1. Center Stage Artists Embark on D.C. Tour

   Center Stage, a cultural exchange program developed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the New England Foundation for the Arts, will bring musicians from Egypt and Ukraine to America for a nation-wide tour through December 2018.

2. Michael Zantovsky

   First Name

   Michael

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Helen Zeidman

   Michael Zantovsky is a Czech diplomat, politician, and author who leverages the power of words to advance international understanding. Zantovsky became the press secretary and spokesperson for Czech president Vaclav Havel after the Velvet Revolution. In 1990, when President George H.W. Bush visited Prague, Zantovsky met the White House press secretary which laid the foundation for Zantovsky's exchange experience in the United States.

   In 1991, Zantovsky traveled to the United States through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to learn about American media relations. "My still largely intuitive and improvised press operation back home was a far cry from the well-organized and systematic manner in which the White House media message was elaborated and processed, and the various talking points prepared," he said. During his IVLP, Zantovsky said that "I had access everywhere and could speak to everyone. In the ten or so days I spent there, I learned a whole lot. It was something between sitting in a front row at a world class boxing match and going back to school."

   Zantovsky later became Ambassador to the United States, Israel, and Great Britain and after serving as a diplomat, he wrote Havel: A Life, a biography of Vaclav Havel that was popular in both Czech and English. In 2015, Zantovsky became the Executive Director of the Vaclav Havel Library in Prague, and through conferences and events, the library and its archives shares the life of Havel with the people.

   Michael Zantovsky advocates for international diplomacy on and off the page and for increasing access to information through literature.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Photo

   

   

   

   Home Country

   Czech Republic

   Last name

   Zantovsky

   IVLP Alumni

3. The IVLP Community and Volunteerism

   Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and Meridian International Center, a national program agency, hosted an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) virtual salon series titled, “Effective Volunteer Engagement during Uncertain Times.”

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   

   Newly appointed Global Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spends time in Brazil to speak with youth about the importance and power of education.

5. QuestFest

   

   QuestFest is a two-week, international festival that features groundbreaking work from exceptional performers and companies dedicated to the use of movement, gesture, and digital media to tell stories.

6. Cashews and the Lessons of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program

   Minata Kone, a Burkinabé alumna of the 2012 African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), is living proof for the women and girls of Burkina Faso and all of Sub-Saharan Africa, that they can be successful international business women.

7. Comedy and Disability Breaking Down Barriers #ADA25

   

   Comedians Josh Blue and Shannon DeVido opened the 25/40 event Celebrating the ADA 25th and VSA 40th Anniversaries with a stand-up comedy performance.

8. Hundreds of Young African Leaders Convene Virtually to Collaborate on Resilience and Inclusion

   WASHINGTON, DC — Hundreds of young African leaders convened for the virtual 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit.

9. Launch of New Young Women Leaders Program Honors Former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright

   Program to engage new generation of future young women leaders from around the world.

10. P2P: Challenging Extremism

    

    In partnership with EdVenture Partners and the U.S. Department of State, 23 Universities around the globe were invited to create digital campaigns to counter violent extremism.

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