June 2013
Youth Councils: Empowering Youth as Change Agents
June 6th-11th, 2013
Youth Councils: Empowering Youth as Change Agents brought together a regionally diverse cross-section of Youth Council members from posts worldwide. The participants discussed best practices and creative ideas in advancing the role of young people in addressing the challenges and opportunities they face. The project also focused on helping the participants implement action plans for youth-led campaigns, and projects in their communities, for when they returned.
LGBT NGO Management and Social Diversity
June 9th-12th, 2013
LGBT NGO Management and Social Diversity was a two day program for our guests that focused on Cleveland's unique resources that serve the LGBT community as well as strategies and techniques for management of non-profit and non-governmental organizations.
May 2013
Transparency in Federal, State, and Local Government
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
During their three-week program, these distinguished International Visitors from Afghanistan and India looked at how the U.S. system of decentralized government enhances the democratic process and gives voice to members of society.
April 2013
Media Literacy: Promoting Civil Society through New Media
April 10th-13th, 2013
On their short trip to Cleveland, our eight guests explored the multitude of social tools that help our Northeast Ohio communities network and bridge productive ideas. These participants also gained in depth knowledge on the importance of having the freedom of speech and press guaranteed in society.
March 2013
Kazakhstan: "Role of Coast Guard and Customs Service"
From March 23-27 Cleveland hosted three Coast Guard officers and the director of a port-based customhouse from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan's 2,000 kilometer border on the Caspian Sea is now protected by the Coast Guard Division of the Border Guard Service, established in May 2008. It is responsible for defense of the state border, protection of infrastructure, interdiction of contraband (together with the Customs Control Committee of the Ministry of Finance) and assistance to environmental protection agencies to prevent illegal exploitation of Caspian Sea resources. The agency, still relatively new, continues to develop its capabilities and institutions, and has expressed interest in learning best practices of the U.S. Coast Guard Service and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. Priorities for the visit included drug interdiction, combating trafficking in persons, non-proliferation/container screening, and environmental/resource protection.
February 2013
South Africa:"Community Colleges"
From February 13-16, Cleveland hosted eight Further Education and Training (FET) College lecturers and administrators from South Africa.
FET Colleges were established in South Africa in 2002 with the goal of providing higher education opportunities to a significant segment of the population that did not qualify for admission to universities. FETs were initially established as vocational centers offering skills training to young people who did not otherwise have access to higher education or the formal job market, but have since also incorporated vocational training for both high school students and adults.
Iraq: "Preventing Violence Against Women and Children"
In February, we welcomed back women's rights activist Ms. Juliana Dawood YousifAl-Bazi.
Ms. Al-Bazi is an International Visitors Leadership Program alumna from 2010 and had been invited back to the U.S. as part of the State Department's "Gold Stars" program, which honors previous program participants who have used IVLP as a launch pad to do great things back home.
September 2012
Near-East/North Africa Regional Project: "Political Cartooning"
CCWA hosted a delegation of 10 distinguished political cartoonists from the Near East/North Africa Region.
The group was in Cleveland September 19th and 20th to examine the role played by political cartoonists in the U.S., explore constitutionally guaranteed press freedoms and editorial expression, and become familiar with the cartoonist training in the U.S
Belgium:"Journalism"
CCWA hosted Mr. Steven Decraene, a journalist from Belgium, from September 19th-23rd.
Mr. Decraene is an international affairs reporter for “Terzake” (“On the Issues”), broadcast by the influential Flemish Public Broadcaster VRT. Terzake is the highest ranking Dutch-language prime-time television program in Belgium with approximately 300,000 nightly viewers. During his stay in Cleveland, Mr. Decraene focused on “Rust Belt” economics and the integration of immigrants in the United States.