Global Ties San Francisco is thrilled to announce that our summer 2024 intern Leila Shawrieh has been selected for the 2025 cohort of the Global Ties U.S. Emerging Leaders Program due to her outstanding potential to lead and shape the future of public diplomacy and international exchange!
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This past summer, Global Ties San Francisco proudly served as a community lead for the Alliance for International Exchange’s Summer of Action initiative to raise awareness of the benefits that international exchange programs bring to Americans and their local communities.
Join Global Ties San Francisco on September 24th for a free community social hour and networking event with meaningful conversations over delicious food!
This is the power of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP): Building meaningful, lasting connections that keep us together while 5,969 miles (9,606 km) apart. In April 2021—five years after arranging Saad Abid’s local IVLP experience—we at Global Ties San Francisco partnered with Saad’s Association Bahri to engage our respective communities in a series of Earth Month challenges to #RestoreOurEarth.
In February, an IVLP project for Africa brought 13 enthusiastic participants from across Africa to San Francisco to take part in discussions and strategy-development regarding journalistic best practices in today’s increasingly complex information environment.
From January 24 to 27, 2024, we enthusiastically welcomed to San Francisco our first U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) delegation of the year. This project on Cybersecurity Capacity Building brought together six distinguished guests from Montenegro to explore avenues for strengthening cybersecurity and resilience through local engagements with public and private sector leaders in the field.
On September 23-24, 2023, Global Ties San Francisco hosted Career Connections San Francisco, a two-day capacity-building and professional development seminar tailored for U.S. alumni of government-sponsored exchange programs. In partnership with Global Ties U.S. and the Office of Alumni Affairs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, our Technology and Entrepreneurship-themed event provided an unparalleled platform for 51 ExchangeAlumni to leverage their exchange experience and skills and to build their professional and community impact.
Through hands-on sessions on personal branding, entrepreneurship, inclusivity in tech, grant writing, and variations in career pathways, alumni attendees explored how to break into tech careers and translate their international exchange experiences to success in the workplace. Career Connections San Francisco also showcased our community and cultural centers such as San Francisco’s Chinatown — the largest and oldest in the nation — through off-site visits and an evening reception.
Global Ties San Francisco implements the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), along with a variety of other international exchange programs, bringing over 700 visitors to the San Francisco Bay Area annually. A core offering for our visitors that is often regarded as the most impactful part of their exchange experience is Home Hospitality—the opportunity to enjoy a meal with local residents. The success of our international exchange programs would not be possible without our amazing Citizen Diplomats who open their homes to visitors, providing a welcoming window into life in the U.S., and creating lasting memories and connections. These Citizen Diplomats, called Home Hospitality Hosts, know that nothing sets a table for mutual understanding better than sharing a meal.
Exciting news! Global Ties San Francisco is thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Oli Vorster! As International Program Coordinator, Oli will play a crucial role in developing transformative experiences for international visitors on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Expo 2020 Dubai, which ran from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, was the first World Expo (formerly, World’s Fair) held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region. It served as a global platform for unveiling inventions, ideas, and inspirations for positive change and a sustainable future.
The USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai highlighted the rich talent of the United States through the Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Performers programs. In partnership with the U.S. Department of State and Global Ties U.S., Global Ties San Francisco — along with other members of the Global Ties U.S. Network — helped bring to life the USA Pavilion’s theme, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. By showcasing the nation’s history, innovation, and vibrant geographic and cultural diversity through its people, the USA Pavilion demonstrated how collaboration and the exchange of ideas spark innovation and progress in new and exciting ways.
From September 2020 to March 2021, we collaborated with Global Ties U.S. to support grassroots recruitment efforts by identifying individuals in our local community to serve as Youth Ambassadors and Cultural Performers at the USA Pavilion and guiding them through the application process. While Youth Ambassadors — the Faces of America — served as guides and cultural representatives of the United States and its territories to millions of Expo visitors, Cultural Performers showcased their talents across a variety of disciplines in reflection of the cultural diversity of the nation.
Together, Global Ties U.S. and its nationwide Network recruited 75 Youth Ambassadors representing 37 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, along with 310 Cultural Performers representing 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
AXIS Dance Company
Global Ties San Francisco is proud to have helped recruit AXIS Dance Company to perform at Expo 2020 Dubai!
