National Council for International Visitors
Encyclopedia
The National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
established in 1961 to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy
. It is based in Washington, D.C.
, in the United States
.
NCIV members include individuals, program agencies, and more than 90 community organizations throughout the United States. NCIV members design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality opportunities for foreign leaders, specialists, and international scholars participating in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program
and other exchange programs. More than one third of the community members are staffed by volunteers. Each year the aggregate efforts of NCIV members involve more than 80,000 volunteers.
the International Visitor Program (IVP)
brought in an annually increasing number of foreign visitors to the United States. As it became difficult for the Department of State to facilitate the research and logistics of the program, they turned to private sector organizations such as the Institute of International Education (IIE)
and the Governmental Affairs Institute (GAI). These national program agencies (NPAs), funded by the Department of State, would work in collaboration with more voluntary, locally established centers for international visitors (CIVs) to map out an itinerary for incoming international visitors.
A number of issues became evident as these private organizations functioned together. The NPAs and CIVs had been working in poor communication
and coordination—both among and within themselves—resulting in a stifled exchange of skills and information and therefore programming capacity; and it was not clear as to how those organizations should be funded.
Representatives from relevant organizations held many discussions to address these financial and communicative issues. On February 11, 1957, the Interim Council for Community Services to International Visitors (ICCSIV) was established to help sustain the growth of the IVP and its local organizations. The ICCSIV, whose membership reflected both private and public organizations, served as a sort of Board of Directors
to coordinate the efforts between NPAs and CIVs.
Members of the ICCSIV agreed to establish the National Council for Community Services to International Visitors (NCCSIV) on November 30, 1960, a first step toward creating an official organization. NCCSIV adopted the acronym COSERV in April, 1961, and officially incorporated
as a non-profit organization
in 1965. COSERV changed its name to the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) on October 1, 1979, to reflect its central role as a coordinator for CIVs and other programming agencies for the International Visitor Leadership Program
.
(R-PA) nominated the NCIV and its volunteers for the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2001.
.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
established in 1961 to promote excellence in citizen diplomacy
Citizen diplomacy
Citizen diplomacy is the political concept of average citizens engaging as representatives of a country or cause either inadvertently or by design. Citizen diplomacy may take place when official channels are not reliable or desirable; for instance, if two countries do not formally recognize each...
. It is based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
NCIV members include individuals, program agencies, and more than 90 community organizations throughout the United States. NCIV members design and implement professional programs, provide cultural activities, and offer home hospitality opportunities for foreign leaders, specialists, and international scholars participating in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program
International Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help build mutual understanding between citizens of the U.S....
and other exchange programs. More than one third of the community members are staffed by volunteers. Each year the aggregate efforts of NCIV members involve more than 80,000 volunteers.
Founding
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the International Visitor Program (IVP)
International Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help build mutual understanding between citizens of the U.S....
brought in an annually increasing number of foreign visitors to the United States. As it became difficult for the Department of State to facilitate the research and logistics of the program, they turned to private sector organizations such as the Institute of International Education (IIE)
Institute of International Education
Institute of International Education - is a non-profit organization promoting international exchange of education and training. It was established in 1919 and is based in the USA....
and the Governmental Affairs Institute (GAI). These national program agencies (NPAs), funded by the Department of State, would work in collaboration with more voluntary, locally established centers for international visitors (CIVs) to map out an itinerary for incoming international visitors.
A number of issues became evident as these private organizations functioned together. The NPAs and CIVs had been working in poor communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and coordination—both among and within themselves—resulting in a stifled exchange of skills and information and therefore programming capacity; and it was not clear as to how those organizations should be funded.
Representatives from relevant organizations held many discussions to address these financial and communicative issues. On February 11, 1957, the Interim Council for Community Services to International Visitors (ICCSIV) was established to help sustain the growth of the IVP and its local organizations. The ICCSIV, whose membership reflected both private and public organizations, served as a sort of Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
to coordinate the efforts between NPAs and CIVs.
Members of the ICCSIV agreed to establish the National Council for Community Services to International Visitors (NCCSIV) on November 30, 1960, a first step toward creating an official organization. NCCSIV adopted the acronym COSERV in April, 1961, and officially incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
as a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in 1965. COSERV changed its name to the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) on October 1, 1979, to reflect its central role as a coordinator for CIVs and other programming agencies for the International Visitor Leadership Program
International Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help build mutual understanding between citizens of the U.S....
.
Nobel Peace Prize nomination
Senator Arlen SpecterArlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
(R-PA) nominated the NCIV and its volunteers for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
in 2001.
Members
NCIV has over 90 community based organizations, called Councils for International Visitors (CIVs), throughout the United States. The role of these organizations is to organize programs for participants in the IVLPInternational Visitor Leadership Program
The International Visitor Leadership Program is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help build mutual understanding between citizens of the U.S....
.
Citizen Diplomat Award
NCIV distributes five awards in recognition of excellent citizen diplomacy, the most inclusive of which is its Citizen Diplomat Award. NCIV presents the Citizen Diplomat Award to any individual or institution that it perceives to have "achieved a recognized standard of excellence in furthering the cause of international and mutual understanding".| Year | Recipient | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rick Steves Rick Steves Richard "Rick" Steves is an American author and television personality focusing on European travel. He is the host of the American Public Television series Rick Steves' Europe, has a public radio travel show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored various location-specific travel... |
Author and Founder, Europe Through the Back Door |
| 2008 | Garth Fagan Garth Fagan Gawain Garth Fagan, CD is a Jamaican modern dance choreographer. He is the founder and artistic director of Garth Fagan Dance, a modern dance company based in Rochester, New York.-Early years:... |
Founder and Artistic Director, Garth Fagan Dance |
| 2007 | Keith Reinhard | Founder, President of The Stanley Foundation Stanley Foundation The Stanley Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation started in 1956 by engineer and entrepreneur, C. Maxwell Stanley, with headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa in the United States.... |
| 1993 | Maya Angelou Maya Angelou Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly... |
Poet and Activist |
| 1990 | John Richardson, Jr. John Richardson, Jr. John Richardson, Jr. was United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs from 1969 to 1977.-Biography:John Richardson, Jr. was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and educated at Harvard University... |
Assistant Secretary of State, ECA Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world... Founder, U.S. Institute for Peace United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world... |
| 1987 | J. William Fulbright J. William Fulbright James William Fulbright was a United States Senator representing Arkansas from 1945 to 1975.Fulbright was a Southern Democrat and a staunch multilateralist who supported the creation of the United Nations and the longest serving chairman in the history of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee... |
Senator (D-AR) |
Board of directors
- Alexander Durtka, Jr. Chair,
- Carol Engebretson Byrne, First Vice Chair,
- Nancy Gilboy, Second Vice Chair
- Laura Dupuy, Treasurer,
- Carina Black, Ph.D., Secretary,
- Lawrence J. Chastang, Ex-officio, Larson Allen, LLC
- Chris Ajemian, Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Quincy Carter, Freeport Area International Visitors Council
- Tarik Daoud, Al Long Ford, Inc.
- Karen de Bartolome, Institute of International EducationInstitute of International EducationInstitute of International Education - is a non-profit organization promoting international exchange of education and training. It was established in 1919 and is based in the USA....
- Eurica Huggins-Axum, Institute of International EducationInstitute of International EducationInstitute of International Education - is a non-profit organization promoting international exchange of education and training. It was established in 1919 and is based in the USA....
- Beth Sabo Huddleston World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort WorthWorld Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort WorthThe mission of the nonprofit, nonpartisan World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections through its multifaceted programs...
- Kyle Moyer, Kyle Moyer & Company
- Peter Simpson,Ph.D
- James S. Wolf
Articles
- U.S. Citizen Diplomats Launch Education Campaign about Islam (from America.gov August 29, 2002)
- Anti-Americanism Prompts Push for “Citizen Diplomacy” (from The New York Times July 26, 2006)