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Alain Akouala Atipault
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Content created by Virtual Intern Melanie Ourhaan
Alain Akouala Atipault, a proud son of Africa has served as a politician in the government of the Republic of Congo for 15 years. In his current role as communications advisor for the National Council of Dialogue, he directs public and diplomatic relations for his government. As a founding member of a French think tank, he simultaneously works to improve relations between France and Africa.
In 1997, Akouala Atipault participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) with a group of young African professionals. On that visit to the United States, he discovered new possibilities for advancement of his country and was inspired to be a leader for positive change in the Congo.
Akouala Atipault recalls his group's discussion with U.S. Representative John Lewis, the renowned civil rights leader and former companion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That exchange was an epiphany for him, and he remembers sharing with Representative Lewis the myriad difficulties he faced trying to establish himself as a young entrepreneur, only to have Representative Lewis encourage him to drop everything and invest himself heavily in politics if he wanted to profoundly effect change in his country.
Today, after a decade and a half of active political involvement, Alain Akouala Atipault is still working to end entrenched poverty and create opportunities for Congolese youth and ensure a brighter future for his African homeland.
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AtipaultIVLP Alumni
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Jalal Naser
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Jalal Naser is a prominent figure in the Bahraini nonprofit community and a resource management consultant. His volunteer work has benefited many people in Bahrain, from students who receive eyeglasses to organizations who benefit from his advocacy efforts.
In 2013, Naser developed many skills that he uses in his work today as an IVLP participant. He believes that the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) experience gave him more confidence in his client presentations. He credits his IVLP for allowing him to quickly receive a promotion. Naser also gained an appreciation for the importance of a global perspective, and he increased the global reach of the Bahrain Statistical Society by including non-Bahrainis as friends of the society. Through the IVLP he was able to reach statisticians in Jordan and Algeria. Since 2018, Naser has been an active researcher for the DC-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). He developed a policy paper that was utilized as part of the Bahraini national agenda and was a member of CIPE’s steering committee for a CIPE-sponsored private sector initiative.
One of Naser’s proudest achievements is becoming a founding member of the Bahraini IVLP Alumni Association (B-IVLP). He worked with fellow IVLP alumni and created the organization in 2019. B-IVLP is connecting IVLP alumni in Bahrain to provide opportunities to leverage their IVLP experiences. B-IVLP also provides resources to Bahrainis who are selected for an exchange program so they are well informed and can gain maximum benefit from their experience. Jalal Naser is a civil society leader who is building global awareness on a daily basis and connecting Bahrain to contacts around the world.
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NaserIVLP Alumni
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Vered Cohen-Barzilay
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Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget Raymundo
Vered Cohen-Barzilay is an Israeli-born social entrepreneur and tenacious advocate for aviation, space and science education. The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) inspired Cohen-Barzilay, a journalist and women’s rights activist, to change career paths and focus on building religious and cultural bridges through innovation and education. Upon her return to Israel, she founded the nonprofit “Out of the Box” to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), space education, and entrepreneurship for youth in Israel.
Cohen-Barzilay runs the Science Accelerator, a program that has had over 350 student participants. The program is a partnership between many stakeholders, including American iLEAD Charter Schools, the NASA Ames Research Center, U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, the Israeli Ministry of Science, and the Israeli Space Agency. Through lectures and interactive lessons, Israeli and American students interact with space and science experts and entrepreneurs, acquiring the skills to effectively utilize high-tech tools and to pitch and promote their innovative ideas.
Vered Cohen-Barzilay’s passionate promotion of STEM and space education inspires youth in Israel to reach for the stars.
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Cohen-BarzilayIVLP Alumni
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Dr. Valeria Klitsounova
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Raised by her aunt and grandmother, Dr. Valeria Klitsounova grew up thinking critically and developed her independence and leadership skills at a young age. As a board member for a museum of history and rural culture in Belarus that she and her husband owned, she was passionate about sharing Belarusian history. After the selling the museum, she looked for other opportunities to bring information about Belarus to the world. In 2002, Dr. Klitsounova introduced the idea of agritourism to Belarus and has been working to provide more income opportunities to rural communities throughout the country. She founded the Belarusian Association of Rural and Ecotourism “Country Escape,” a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Belarus as a tourist destination. Dr. Klitsounova traveled to the United States in 2003 to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that was focused on NGO management. During her exchange she discovered many concepts that she could use to support entrepreneurs who were members of her nonprofit. She directly credits the IVLP for improving her negotiating skills that, in turn, persuaded the Belarusian government to increase funding and expand programming in other villages.
Today “Country Escape” has more than 800 members and is shaping the rural tourism sector in Belarus. Between running her nonprofit, teaching and developing courses about ecotourism, and publishing books, Dr. Valeria Klitsounova has become the “mother of agritourism” in Belarus!
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KlitsounovaIVLP Alumni
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Nayla al-Khaja
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Content created by Virtual Intern Adelle Barkhuizen
Nayla al-Khaja, who participated in the 2010 International Leadership Program (IVLP), "Film in the U.S.," is one of the UAE’s leading film directors and producers. While on her IVLP, al-Khaja explored the filmmaking industry in the United States and met with key studio representatives. She gained an understanding of U.S. views of censorship, tax rebates, and worldwide film distribution. She was surprised by the absence of UAE-produced feature films in the various international film festivals and she returned to the UAE determined to change that lack of representation. She successfully advocated for government-sponsored art grants in the UAE. Now, as an established filmmaker, she is CEO of Nayla Al Khaja Films and chairs the Scene Club, the UAE's first formally recognized film club.
When asked about her program experience, al-Khaja said, "my IVLP was fantastic and the most beautiful memory was visiting a family in Austin, Texas." She turned that experience into a film called The Neighbor, that has won two international awards.
By tackling controversial humanitarian and social issues in her films, Nayla al-Khaja is not only a talented producer, she also successfully promotes women’s empowerment in the Middle East.
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al-KhajaIVLP Alumni
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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.
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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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Veronica Corchado Espinoza, Director, Municipal Institute for Women
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Content created by Callan McCormick
Veronica Corchado Espinoza is an avid defender of women's rights and has spent her career working to reduce violence against women in her hometown of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Dedicated to social change and motivated by her IVLP, Corchado established "The Collective for Arts, Community, and Equality," a civil society organization in Ciudad Juarez to empower at-risk youth through education, sports, and the arts. The center stimulates local interest in art but more importantly provides a safe zone for girls and women in some of the city’s most historically violent communities.
Through the "Safe Corridor" initiative, Corchado is helping women living or working downtown recover their public spaces. She is globally-minded in her endeavors, actively collaborating with international organizations to reach her goals. During her 2010 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Corchado became inspired by initiatives to deter violence in Los Angeles and implemented similar ideas at home.
Veronica Corchado Espinoza is a life-long advocate for women’s rights using arts and advocacy to inspire women to bring about changes within their community.
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Stella Young, Disability Rights Activist
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Content created by Virtual Intern Callan McCormick
A leader in the global disability community, Stella Young was a fiery Australian journalist, unfiltered comedian, tireless activist, and a 2014 IVLP alumna. In her TEDx Talk, "I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much," she educated and enlightened her audience about the misconceptions, objectification, and discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities.
Before her untimely death at the age of 32, Young said in a radio interview about her IVLP project: “I had the best experience, maybe it was the best experience of my life.”
Stella Young left an indelible mark on the world with both her spirit and her endeavors.
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Giovanni Falcone
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Content created by Virtual Intern Stevia Ndoe
In 1991, one of his most important accomplishments was establishing the witness protection program. The program served as a turning point in combating the Italian Mafia and still functions in Italy today. During his time in Palermo, Falcone played a fundamental role in Palermo’s Maxi Trial, a significant criminal trial in Sicily that ran from 1986 to 1987, and that resulted in hundreds of convictions for Mafia-related crimes. Falcone immersed himself in the world of anti-Mafia law and accepted a position in the Ministry of Justice in Rome in 1991. In 1992, after several previous attempts, Falcone, his wife, and three bodyguards were assassinated by the Mafia while driving from the Palermo airport into the city.
Falcone was posthumously recognized as an extraordinary hero of conscience for his lifelong work fighting the Mafia in Italy. Giovanni Falcone was a tenacious fighter for justice and he personally credited the International Visitor Leadership Program as an important component for some of his key accomplishments.
Judge Falcone is commemorated each year in Palermo by his family and friends who have formed the Fondazione Falcone.
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FalconeIVLP Alumni
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Historic Church Bells Return to the Philippines
The historic Bells of Balangiga are returning after more than a century to their home in a church in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines.