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"If only people will get together, then so eventually will nations." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower MCIV: Ambassadors to the World The Miami Council for International Visitors (MCIV) is committed to the idea that Americans, during the course of their everyday lives, can and should be engaged in foreign relations as citizen diplomats for the United States. Citizen diplomacy is the idea that the individual citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape United States' foreign relations "one handshake at a time." Through its programs and activities MCIV and its outstanding citizen diplomats foster this belief in international understanding and cooperation, constructive economic connections and peaceful interaction. Since 1959, MCIV has welcomed thousands of prominent and emerging leaders from around the globe to the Miami metropolitan region. Specifically, it has customized professional programs, cultural activities, business meetings and hospitality for international dignitaries invited to our country by our own U.S. embassies, principally through the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program, which was created by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchanage Act of 1961 (the Fulbright-Hays Act) and is funded by an annual Congressional appropriation to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. Through this program MCIV welcomes hundreds of emerging world leaders each year to South Florida. By structuring programs that benefit both the visitors and our South Florida hosts, MCIV has played an important role in portraying Miami as the dynamic cultural, political, and economic center it has become, paving the way for other South Florida organizations that will ultimately benefit through the contacts each participant established here in South Florida. In addition to meeting their peers in business, culture, or politics in South Florida, visitors also are exposed to some of the most vibrant people that comprise the Miami community and who, under other circumstances, might never have the opportunity to meet. For example, MCIV members are invited to participate in cultural activities with the visitors. They are also invited to host individuals for home and or/or dinner hospitality. It is through this one-on-one interaction that old prejudices are dismissed, understanding of different cultures promoted, and human civility encouraged. It gives visitors and hosts a glimpse into each other's lives thereby linking world citizens through human contact. We invite you to join MCIV. Help it bring the World to South Florida. Become a citizen diplomat for the betterment of your community and our world. "The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one's self to be acquainted with it." - Lord Chesterfield (4th Earl) The International Visitor Leadership Program: Uniting the World During World War II, our nation began to invite foreign leaders to the United States to meet with their counterparts. From these modest beginnings grew what is now called the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) which has, since its inception, brought together the "rising stars" of foreign countries with the best and brightest in America. From its creation, the program has also included opportunities for our visitors to meet with their professional colleagues and American individuals and families in social settings. The IVLP is designed to introduce our system of government and our way of life to the participants, as well as components of our democracy including, business, law, education, and the arts. Currently run by the Department of State and implemented through the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), the program provides short-term professional and cultural programs for visitors from around the world, including prominent leaders in business, academia, the arts, science, agriculture, politics, non-governmental organizations, and the media. With over 4000 participants annually, its alumni list includes such notables as:
MCIV and NCIV: Shaping U.S. Foreign Relations "One Handshake at a Time" MCIV belongs to a nationwide network of over 90 Councils for International Visitors that are part of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) in Washington, D.C. The National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) is a nonprofit membership association currently marking 50 years of leadership in citizen diplomacy. NCIV members design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality opportunities for foreign leaders and specialists participating in the U.S. Department of States' International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchange programs. With leadership and training provided by NCIV, member organizations are expert at matching the resources of their communities with the needs of international visitors. Each year the aggregate efforts of NCIV members involve more than 80,000 volunteers. Contact NCIV for additional information: 202-842-1414 Check back soon to see our new, interactive website! | ||
Miami Council for International Visitors · 2000 Ponce de Leon Blvd · Sixth Floor · Coral Gables, FL 33134 · (305) 421-6344 | ||