote and support sustainable environmental practices;
- Examine how U.S. environmental organizations utilize scientific information and strategic messaging to inform and mobilize the public;
- Explore best practices and advocacy campaigns by U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to promote environmental conservation in the Arctic; and to
- Investigate innovative technology and management strategies of NGOs, for partnership building, grassroots organizing, and social media messaging.
About Cultural Vistas
A nonprofit organization, Cultural Vistas annually serves more than 5,000 students, professionals, and emerging leaders through career-focused international internships, educational study tours, language immersion and cultural exchange programs in the United States and around the world. As one of seven National Program Agencies, Cultural Vistas works in close cooperation with the U.S. Department of State to administer, design, and implement IVLP projects that directly support and advance U.S. foreign policy goals. — Learn more at culturalvistas.org.
Follow @CulturalVistas on Twitter
About the International Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the State Department’s premier professional exchange program. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience the United States firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Professional meetings reflect the participants’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States. More than 35 current and 300 former Chiefs of State or Heads of Government are IVLP alumni. — Learn more at exchanges.state.gov/ivlp.
Follow @StateIVLP on Twitter
For media inquiries related to State Department exchanges, contact: eca-press@state.gov.
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Cultural Vistas to Conduct First Virtual IVLP Exchange Program
October 20, 2014 at 10:34 AM EDT
