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Student Leaders From Around the World Meet in Washington

A total of 122 student leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day conference at the conclusion of the four-week academic exchange program "Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders" sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and administered by the Academy for Educational Development (AED). Seven programs took place concurrently across the United States during summer 2007, with participating undergraduates from Bangladesh, China, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, and Venezuela.

The conference took place from August 2-5, 2007, where student leaders received briefings by various State Department officials, visited the U.S. Capitol to meet with their host-state representatives, and toured the cultural and historic sites of the nation's capital. The students also gave group presentations summarizing their experiences, including the overall themes of the exchange program and impressions reflecting the U.S. region and community where they resided during the Institute. Another highlight of the conference was the Cultural Fair, where the students from each of the participating countries shared their cultural heritage with each other through crafts, pictures, song, and dance. Embassy representatives from China and Venezuela also attended the Cultural Fair.

By the end of the conference, the student leaders had merged into an incredibly dynamic and energized group. The students, who are from all over the world, felt that they had a great deal in common through their experiences in the United States and by shared hopes for the future.

“My USA” Launched by Study of the U.S. Alumnus at the American Cultural Center in Bucharest

On June 19, 2007, the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest hosted a book launch for Mireille Radoi, a Romanian academic, publisher, and participant in the 2006 Study of the U.S. Institute on National Security. Entitled “My USA – Views on American National Security and Foreign Policy,” the book is a collection of essays on U.S. foreign policy by 8 of the Institute participants, representing Brazil, the UK, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Mexico, India. The project was funded partially through a grant from the State Department’s Office of Alumni Affairs. An elite audience of Romanian foreign policy, military and national security experts and reporters attended the event, which included a DVC with one of the Study of the U.S. Institute hosts and coordinators from the University of California in San Diego, Professor Richard Feinberg. Feinberg discussed domestic American views of U.S. foreign policy with the audience.

The book, which was published in English, is being distributed around the world, including to numerous U.S. universities, where its collection of essays on U.S. foreign policy are likely to appeal to those teaching courses on American foreign policy and how America is perceived around the world.

MEPI Student Leader Annual Alumni Conference

The MEPI Student Leader Alumni Conference for alumni of the U.S.-based MEPI Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders was held February 3-8, 2007 in Cairo, Egypt. In attendance were 94 of 110 summer 2006 program alumni representing 17 Middle Eastern and North African countries and territories. Staff from the Study of the U.S. Branch and the five U.S. host institutions (Georgetown University, Dickinson College, Montana State University, University of Delaware and Benedictine University) also participated in the conference. Four summer 2005 program alumni and two American undergraduate students attended, as well.

Presenters traveled from Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Tunis, Bahrain, Gaza, New Zealand and the U.S. to join a cadre of speakers based in Egypt. Conference sessions covered a diverse array of fundamental civic engagement concepts, including the role of civil society in shaping democratic policy; the importance of engaging the media in issue-based campaigns; and the influence of the private sector in promoting democratic values. Also incorporated were interactive civic education sessions, grant writing workshops, and a tour of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park, which served as a case study of successful urban revitalization.

Speaker highlights included a presentation by Mr. Khodor Mekkaoui of the Lebanese civil rights group 05AMAM on the organization’s engagement and use of national and international media outlets to promote a pluralistic society and democratic reform; a discussion with Mr. Mohammed Al Jasem, former Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait’s Al-Watan newspaper on freedom of the press and civic responsibility; and an overview of the social, economic and cultural renewal of Cairo’s Al Azhar Park by Mr. Seif Al Rashidi of the Aga Khan Foundation. Mr. Rashidi stressed the critical nature of such projects, which raise civic awareness and bolster community involvement, to societal reform. U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Francis J. Ricciardone closed the conference with a speech promoting greater freedom and opportunity for people in the region through civic engagement and leadership. He stressed individual responsibility in the process of democratic reform.

Educational and Cultural Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary, Thomas A. Farrell, meets with Indigenous Student Leaders from Bolivia

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Thomas A. Farrell, hosted two meetings with Bolivian undergraduates visiting the U.S. on a leadership studies program hosted by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This is the second year of the program.

The Study of the United States Institute for Bolivian Indigenous Student Leaders is an intensive four-week program focused on the history and evolution of U.S. society, culture, values and institutions with an emphasis on how different social and ethnic groups interact in American society and politics, and how disadvantaged populations in the United States have sought to overcome discrimination or exclusion and enter the mainstream of American economic, political and social life. In addition to promoting a better understanding of the United States, an important objective is to help the participants develop their leadership skills. The program, conducted in Spanish, also includes community service opportunities, designed to give the Bolivian student leaders exposure to grassroots organizations. The participants are undergraduate students, drawn principally from the Quechua and Aymara indigenous groups in Bolivia.

Fifteen Bolivian indigenous student leaders visited the U.S. from January 13 through February 9. The Institute for Training and Development (ITD), based in Amherst, Massachusetts, hosted the program. After the first three weeks of intensive studies, organizational site visits, and leadership sessions in Amherst, the group traveled to Tucson, Arizona to become familiar with the Tohono O'odham culture. The final few days of the program were spent in Washington, DC, where participants visited government agencies and museums.

The program incorporated a variety of academic disciplines, with presenters from the five colleges in the Amherst area and the University of Arizona. The students also met with representatives from NGOs and community groups, local, state, and national governments, newspapers and other media, student associations, host families, and religious institutions. Lectures, group discussions, readings, debates, classroom exercises, and site visits were all integrated into the program.