Global Ties San Francisco Meets with Rep. Barbara Lee’s Office on the Community Impact of International Exchange Programs
This past summer, Global Ties San Francisco proudly served as a community lead for the Alliance for International Exchange’s Summer of Action initiative. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the initiative aimed to raise awareness of the benefits that international exchange programs bring to Americans and their local communities.
Through this effort, organizations like ours demonstrated to Members of Congress and their staff the importance of educational and cultural exchanges, and how they make communities across the nation stronger and more connected.
As part of our involvement, we had the privilege of meeting with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-12) on August 15, 2024. Our delegation included Global Ties San Francisco staff, one of our summer interns, as well as our CEO and a board member from our parent organization, World Trade Center Northern California.
Our Community Impact
During our meeting, we highlighted the tremendous impact that our international exchange programs have on Rep. Lee’s District and the wider Bay Area. We emphasized how the modest federal investment we receive generates an impressive return, benefiting local businesses, restaurants, and the economy at large.
In Fiscal Year 2023, Global Ties San Francisco received $232,720 in federal funding for exchange programs. With that investment, we hosted 486 exchange participants from 130 countries, engaged 420 volunteers who contributed 1,400 hours to support our programs, and generated $1,024,963 for the Bay Area economy.
This economic boost was driven by 2,139 hotel room nights, 73 cultural events, and additional local spending—further enhanced by visitors dining at restaurants and shopping at local businesses, though their personal contributions are not included in this figure.
Beyond the clear and measurable economic benefits of our work, we shared the critical role that exchange programs play in building meaningful connections and addressing global challenges, such as combating the spread of infectious diseases, advancing innovative technology, and tackling disinformation through the exchange of best practices between changemakers across nations.
The socio-cultural impact of exchange programs on local communities is equally significant. We discussed how Bay Area community members who engage with international visitors through our exchange programs — including hundreds of constituents in Rep. Lee’s own district — gain cultural competency and global knowledge. The 2024 Global Ties U.S. Community Impact Study supports this, showing that exchange programs like the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) generate positive impacts on U.S. workforce development and community-building.
The Community Impact Study received responses from 773 people nationwide who engage with global leaders when they visit the community on exchange programs.
“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.”
These findings align with the experiences we see firsthand here in the Bay Area, where international exchanges foster cultural understanding and build bridges between our local community and the world.
Exchange programs also offer invaluable professional growth opportunities for the next generation of Public Diplomacy and International Affairs professionals. During the meeting, one of our talented summer interns shared how our internship program has been instrumental in building her professional skills and supporting her career development.
Thank You
We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to meet with Rep. Lee’s staff and to have such a strong advocate for exchange programs representing our district. Moreover, continued bipartisan support is vital to ensuring that international exchanges continue to thrive and that their benefits ripple through our local communities.
At Global Ties San Francisco, we remain dedicated to advancing international engagement, and we thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee for her unwavering and vocal support for exchange programs. We look forward to working together to create more opportunities for global understanding, cultural exchange, and collaboration.
