The Washington, DC-based nonprofit Global Ties U.S. is pleased to announce the publication of our 2024 Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study, the only study to examine how international exchange programs impact U.S. communities nationwide. The findings confirm last year’s study that international exchange programs like the U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) generate positive impacts for U.S. workforce development and community-building.
The 2024 Community Impact Study received responses from 773 people from 53 local organizations in 28 states, covering every geographic region of the United States. Respondents have decades of combined experience hosting international leaders through exchange programs. This year’s study also included new qualitative questions to expand on the findings from the quantitative data, giving more significant insights into the value and impact of international exchange programs from the personal perspective of those surveyed.
Respondents agreed that international exchange programs enhance their global knowledge and cultural competence, strengthen their involvement in their communities, develop their professional skills, and help them build more inclusive social networks. Specifically, the 2024 Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study revealed that hosting global leaders through international exchange programs:
- Increases global knowledge and cultural competence, with upwards of 82% of respondents reporting that exchanges humanize global affairs and inspire curiosity about the world. As one respondent noted: “Citizen diplomats make foreign policy local through face-to-face interaction. […] My world has been both expanded thanks to the IVLP program and made smaller thanks to friendly interactions with visitors.”
- Encourages local civic and community engagement, with 72% saying that they have gained skills or experiences that make them better able to contribute to their local communities. Said a respondent: “Our experiences have opened up community conversations between the city and stakeholders from different cultures. As a result, we are seeing increased civic participation.”
- Positively impacts cities’ economies and develops workforces for local businesses, with 79% responding that the image of their community is enhanced because of these programs and 75% agreeing that participating has enhanced the prestige of their organization or their own personal reputation. “I have seen how my community benefits from the IVLP program and other exchange programs…. Visitors spend money in my community, while sharing best practices with their American colleagues,” a respondent shared.
- Increases international connectivity for U.S. cities, with almost one in three respondents (29%) stating that they have formed lasting personal or business relationships with international leaders. “In the world I grew up in, the Pioneer Press or Minneapolis Star Tribune was as big as my world got. Now I have contacts in far corners of the world at my fingertips,” explained a respondent.
Global Ties U.S. President and CEO Katherine A. Brown, Ph.D., said of the study: “This second Community Impact study validates last year’s findings, and yields a deeper understanding of why exchanges matter for our nationwide respondents and their communities. Global Ties Network members most recently reported in our National Impact report an 8:1 return on the investment made in their communities through federal exchange programs, and this study goes beyond the economic impact to measure socio-cultural benefits. Taken together, the data illuminates the power of exchange right here at home.”
The 2024 Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study was led by Cherie Saulter, Ph.D., and built upon initial findings from our 2023 Study, developed in partnership with the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy. Research was funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by Global Ties U.S. in collaboration with local Community-Based Members (CBMs) across the United States.
The Global Ties Network provides the domestic infrastructure for the flagship IVLP and other U.S. public diplomacy activities. As local hubs for global engagement, this nationwide network of 80+ nonprofit organizations connects international leaders with their U.S. counterparts and creates relationships and opportunities that have real benefits in their communities.
Global Ties U.S. will conduct a third phase of the Community Impact Study in 2026, with plans to continue the Study on a biannual (every two years) cycle. Over time, we expect our findings to point to steady indications of local impact of international exchanges, underscoring the value of these programs in building both stronger alliances globally and stronger communities here at home.
Read the study HERE.
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Global Ties U.S. is the national leader for connecting people and communities in the United States with global leaders through international exchange programs. Since 1961, Global Ties U.S. has powered a community-based network of 80+ nonprofit organizations that serve all 50 U.S. States and implement the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and a wide variety of other international exchange and public diplomacy programs. The work of Global Ties U.S. advances U.S. strategic priorities abroad and boosts prosperity at home by harnessing the diplomatic potential of our country’s greatest asset: our people.