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Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
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Content created by Virtual Intern Ingrid Liu
An indigenous woman from the Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a human rights champion for her community and other marginalized communities. Ibrahim participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program's (IVLP) “Youth Leadership and Civic Engagement in the U.S.” project in 2012 that provided an opportunity to visit a Native American reservation. Ibrahim was able to compare the sovereign nature of the indigenous communities in the United States to her own community’s situation. It was eye-opening for her to see how the education system on the reservation allowed the Native American students to maintain their indigenous identity.
As a direct result of her IVLP, Ibrahim now serves in a number of regional and international leadership positions. She is a member of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee and served as co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change during the historic UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris. As a climate activist, she has received recognition as a part of the BBC's 100 Women Project and was awarded the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a leading voice for environmental stability and is effectively empowering indigenous voices.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Memories from Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim’s IVLP
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim vividly remembers her 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) experience, the people she met, and the places she visited. Per the purpose of this program - to be involved with the local youth civic actions and responsibilities - Ibrahim saw civil society in the United States up close. She came away with a network of friends and colleagues that she still corresponds with today.
In North Carolina, Ibrahim witnessed how the election process worked at a voting booth. Outside of the voting area, she saw people openly debate which candidate and issues they were supporting, and inside she saw all the facilities and tools used for voting, such as the computerized voting booths. Being able to see the logistical process of elections allowed Ibrahim to better understand election outcomes in U.S. and compare them to her home country.
One person in particular that Ibrahim remembers meeting was a 22-year-old woman running for office in New Mexico. When talking to her, Ibrahim learned that even in the United States, young women like herself, face discrimination. Seeing a young woman run for office despite her challenges was inspirational, she said.
Ibrahim not only saw similarities in herself and the woman from New Mexico, but she also saw similarities in culture when she went to an Indian reservation. As Ibrahim is part of an indigenous group, she felt that the culture of Native Americans was similar to her community. Seeing the school system be supportive and responsive to the Native American community was eye-opening for her as these students were able to keep their indigenous identity. She still keeps a necklace and earring given to her by an elder she met on the Indian reservation.
Lastly, perhaps the most obvious takeaway was from meeting her fellow participants and her interpreter. Ibrahim has kept in contact with them to this day and often connects with them through social media. She became close friends with one participant in particular who even named his son after her husband. In addition to friendship, Ibrahim and her fellow IVLP participants have built an ever-expanding network that has helped them further their causes.
Continuing to use the principles of democracy and self-government she learned in the U.S., Ibrahim has collaborated with both UNESCO and Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee in the development of a scientific tool to empower indigenous voices while increasing environmental sustainability. She has also greatly improved her English since her visit, as she wanted to be able to communicate directly with others internationally instead of through an interpreter. Ibrahim is currently working on a local project in Chad involving empowering women through generating revenue, which is then used to send children to school.
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Madiha Saad
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Content created by Virtual Intern Nayantara Arora
Madiha Saad is a Pakistani leader, activist, and educator who fights against patriarchal injustices through journalism and digital media. As a journalist, she primarily freelances for newspapers and writes articles focused on women and education. Saad is also an alumnus of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, an examiner and teacher for the International Baccalaureate diploma program, and has served as a journalism instructor at a leading university in Karachi.
In March 2016, Saad traveled to the United States for an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), focused on "Media Literacy- Promoting Civil Society through New Media." Her time spent in diverse cities allowed her to understand the impact of new social media trends and explore the role that digital technologies play in activism, campaigning, and promoting the development of civil society. "Our collective experience of foreign culture and our enriching exposure to the state-of-art innovations in media and technology...made our IVLP journey extraordinary," said Saad.
After her IVLP, Saad used her knowledge of digital technologies to host workshops for teachers, plan campaigns, and write articles on the social inequalities faced by women in Pakistan. She has helped introduce the concept of "solutions journalism" to her colleagues in Pakistan.
Madiha Saad's continuous dedication to promoting women's education through journalism in Pakistan has made her an equality and education leader.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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IVLP Media Literacy: a truly enriching and unforgettable experience by Madiha Saad
My selection and participation in IVLP Media Literacy: Promoting Civil Society through New Media marks an important milestone in my life. The experience was phenomenal and enriching as it brought together participants from 21 countries and set them on a journey of exploration and evolution in terms of their perception of civil society and ways in which it can possibly benefit from the rapidly changing digital landscape.
It is because of this diversity of backgrounds that we all hailed from, our collective experience of a foreign culture, and our enriching exposure to the state-of-art innovations in media and technology, that made our IVLP journey extraordinary.
The three-week program started with our arrival at Washington D.C and focused on multimedia approaches to journalism and digital activism; the highlight of which was our enlightening sessions with Lily Ciric Hofman (award-winning multimedia journalist) and Nick DeSarno (Director of Digital and Policy Communications) centered around multimedia storytelling, political campaigning and federal approaches to utilizing new media. I remember being awestruck after these sessions that gave me insights that not only helped shape my understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the digital landscape in the US but also the challenges back at home.
Then, as we traveled across the country, from New York to Boston, Boston to Indianapolis (some groups also traveled to Utah and Kansas City), we continued to explore how digital media was used to build authentic news experiences, efficient government transparency, and active public advocacy. It was exciting to witness the media and civil institutions relentlessly exploring ways to use new media to build a stronger and more active society, empowering people to make informed decisions regarding their social and political choices, and mustering their collective strength to work for the benefit of the entire nation.In terms of exposure to novel experiences, our time at MIT (Center for Civic Media) with Ethan Zuckerman, and RYOT, Huffington post was most fascinating and enriching. It educated us on ways to assess media impact on civil society and showcased advancements in immersive journalism, something which was then unheard of in Pakistan.
Apart from our academic and practical learnings, there’s a lot more we learned about operating in a different culture, interacting with each other and the local communities.It also brought to focus the commonality of human emotions and shared experiences instead of aspects that divide us. With respect to this, our visit to the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites was remarkable; it was a walk through the history of the US, its agrarian past, its native cultures and freedom struggles. I believe the experience strengthened my bond with the culture and history of the US more than anything as I felt connected to the country’s past which greatly helped me understand its present hopes and fears.
The home hospitality was another memorable highlight of the visit. It was for the first time that we were invited into a local household, where the hosts had made generous arrangements to indulge and entertain us. More than their generosity, the intimacy of the experience made it all so delightful. As a group, we were most comfortable with each other, celebrating our differences and cherishing the similarities; and in a short time, became lifelong friends. These humbling and exciting experiences will forever remain a part of me and I will continue to use them as a means to promote the idea of global citizenship and peace.
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