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NEWS & PUBLICATIONS

Public Diplomacy in the Muslim World

ICDLA received a spotlight in the Summer 2024 edition of USC Public Diplomacy Magazine (Issue 25), highlighting its role in fostering global connections. Written by Nora Alzahid, Co-editor-in-chief, and a valued ICDLA member, the article is titled Citizen Diplomacy in Action: The ICDLA’s Role in Strengthening Global Connections with the Muslim World. In her piece, Nora highlights the powerful role of citizen diplomacy as a key component of public diplomacy, emphasizing its ability to foster authentic engagement with local communities, challenge misconceptions, and build mutual understanding. Check out the article below!

Citizen Diplomacy in Action

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LA Sentinel

Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists: Research and Investigation.

In April 2024, ICDLA welcomed a group of international journalists to Los Angeles. As part of their International Visitor Leadership Program arranged by ICDLA, the visitors met with the team of the Los Angeles Sentinel, the leading African American-owned media outlet.

 

See some photos the L.A. Sentinel published from the meeting below!

Los Angeles Sentinel

CELEBRATING THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE

On March 12, 2024, LA This Week filmed the ICDLA Perseverance Through Adversity Luncheon celebrating the 2024 International Women of Courage Award recipients at L.A. City Hall. Check out the video below!

LA This Week

Summit for Democracy

Summit for Democracy IVLP Brings Global Leaders to the U.S.

ShareAmerica recently highlighted the International Visitor Leadership Program initiative Summit for Democracy IVLP! ICDLA arranged several meetings for some of these leaders who are working to strengthen democracy around the world. Check out the article below!

City leaders pledge to strengthen democracy (ShareAmerica)

Summit for Democracy IVLP and ICDLA Featured on CivitasLA Podcast

July 17-21, 2022 ICDLA (formerly IVCLA) welcomed municipal leaders from various countries around the globe for a special IVLP initiative to build on the December 2021 Summit for Democracy (#S4DIVLP) to discuss their methods for strengthening democracy with Angelenos! Dwayne Gathers, former chair of the ICDLA Board of Directors and founder of the CivitasLA podcast, met with two of our #S4DIVLP participants and ICDLA President and CEO Janet Elliott to discuss the work of creating, building and serving community; and the work of fostering civic knowledge and engagement – from a global perspective. You can check out Episode #72: Global Community.

You can listen to episodes on their website, or stream it on iTunes, Spotify, Google and Stitcher.

CivitasLA podcast
IVLP group

Life Enhancing Programming for Youth with Disabilities

ICDLA's International Visitor Leadership Programming (IVLP) was featured in a recent newsletter article! On June 21st, disability rights specialists from various countries in Africa met with AHEAD With Horses, Inc. (AWH), a non-profit charity organization devoted to improving the quality of life of disabled, disadvantaged, and special needs children through equine therapy. Featured in AWH's newsletter, these delegates came to LA to discuss various public and private sector initiatives to improve advocacy, accessibility and quality of life programming for those with disabilities. Read the article below!

AHEAD With Horses Hosts International Visitors

Five Women from Israel Are Making Great Strides for Women and Girls in STEAM Fields

ICDLA was thrilled to have our international programming featured in a May 2022 article of the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles. During a Home Hospitality dinner hosted by ICDLA board member Yael Swerdlow on May 1, 2022, journalist Tabby Refael was one of Yael's guests. Tabby was so intrigued by the five women from Israel, who were International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants, and their efforts to encourage women and girls in STEAM education, she wrote a feature article about their IVLP experience. Read the full article below!

Visionary Women are Creating Groundbreaking STEAM programs in Israel (The Jewish Journal)

Jewish Journal in LA
NFMLA

Senegalese Film Executives Visit NewFlimmakers LA

On March 31, 2022, ICDLA welcomed an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) group from Senegal, our first in-person program since before the Covid-19 pandemic, for a program on the Film & Television Industry in the U.S. The visitors met with the team at NewFilmmakers LA (NFMLA) on April 1 to discuss the work NFMLA does with local filmmakers.

 

See some photos NFMLA posted from the meeting below!

New Filmmaker's LA on Twitter

CivitasLA podcast: Building Global Community through Citizen Diplomacy

Former Chair of the ICDLA Board, Dwayne Gathers, recently launched a new project from Gathers Strategies, Inc., the CivitasLA podcast. The goal of CivitasLA, is to identify diverse and emerging leaders throughout the greater Los Angeles region who are making a difference in the lives of their communities and to broaden the number of voices in the region’s civic conversation. ICDLA’s CEO Janet Elliott was honored to have been included as a guest on the podcast. You can check out ICDLA’s Episode #13: Building Global Community through Citizen Diplomacy.

You can listen to episodes on their website, or stream it on iTunes, Spotify, Google and Stitcher.

Janet Elliott, CivitasLA podcast
Hidden Figures

48 Women from 48 Countries: Empowering Women Leaders in STEM

In October, the US Department of State implemented a ground-breaking, 3-week exchange program. The program, #HiddenNoMore, brought 48 women from 48 different countries to the US to discuss empowering women leaders in science, technology, engineering and math. The program was inspired by the 21st Century Fox's film Hidden Figures, so it was only appropriate that the group concluded their three-week adventure in Hollywood. ICDLA was honored to arrange the itinerary for the group's weeklong stay in Los Angeles and was thrilled to partner with 21CF to arrange an exciting day for the group on the Fox Studio Lot. Check out the press below!

Hidden Figures Inspires Historic State Department Exchange (Hollywood Reporter)

Hit Movie 'Hidden Figures' Inspires State Dept. Program (NBC News)

Discovering Catalina's Diversity: A Day's Project For 21 International Environmentalists

April 6th: 21 environmentalists from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America visited Catalina Island to explore its ecosystems and learn about the Catalina Island Conservancy’s best practices in biodiversity conservation, wildlife manage-ment and sustainable tourism. Featured in the Catalina Islander, this multi-region group came to Los Angeles to discover and discuss the environmental challenges that the city faces as part of a 7-day program that ICDLA arranged. Read the full article below!

Catalina Island Hosts International Delegation (The Catalina Islander)

Catalina Island Hosts International Delegation
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