ISC Alabama is proud to be an active participating organization in the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).  Launched in 1940, the IVLP seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed three-week visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders in government, politics, the media, education, the arts, business and other key fields.

Over 4,000 International Visitors are selected annually by American embassies around the globe to come to the United States. Since its inception, the IVLP has hosted thousands of distinguished individuals including more than 290 current and former Chiefs of State and Heads of Government, thousands of cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished leaders from the public and private sectors.

When they come to the U.S., visitors participate in a variety of thematic programs, either individually or in groups. They typically visit Washington, DC and three additional towns or cities that highlight the tremendous diversity of the U.S., attending professional appointments with their American counterparts, learning about the U.S. system of government at the national, state and local levels, visiting American schools, and experiencing American culture and social life. Most International Visitors are accompanied in the U.S. by either foreign language interpreters or English language officers, who are U.S. Department of State contractors charged with helping explain American society, history, and culture.

ISC Alabama is the only IVLP connection in Alabama. We carefully tailor the IVLP visits to meet the needs of the international visitors as planned by the U. S. Department of State, focusing on specific themes in Alabama such as state and local governance, economic development, civil and human rights, diversity, interfaith dialog, education and culture. We work with many private and public sector organizations to develop our professional programs, and also rely heavily on the warm hospitality of our Alabama citizens in greeting and entertaining our international visitors.

ISC Alabama staff and volunteers are proud to work together to ensure that our IVLP visitors have a memorable experience while broadening and deepening their professional knowledge, providing opportunities for citizen diplomacy, “the concept that every citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape U.S. foreign policy one handshake at a time.” .

For more information about upcoming IVLP events and volunteer opportunities, please see our Calendar and Diplomatic Corps.