Congratulations to the individuals whose outstanding photographs captured the spirit and impact of international exchange programs throughout the United States. The 2022 Photo Contest Judging Committee—Ava D’Sa, Office of International Visitors; Bryan Wells, CRDF Global; Chelsea Beaulieu, Cultural Vistas; Emilie Joe Brandt, Global Ties U.S.; and Margaret Pfeifle, Global Ties U.S.—selected these eight photos for their powerful depictions of citizen diplomacy and international exchange.
Best Overall: Reaching Out for Justice
During the final segment of their in-person program, international visitors from Nigeria visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants left the museum with a deeper understanding of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and its connection to contemporary human rights challenges around the world.
Program: IVLP – Human Rights and Civic Engagement for Youth
Submitted by Sofia Triana, IVLP Program Associate, World Learning
Photo taken by Connie Raicovich, International Visitor Liaison
Best In-Person Professional Meeting Photo: Learning Can be Fun
Our first group of International Visitors post pandemic after a lively session with Youth Corps.
Program: IVLP – Human Rights and Civic Engagement for Youth
Submitted by Sewell Gelberd, Program Director for International Visitors, Columbia Council for Internationals
Best Hybrid Professional Meeting Photo: Live and On the Scene
On-the-ground interviews and live site visits add vibrancy to traditional Zoom calls with our staff and resources calling in from here, there, and everywhere. For this project, we spent time exploring the conservation and biodiversity with the staff and volunteers of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Program: IVLP – Conservation and Biodiversity Protection in the United States
Submitted by Jena Mélançon, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Diplomacy
Best Virtual Professional Meeting Photo: The Show Must Go On
Our Youth Diplomats are the future of citizen diplomacy, and their enthusiasm continues despite the change in the format of their monthly meetings. In fact, going virtual means we can now visit with IVLP alumni and can benefit from the “IVLP in the Classroom” initiative of the Office of International Visitors.
Program: Youth Diplomats
Submitted by Jena Mélançon, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Diplomacy
Selfie by Adelle Barkhuizen, Youth Diplomat, Gulf Coast Diplomacy
Most Artistic Photo: Jazz Icons and Human Rights Heroes
During the first in-person IVLP program since the start of the pandemic, participants from Nigeria toured historic sites in Washington, DC associated with the twentieth-century struggle for African American civil rights. One of the stops along the route was this mural on T Street, featuring prominent musicians who have shaped DC‚ as well as jazz, past and present.
Submitted by Sofia Triana, IVLP Program Associate, World Learning
Photo taken by Connie Raicovich, International Visitor Liaison.
Best Behind-the-Scenes Photo: Can I Join The Call, Too?
Virtual home hospitalities are not quite the same as in person visits, but we have enjoyed meeting surpurrrrrise hosts! Pardon the cat pun.
Program: IVLP – Effective Journalism During Societal Shifts
Submitted by Leslie Grishin, International Visitor Programs Manager, The International Center
Photo taken by Rebecca Van Vliet, The International Center
Best Home Hospitality Photo: Cultural Hospitality
For cultural hospitality, after introductions, we asked all attendees to bring to the camera something to represent their community, culture, or family. They had five minutes to scramble. What they decided to share gave a glimpse into their lives and helped us connect beyond the formal structure of a Zoom call.
Program: IVLP –Youth & Civic Engagement
Submitted by Jena Mélançon, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Diplomacy
Honorable Mention: The Faces Behind the Curtain
In these days of Zoom meetings, we usually see screenshots that all look alike: checkerboards of faces on our screen. Here is a playful screenshot taken of a group of liaisons and interpreters relaxing at the end of at Liaison-led Language Services Training session on “Virtual IVLP 101.” These are usually the faces behind the scenes, keeping the programs running.
Program: Virtual IVLP 101 Training for Interpreters and Liaisons
Submitted by Leesa Fields, International Visitor Liaison