Council of International Programs USA

It's the time of year when we look back on the generosity of our community members and how you have shaped our programming over the last 12 months. We hosted nine delegations through the Congressional Office of International Leadership, with two in Cleveland. Our host families, community leaders, and board members stepped up to help us deliver our standard of the highest quality exchanges possible. Our staff worked with donors and supporters to enhance our programs throughout our network offices and here in Cleveland. The Council of International Fellowship, our alumni network all over the world, hosted dozens of in-person programs. We are so grateful to you for your dedication to making our offerings as engaging and exciting as they are to attract participants from 57 different countries in 2024. Your generous monetary support has helped us give our international guests the most enriching, eye-opening experience possible for their first trips to the United States. These programs would not be possible without you. From our Board of Directors, Advisory Board, and staff, we sincerely thank you for your contribution. If you haven't had a chance to give yet, it's not too late.  Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/edeUMY8V to make a gift to support our mission at a critical time worldwide. Your donation goes directly to support our programming. From the Staff and Board, thank you for your support of our vision for a world built on cross-cultural understanding. We wish you a wonderful 2025!

Announcing The Raj Aggarwal, PhD, CFA and Karen Aggarwal Scholarship Fund The Raj and Karen Aggarwal Scholarship fund of CIP was established in 2024 by Raj and Karen Aggarwal, long-time supporters of CIP. As a member of our Board of Directors for more than 30 years, Dr. Aggarwal's deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of education to enhance self-awareness and mutual understanding across borders has been a guiding force throughout his time with CIP. His impactful leadership roles on various important CIP committees over the years has significantly contributed to the organization's growth. A notable achievement and contribution to CIP’s future was his establishment of CIP's Endowment fund. Karen is an artist and an art therapist with a master’s degree in art therapy and college degrees in psychology and theater. She has appeared in theatrical productions and her artwork has been shown publicly. Among other places she practiced art therapy at the Hospice of the Western Reserve. Karen is an avid reader and has traveled globally and lived temporarily in Japan and Mexico. This scholarship reflects a shared vision for fostering educational opportunities that transcend borders, aligning with CIP's mission to build bridges of understanding worldwide. The purpose of the Fund will be to provide scholarships for needy international professionals each year to participate in CIP programs. Preference will be given to participants from India and when there are no such applicants, we welcome applicants from other countries. This scholarship is open to current applicants to our programs. To apply, please email us at info@cipusa.org for more information.

Will you show your support for international exchange this Giving Tuesday? https://lnkd.in/edeUMY8V Here’s how CIP has made an impact in 2024: - Welcomed nearly 400 exchange visitors, fostering connections that enriched their local U.S. communities. - Offered exchange programs in 12 countries, building global partnerships. - Hosted 9 public diplomacy initiatives, sponsoring 54 international delegates through the Congressional Office for International Leadership. Exchange visitors like ours contributed $584.6 million to the U.S. economy in 2023 and left with a deeper, more favorable view of America (Source: Alliance for International Exchange). With your support, CIP will continue creating life-changing experiences that build understanding and goodwill worldwide. https://lnkd.in/edeUMY8V

Did you know that our alumni organization Council of International Fellowship operates out of more than 30 different countries? Most of these national branches host their own international professional exchange (IPEP), bringing social workers from around the world together to share cultural insights and best practices over a two to three week program. Marcia Mauter is one of CIF's biggest cheerleaders, having participated in three IPEPs herself and promoting it widely to her many friends and colleagues around the world. Here, Marcia details her latest IPEP experience with CIF Kyrgyzstan during their first ever in-country exchange. https://lnkd.in/es9ndCxa

We took our human rights defenders from Poland to Nogales and Tucson for an intense day of conversations about deterrence, migration, humanitarian aid and more. Thank you to all who were a part! And thank you Congressional Office for International Leadership for investing the resources in this group, and in us at Council of International Programs USA in Phoenix!

Ignasi Fabregas Parra, a Spanish college student of biomedical sciences, interned in California this summer with pharmaceutical company Grifols. "The pace and scale of work were quite different compared to my experience back home. In California, there was a much more collaborative environment, with a strong focus on cutting-edge innovation and the direct application of research. In contrast, in my home country, while there is a solid foundation in research, the approach tends to be more traditional, with less emphasis on immediate industry applications and cross-departmental collaboration. The innovative mindset and rapid pace of progress in California stood out as a key difference." 👇 Read about his experience and more in our monthly newsletter! 👇 https://lnkd.in/er7Wc4Gr

10 Years Later, CIP Alumnus Tomasz Klimczyk Reflects on his Exchange Tomasz, originally from Poland, came on a CIP training program with Big Switch Networks back in 2013-2014. He was kind enough to share his journey from a fresh graduate looking for new opportunities to the owner of a start up that was inspired by his exchange experience! "The J-1 experience has been amazing for me. It has changed my life. I’m not sure where I would be if it weren’t for that program. I cannot recommend it enough for any ambitious people out there who want to experience U.S. culture and its ways of working. For me, it was like hitting the jackpot." Read his story and more in this month's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e2NHauAu

Lithuanians ❤️ CLE! Read about this and more 👇 https://lnkd.in/eSRvpgjM

Announcing our new office address!