This month, more than 50 exchange program alumni from 12 countries throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States joined veteran TechCamp trainers and other leading international experts for a virtual seminar to combat disinformation and increase media literacy. The first-ever Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar (TIES) TechCamp Reconnect provided opportunities for international exchange alumni to strengthen their knowledge and skills in media literacy surrounding democratic governance, transparency, elections, anti-corruption, and post-COVID-19 disinformation. This was the first time exchange alumni from the U.S. joined a TechCamp program, as well as the first time TechCamp alumni participated in an ECA Exchange Alumni program. 

Participants received training, mentorship, and support to build their technical and subject matter capabilities and networked with leading professionals in their fields across the Americas. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs designed the seminar with experts from PeaceTech Lab and the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), with logistical and management support from World Learning. Facilitators and trainers included leaders from Reuters, Gallup, PBS, Twitter, and Facebook. Participants also showcased relevant projects inspired by their previous exchange programs and TechCamps via panel discussions and a virtual poster show.  

Following the event, participants were invited to apply for small grant awards to put their newly-acquired skills into practice and build sustaining relationships with other participants. Follow #ExchangeAlumni #AlumniTIES and #TechCampGlobal on social media to learn more. 

By Leslie Chan

Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Cherrie Daniels welcomed A/Assistant Secretary Phil Reeker and 22 IVLP participants virtually

"While hate may never be permanently defeated, it must always be confronted and condemned. When we recognize the fundamental human dignity of all people, we help to build a more just and peaceful world. In the memory of all those who were lost, and in honor of all those who survived, we must continue to work toward a better, freer, and more just future for all humankind." - President Biden, A Proclamation on Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust, 2021

This week, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs began the Countering Holocaust Denial and Distortion virtual International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project. The IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Through discussions with their counterparts in the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields share their perspectives on issues of mutual interest 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.

This virtual IVLP project strengthens shared efforts in the United States and Europe to support accurate Holocaust history and counter denial and distortion. Over a four-week period, 22 European mid and senior-level archivists and museum professionals from nine countries will examine outreach strategies and services for museums, memorials, and archives with a focus on storytelling and public education initiatives. Professional programming will include intra-group discussions to foster collaboration and information sharing among the participating countries, a four-session series with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and a virtual presentation by the Arolsen Archives in Germany.

The project coincides with Yom HaShoah (The Day of Remembrance), for which the group has been attending pre-arranged events such as a webinar jointly hosted by the Offices of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues and the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism on the theme of protecting the history of the Holocaust and recognizing and confronting Holocaust distortion. Special Envoy Cherrie Daniels emphasized that the historically accurate facts about the Holocaust must be protected and conveyed to future generations and saluted the participants' work, saying that, "these professionals are, in many ways, the guardians and keepers of Holocaust history."

The participants will meet with interlocutors from several cities throughout the U.S. including Washington, DC; New York, New York; Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Special Envoy Cherrie Daniels, Mark Weitzman, Director of Government Affairs for the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Chief Representative of the Center to the United Nations in New York, met virtually with the 22 IVLP participants In April to discuss ways to identify and confront Holocaust distortion

Please watch the U.S. Department of State Day of Remembrance Commemoration here.

Learn more about the IVLP on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter. This project is being implemented in partnership with World Learning.

Two decades ago, the U.S. Department of State created a new initiative to preserve cultural heritage around the globe. The first diplomatic cable that launched the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant competition was sent on April 3, 2001, one of a series of measures taken since the early 1980s to merge cultural preservation and protection with American diplomacy. The cable echoed the sentiments of then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who had prioritized cultural heritage activities overseas to celebrate the new millennium.

Over a thousand projects later, the AFCP continues to show, “a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military,” as former Secretary Albright wrote in the fall of 1998. “By showing that America values the diversity of cultures,” she stated, “we may be able to counter negative images of our own culture and build stronger ties of understanding and peace throughout the world.”

Since 2001, U.S. missions in 133 countries across the world have used the power of cultural preservation and the AFCP to spur economic development, engage women and youth, cultivate respect for cultural diversity, and further promote U.S. foreign policy objectives. In celebration of this incredible program's anniversary, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which administers the AFCP program, invites all U.S. missions, State Department programs, and preservation partners to join in celebrating 20 years of American leadership, cooperation, and support for the preservation of cultural heritage.

Read more about the AFCP’s 20th anniversary in our recent State Department blog post here and learn more about the AFCP here. Follow the Cultural Heritage Center on Twitter @HeritageAtState.

On April 6, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) signature music exchange program OneBeat will launch a new podcast series highlighting conversations with musicians and artist leaders around the globe. The series, The OneBeat Podcast: Listen Local. Hear Global, will feature one-on-one interviews and discussions with artists who are engaging their communities through music in an impactful way. The inaugural episode will introduce OneBeat to the world, including how it was created and its mission and philosophy. Listeners will also meet the various stakeholders who play a role in making OneBeat happen, as well as prominent alumni.

A new episode will be released each month starting in April and will be available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Episode 2-May 6, 2021

Justin Harrington: This candid conversation dives into the richness and diversity of Black culture through the lens of the banjo-playing hip-hop artist, Justin Harrington (Demeanor). In the episode, Justin breaks down the influences that have shaped his musical expression, from the African akonting to Kendrick Lamar, and he shares how the BLM Movement has impacted his life and work as a community leader in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Episode 3- June 6, 2021

Daniela Serna: This episode takes us to Colombia, where we have the pleasure of talking to Daniela Serna - feminist, activist, cultural producer and founding member of the celebrated band LADAMA. Dani takes us on her musical journey from being a shy girl with a bell, to travelling to the pacific coast of Colombia and immersing herself in the music of that region. In this journey, she finds her own voice as a musician, and as a woman, and then creates spaces for others to do the same.

Episode 4-July 6, 2021

Ng Chor Guan: In this episode, we meet composer, theremin player and time traveler through sound, Ng Chor Guan. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Guan talks to us about the human imagination, infinite possibility, and the magic of traveling sonically through space and time.

*Please check social media accounts below for schedule updates.

OneBeat, was developed by ECA in collaboration with Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation. Through a suite of programs designed to use collaborative music creation to promote civic discourse, young musicians explore how artists, institutions and communities can work together to rejuvenate local economies and promote civic engagement through music, technology, and the creative arts. To learn more about the program please visit https://1beat.org.

The Global Ties U.S National Meeting will take place virtually from March 22 to 26, bringing together over 1,000 U.S. private- and public-sector leaders who partner with the Department of State to implement international exchange programs in communities across the United States. Participants will hear from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken during the closing plenary session as well as from U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, who will provide remarks during the Global Fight Against Climate Change and Environmental Degradation plenary session.

This event provides a forum for non-profit organizations, advocates, and leaders in the international exchange field to gain high-level insights on trends affecting exchange programs. Attendees will include representatives from members of the Global Ties U.S. network, including private-sector partners and U.S. Department of State staff who implement the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

While the National Meeting will be conducted online this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event will still be a unique opportunity to reflect and connect with IVLP implementing partners and colleagues and celebrate the 60 year anniversary of Global Ties U.S.

For more information about the Global Ties U.S. National Meeting and to find opportunities to share virtually, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @GlobalTiesUS. For more information on the IVLP, visit their website and follow them at @StateIVLP.

The trafficking of stolen, looted, or forged art, antiquities, and other cultural objects benefits criminal organizations and terrorist groups, erodes the legal art market, and harms our relationships with foreign partners and allies. To combat trafficking, U.S. law enforcement personnel received specialized training on trends in illicit trade.

In March 2021, the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) held a virtual training workshop for federal law enforcement to enhance their knowledge about ancient and historic coins. The training brought together nearly 100 participants from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection, FBI, the State Department, the Smithsonian Institution, international partners, and representatives from U.S. universities, museums, and coin associations. Federal investigators and customs officers learned how to identify potentially looted or stolen coins, how to work with coin experts, and how to properly photograph and handle coins.

This training was the first in a series of virtual anti-trafficking workshops supported by the CATF and organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute, HSI, and FBI. The workshops provided U.S. law enforcement with knowledge and capabilities to help identify, interdict, investigate, and prosecute activities related to some of the most-trafficked categories of cultural property.

This workshop supplemented the CATF’s annual training program that, in partnership with HSI and Smithsonian, has now trained over 360 law enforcement personnel since 2009. Collectively, members of the CATF have successfully repatriated more than 20,000 pieces of cultural property to more than 45 countries since 2004.

About the Cultural Antiquities Task Force

Created by the State Department in 2004 at the direction of Congress, the CATF comprises federal agencies that share a common mission to combat antiquities trafficking in the United States and abroad. Since its creation, the CATF has supported more than 95 domestic and international cultural property training programs. CATF is managed by the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center.

Last month, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) Sports Diplomacy Division hosted a virtual Sports Visitor Program (SVP) with participation from approximately 60 soccer coaches and sports administrators from ten countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Burma, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Israel, and Nicaragua. 

This virtual multi-country SVP featured sessions on coaching techniques and methodologies, with a particular focus on women's soccer and empowerment (Women Win), human rights (Advocates for Human Rights), mental health (Train the Mind), and positive youth development (United Soccer Coaches).  The program included live virtual sessions with online discussions, some of which were held in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention, the largest annual soccer coaches convention in the United States.  During the United Soccer Coaches Convention, the group heard from five players and coaches from the 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup winning team as well as five other former and current U.S. Women’s National Team Players.  

The Sports Visitor Program, implemented in conjunction with FHI 360, brings amateur youth athletes and coaches to the United States to explore U.S. society, culture, and history through the lens of sports.  Participants interact with American peers both on and off the field, whereby challenging their stereotypes of the U.S. and broadening their notions of diversity, inclusion, and American values.  In 2019, prior to COVID-19, the program hosted approximately 250 coaches, administrators, and youth athletes across eleven exchanges, including three youth sports camps, held in conjunction with an existing American sports summer camp. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person programs were postponed and moved to a virtual format until health and safety conditions improve and allow for safely conducting exchanges.

The program has changed participants’ outlook on sports in their home countries. A coach who attended the virtual program said, “My view of the role of a coach in my community has changed as I now see a coach as someone who is also a mentor, educator, friend, confidant and someone who can help to not only enhance the skills of his/her players, but assist the players in becoming good role models in their community.”

Sports Diplomacy is an essential part of efforts to build ever-strengthening relations between the United States and other nations. It uses the universal passion for sports as a way to transcend linguistic and sociocultural differences and bring people together. Participation in sports teaches leadership, teamwork, and communication skills that help individuals succeed in all areas of their lives.

To learn more about ECA’s Sports Diplomacy Division, follow them on Twitter @SportsDiplomacy.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is pleased to highlight the YTILI program - strengthening the transatlantic partnership between entrepreneurs in Europe and the United States.

The Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs from Europe. A cohort of 60 European entrepreneurs, ages 25-35, from 45 European countries will participate in a robust fellowship placement in the United States, accompanied by online and virtual professional development experiences. The application is open now through March 1, 2021. Please visit https://ytili-worldchicago.org/ for more details on the program and eligibility requirements. Follow YTILI on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for program updates.

YTILI uses entrepreneurship as a tool to promote mutual understanding and lasting partnerships between emerging leaders from Europe and the United States. YTILI empowers young entrepreneurs to enact change in their local communities by strengthening their skills and expanding their networks through a fellowship in the United States. The fellowship is supplemented by an online and in-person entrepreneurship curriculum, a regional Innovation Summit, and a reciprocal exchange opportunity.

YTILI is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, supported in its implementation by WorldChicago.

Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet March 17 and 19, 2021, to review the request by the Government of the Republic of Albania seeking import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material. The Committee will also review the proposed extension and amendment of the cultural property agreement with the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Committee invites public comment on the new request and the proposed extension. The public may provide written comment in advance and/or register to participate in the virtual open session of the meeting on March 17 at 2:00 pm (EDT). 

Albania Request Summary 

The Government of Albania has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material from Albania. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. The archaeological materials requested date from the Middle Paleolithic to the Ottoman Period, and include stone, ceramic, metal, glass, wood, and other organic materials. The ethnological materials requested date from the Byzantine, Middle Age, and Ottoman periods and include sacred icons and frescoes, written material such as illuminated manuscripts and codices, traditional clothing, religious vestments, ceremonial paraphernalia, and architectural elements, sculptures, mosaics, and reliefs found in historical or religious structures. 

Egypt Extension Summary 

An extension of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Categories of Archaeological Material of the Arab Republic of Egypt will be considered.  The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt requests that the agreement be amended to include Egyptian archaeological and ethnological cultural property that is 100 years old or older, such as material from the Ottoman Period and Muhammad Ali dynasty.  A history of U.S. actions concerning the agreement can be found on the Current Import Restrictions Page.. 

The Review Process 

The State Department follows these procedures as it considers cultural property agreements. The State Department considers import restrictions for materials that meet the definitions in the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.  See our website for more information

Comments on the Albania Request and Egypt Extension and Amendment 

Public comments on Albania’s request and the possible extension and amendment of the cultural property agreement with Egypt should focus on the four determinations described at https://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/cultural-property-advisory-committee/foreign-government-requests. All comments must be submitted in writing no later than March 3, 2021, at 11:59 pm (EDT). Use regulations.gov, enter docket DOS_FRDOC_0001-5449, and follow the prompts to submit written comments. Please submit separate comments for each country. 

Join in the Virtual Open Session 

The virtual open session of the Committee meeting will be held on March 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT using Zoom, a web conferencing service. The open session will start with a brief presentation by the Committee, after which public participants will comment on the new request and possible extension, and answer questions from the Committee. Time permitting, participants may be asked to provide additional oral comments for no more than five (5) minutes per participant. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to accommodate all who wish to speak. 

Anyone may observe and/or participate. If you are new to Zoom, these tips will help you get started. If needed, please request reasonable accommodation no later than March 10 by contacting the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at culprop@state.gov. Requests made after that date may be considered, but it may not be possible to fulfill them. 

To Participate 

Participants in the open session can speak and may be asked questions by the Committee. If you wish to participate and want to be guaranteed a slot, you must request to be scheduled by March 10, via email (culprop@state.gov). Please submit your name and organizational affiliation in this request. After you pre-register, you will receive a unique link and instructions on how to participate via email. 

To observe 

Observers can watch the open session, but they cannot speak. It is not necessary to pre-register to observe. 

To join as an observer: 

Click the link to join the webinar: https://statedept.zoomgov.com/j/1602318745 

Or by Telephone: 

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 254 5252  or +1 669 216 1590  or +1 551 285 1373  or +1 646 828 7666 

Webinar ID: 160 231 8745 

International numbers available: https://statedept.zoomgov.com/u/amgro0V1N

Pages

Subscribe to Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs RSS