1. A New Look for Fulbright

   At the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2019, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs unveiled an updated Fulbright Program brand identity.

2. José Aguilar Berrocal

   First Name

   José

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   

    

   Content created by Virtual Intern  Radha Varadan

   “Solidarity cures us,” says José Aguilar Berrocal, a former International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participant from Costa Rica and Founder and President of the Board of the Youth Action Foundation. His tireless work tackling the educational and emotional issues that at-risk youth in Costa Rica face stems from his own challenges growing up. The support of mentors put him on the path to success and instilled in him the desire to serve others.

   Aguilar founded the Youth Action Foundation in 2006, an organization that works hand-in-hand with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education to connect at-risk students with mentors and tutors while requiring the students to volunteer in their communities. Through its programs, the Foundation has engaged more than 22,400 students and teachers in community service. “The most wonderful feeling that a person can experience is to bring hope,” Aguilar says. He credits the IVLP with showing him the significance of civic engagement and community service in others, and the benefits it brings.

   Aguilar previously led Public Horizons, a collective that tackles the human development gap by building partnerships. He also founded Strategic Human Development (Desarrollo Humano Estratégico), which aims to provide food to unemployed families in rural Costa Rica in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

   Through his work to mitigate the challenges faced by vulnerable populations in Costa Rica, José Aguilar Berrocal brings hope and support to those in need.

   Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra

    

   Media Links

   Domino effect: Jose Aguilar at TEDxLSE

   Fundación Acción Joven

   Home Country

   Costa Rica

   Last name

   Aguilar Berrocal

   IVLP Alumni

3. Secretary Blinken Meeting with YLAI ExchangeAlumni in Chile

   On October 5, in Santiago, Chile, Secretary Antony J. Blinken met with four ExchangeAlumni of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program.

4. The Confidence to Lead: Lilia Sevastyanova

   The Confidence to Lead: Lilia Sevastyanova

5. Sports Grant Provides Disability Skills Training to Coaches in Mexico

   

   The National Ability Center, in collaboration with the Departamento de Educación Especial for the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, and UCP Wheels for Humanity in the United States conducted a multi-phased sports exchange for youth with disabilities with the goal of establishing sustainable sports programs that target youth with physical and developmental disabilities in Mexico.

6. IVLP Gold Star Lebang Nong Returns to U.S. to Continue Addressing How “Without Education, There is No Future”

   Each year, approximately 5,000 current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields travel to the United States on the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to cultivate professional networks with their American counterparts.

7. ECA Announces Fulbright Program’s 75th Anniversary Celebration at Kennedy Center, Invites Public to View Via Livestream

   The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce that it will host a celebration of the Fulbright Program’s 75 years of impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on November 30 at 7:00 PM EST.

8. Madiha Saad

   First Name

   Madiha

   Participant Headshot

   

   Short Biography

   ivlp_profiles_saad.png

   

   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

   Printer-Friendly Version

   Blog Post

   Blog

   ---

   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.

   Photo

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Media Links

   Society: Unfriendly law

   Forced out of work

   The Exploited

   "Pakistan needs individuals whose intellect is trained for its own sake"

   "True nationalism is not about hostility towards the other"

   Home Country

   Pakistan

   Last name

   Saad

   IVLP Alumni

9. Soccer Envoys in Brazil: Getting More Women and Girls Involved in Soccer

   

   Brazil is a nation of soccer, but when it comes to women and girls’ participation in soccer, the numbers tell a different story.

10. Mars: The Coolest Destination for Exchange Students

    

    The ECA Collaboratory, in partnership with NASA’s Digital Learning Network™, Google’s Connected Classrooms Program, and the U.S. Embassies in Buenos Aires and Managua, invite educators and students to the Mission Mars: Virtual Field Trip.

Pages