Citizen Diplomacy: Libya and KC Making History
Citizen Diplomacy: The Legacy of the International Visitor Leadership Program Since its inception in 1940, the mission of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) has
Global Ties KC connects international emerging leaders in a variety of fields with their Midwest counterparts for the purpose of forging lasting relationships that may one day become a powerful tool for addressing some of our biggest global challenges. While in Kansas and Missouri, we provide international visitors with opportunities to cultivate deeper connections and meaningful cross-cultural exchange.
Check out local happenings and what makes KC diverse.
Discover ways to get involved with international communities and opportunities to welcome the world to the Heartland.
Global Ties KC connects international emerging leaders in a variety of fields with their Midwest counterparts for the purpose of forging lasting relationships that may one day become a powerful tool for addressing some of our biggest global challenges. While in Kansas and Missouri, we provide international visitors with opportunities to cultivate deeper connections and meaningful cross-cultural exchange.
Check out local happenings and what makes KC diverse.
Discover ways to get involved with international communities and opportunities to welcome the world to the Heartland.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging leaders in a variety of fields experience this country firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. The IVLP is designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through carefully designed visits that reflect the participants’ professional interests and support U.S. foreign policy goals.
Handpicked by American embassies around the world, international visitors come to the United States to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to gain and appreciate the ethnic, cultural, political, and socio-economic diversity of the U.S. They come to find innovative solutions to global issues and make connections both professionally and personally that will last a lifetime.
Near the end of our visit, one of our visitors asked if entrepreneurship is worth it. Unbeknownst to her, the last few months have been some of the most stressful of my life and there were several times I was ready to throw in the towel. As I sat there, surrounded by amazing, brave people, it was easy to reply "Yes - it's worth it. Every single day, a hundred times over, it's worth it." While entrepreneurship is difficult at times, the stress and the struggle pale in comparison to the opportunities it brings: opportunities like working with Global Ties KC.
- An Amazing Meeting Partner
Citizen Diplomacy: The Legacy of the International Visitor Leadership Program Since its inception in 1940, the mission of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) has
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1. Open up your office and meet with international visitors in your field. If you are interested in professional meetings with international leaders, send us a message on our contact us form.
2. Some of our programs have dinner hosting opportunities. We regularly send out these opportunities in our newsletters. If you are interested in a specific opportunity, be sure to respond there.
3. Some programs require visitors to stay with local families for 1-2 weeks. If you are interested in these opportunities, please fill out the host family interest form below!
4. Attend an event with our visitors!
Steps to Become a Host:
1. Fill out the interest form, then Global Ties KC will follow-up via email.
2. Household members over 18 fill out a background check form.
3. A Global Ties KC staff member visit you at your home for an in-person meet-and-greet.
4. Hosts attend orientation session and complete a host family profile for Global Ties KC to send to your visitors.
5. Once everything is complete and acceptance has been issued, you receive program & visitor information closer to the start date!
Over 1/3 of acting heads of state have been to the United States on the International Visitor Leadership Program. Some notable alumni include Margaret Thatcher, Jacinda Ardern, and Antonio Guterres.
The best way to engage with our IVLP visitors is to host a group for dinner! It doesn’t matter if you can’t cook or live in a small apartment. There is always a solution. Reach out to our team to register your interest!
All of our visitors are hand-picked by US embassies around the world on their merit and future potential. There is no application process and Global Ties KC does not have any say in who participates in the program.