About Our International Exchange Programs
GlobalPittsburgh designs and implements a variety of tailored professional itineraries for emerging leaders in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, other federally funded programs, and fee-based programming for international leaders sponsored by their governments, embassies, businesses, or other institutions. These itineraries are designed to promote ongoing linkages between the international participants and the Pittsburgh regional leaders with whom they meet.
GlobalPittsburgh programs in Harrisburg and in all of Pennsylvania west of Harrisburg, as well as in the Morgantown area of West Virginia. We program in Erie, State College, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh, among other cities. We are able to assist in arranging videoconferencing sessions with resources for meetings or for project openings.
For information or to discuss a program, please contact Nadya Kessler at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org or 412-282-3815.
International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)
IVLP
is a U.S. Department of State initiative. Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. Among the alumni are over 50 current chiefs of state or heads of government. Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, visited Pittsburgh as part of the IVLP program before he became Prime Minister.
GlobalPittsburgh is privileged to play an integral role in this process. As one of more than eighty community-based organizations nationwide that belong to Global Ties U.S., GlobalPittsburgh coordinates the professional meetings and hospitality dinners that form the core of the IVLP. Skilled staff and volunteers work diligently with members of the community to provide a warm welcome to IVLP participants. As a result, many Pittsburghers have formed lasting personal connections and invaluable professional links that have increased international awareness, facilitated business development, and improved the cultural richness of the Greater Pittsburgh region.
Open World Program
GlobalPittsburgh is privileged to participate in the Open World program that is administered by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent legislative branch agency set up by Congress in 2000.
More than fifty programs designed and implemented by GlobalPittsburgh have nurtured invaluable personal and professional links between people and organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh region and their international counterparts in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Eurasia.
The Open World Program has enabled more than 27,000 current and future leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan to meaningfully engage and interact with Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and thousands of other Americans, many of whom are the delegates’ direct professional counterparts.
The Open World program focuses both on assisting Congress in its oversight responsibilities and on conducting exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between the up-and-coming leaders of Open World countries and Americans dedicated to showcasing U.S. values and democratic institutions. All of the countries participating in the Open World program are strategically important to the interests of the U.S. government and have growing economies in which opportunities for foreign investment and trade increase yearly.
Saudi Young Leaders Exchange Program (SYLEP)
The Saudi Young Leaders Exchange Program (SYLEP) is a three-week program in the United States for undergraduate Saudi students or recently-graduated university students between the ages of 21-26 with the goal to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Saudi Arabia. SYLEP 2020, rescheduled to June 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will build leadership skills, civic responsibility, appreciation for cultural diversity, community engagement, and volunteerism within a theme of S.T.E.A.M. education.
In the upcoming SYLEP project, through a series of site visits, training, expert sessions, volunteer opportunities, and participation events with agencies, organizations, and professionals working in this field, Legacy International will introduce participants to innovative local, state, federal, public, and private programs that promote S.T.E.A.M. education and strong communities. The program’s aim will be to expose participants to individual, volunteer-led initiatives as well as larger-scale government and corporate solutions.
In addition, Saudi participants will join in S.T.E.A.M. education activities side-by-side with U.S. community members. In this way, participants will not only learn about solutions but will get the opportunity for some hands-on experience during this U.S. exchange. Upon their return home, Saudi participants conduct follow-on projects in their home communities or university campuses, supported by Legacy International.
