About Us: The International Visitors Center of Chicago is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that promotes mutual understanding and appreciation amongst cultures through citizen diplomacy. The IVCC has served as Chicago's official host for U.S. Department of State sponsored visitors since 1952.

 

 

Annual Appeal..
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Celebrate International Women's Day 2010 in Chicago - March 8, 2010

Co-Presenters with IVCC: International Trade Club of Chicago

and Union League Club of Chicago

Chicagowomensday.org

 

 



 

International Visitors Center of Chicago Announcements
Citizen diplomats hosting the world's emerging leaders

 

 

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February 3, 2010

 

 


You are cordially invited to attend the Ninth Annual
Chicago Celebrates International Women's Day
Fair and Luncheon!

Join us on Monday, March 8th! Details below under "Event Announcements" and on www.chicagowomensday.org. 

Presented by: International Visitors Center of Chicago, International Trade Club of Chicago and Union League Club of Chicago

Homestay Hosts Needed!
The International Visitors Center of Chicago seeks homestay hosts for a delegation of young professionals from Taiwan (March 30-May 22) as well as public broadcasting professionals from Georgia (April 7-April 28).  If interested, please contact:

for Taiwan Delegation: Marian Reich, mreich@ivcc.org, 312-254-1800 x103

for Georgian Delegation: Donna Sadlicki, dsadlicki@ivcc.org, 312-254-1800 x104

Thank you!

 

Summary-Upcoming IVCC Events & Visitors (Details Below)

 

Summary-Upcoming IVCC Events & Visitors (Details Below)


Brief List of Upcoming Events 

  • Monday, March 8: International Women's Day Celebration
  • Save the Date!  Wednesday, March 24: Young Internationals event featuring guest speakers from the U.S. Department of State Office of Language Services
  • Tuesday, April 27: Citizen Diplomacy Summit~Young Professionals Networking Reception & Program

Brief List of Upcoming Visitors

  • Pakistan-U.S. Foreign Policy & Journalism-February 18-24
  • Poland-Investigative Journalism-February 18-20
  • Russia-Food Safety-February 27-March 1
  • Italy-Organized Crime Prevention-February 27-March 3
  • Asia Regional Project-Journalism-March 12-17 (meal hospitality requested; please see details below)
  • Taiwan-International Trade Institute Program-March 30-May 22 (homestay hosts needed; please see details below)
  • Georgia-Community Connections Program-Public Broadcasting-April 7-April 28 (homestay hosts needed; please see details below)

 

Event Announcements

Chicago Celebrates International Women's Day

IWD

The International Visitors Center of Chicago, the International Trade Club of Chicago and the Union League Club of Chicago cordially invite you to attend the Ninth Annual Chicago Celebrates International Women's Day International Fair and Luncheon.

Monday, March 8, 2010
10:30am- International Fair
Noon- Luncheon featuring Master of Ceremonies: Ms. Dina Bair, Medical Anchor/Reporter, WGN TV

The Union League Club of Chicago
65 W. Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL

"The International Epidemic of Antibiotic Resistance: Women are the Key to Protection and Prevention"

Featuring keynote speaker: Ms. Maryn McKenna

Maryn McKenna is an independent journalist and author who specializes in public health, medicine and health policy.  She writes features for national magazines and news stories for an infectious-disease website.  In addition to her new book, Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA, about the rise of drug-resistant staph around the world, she is working on projects on polio eradication and on emergency room overcrowding.

From 1995-2006, she was a national desk writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she was the only U.S. journalist assigned to full-time coverage of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and embedded with a CDC investigative team during the 2001 anthrax-letter attacks. She has reported from the Indian Ocean tsunami and from Hurricane Katrina, as well as from Southeast Asia, India, Africa and the Arctic. She has covered pandemic influenza since 1997, when she wrote the first story in the American media on the potential threat posed by avian flu H5N1.

Thank you to our Event Partners-
American Association of University Women-Illinois, Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, Fulbright Association-Chicago Chapter, Heartland International, The Musicians Club of Women, National Association of Women Business Owners-Chicago Area, Organization of Women in International Trade-Chicago, Professional Women's Club of Chicago, The Union League Club of Chicago Authors Group, The US National Committee for UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) Chicago Chapter

Cost-
$60- Luncheon Cost
$75- Display table at the International Fair (non-profit organizations); includes one lunch ticket
$100- Display table at the International Fair (for-profit organizations); includes one lunch ticket
$650- Display table at the fair and 10-top luncheon table

Sponsorship opportunities available. 

For more information and to register by Monday, March 1st, please visit
www.chicagowomensday.org, or contact Lexy Sobel, International Visitors Center of Chicago, 312-254-1800 x102 or Lsobel@ivcc.org

Limited space available for display tables. 
 
The Union League Club of Chicago's dress code is business casual.  No jeans or gym shoes allowed.


Citizen Diplomacy Summit~Young Professionals Reception & Program

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
6:00-8:00pm
Baker & McKenzie, 130 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601

Join us for a networking reception and program on "The Importance of Building International Diplomacy Skills" featuring Ms. Cari Guittard, Executive Director, Business for Diplomatic Action, and Former Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

Attend to learn about the Business for Diplomatic Action's national campaign for improving citizen diplomacy and how you can work with our local partners in Chicago to improve the image of Americans abroad.  Learn about strategies for improving your international diplomacy skills and how you can take an active role in Citizen Diplomacy-the concept that every individual has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape U.S. foreign relations, "one handshake at a time."

The Business for Diplomatic Action is a private sector led a-political, non-profit, whose purpose is to enlist the U.S. business community in public diplomacy efforts aimed at building new bridges of understanding for America with the world.

Join the national movement among young professionals across the U.S. and engage in Citizen Diplomacy today!

Partners~
American Southeast Europe Chamber of Commerce

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Committee on International Affairs for Public Policy, The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Cost: $15 for Members of IVCC & Event Partners; Non-members, $20

Register here!

 

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP): Upcoming Visitor Programs

Description: This U.S. Department of State program identifies foreign leaders in a variety of fields to visit the U.S. for 3 weeks (visiting 3-5 cities) to meet their professional counterparts, explore their thematic interest area(s), and experience America firsthand. These visitors stay in hotels.

If you are interested in meeting with these visitors professionally and/or socially for meals in your home, please contact John Baum at (312) 254-1800 x100 or jbaum@ivcc.org.  Meal hosting is a benefit of membership with the International Visitors Center of Chicago.  Click here for membership opportunities. 

Pakistan
8 Journalists
Focus for Chicago Visit: To gain insight into domestic influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Dates for Chicago Visit: February 18-24, 2010

Poland
Journalist, Rzeczpospolita Daily
Focus for Chicago Visit: To learn about best investigative journalism practices in the U.S.
Dates for Chicago Visit: February 18-20, 2010

Russia
10 Food Safety Scientists
Focus for Chicago Visit: To gain insight into U.S. corporate perspective on food safety standards. 
Dates for Chicago Visit: February 27-March 1, 2010

Italy
3 Law Enforcement Professionals
Focus for Chicago Visit: To learn about organized crime prevention strategies.
Dates for Chicago Visit: February 27-March 3, 2010

Asia Regional Project
6 Journalists from Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines and Malaysia
Meal hospitality requested for the evening of Friday, March 12th.  This delegation will be divided into three separate pairs of two for meal hosting.  If interested in hosting two delegates, please contact John Baum at (312) 254-1800 x100 or jbaum@ivcc.org
Focus for Chicago Visit: To explore the role of religion in fostering understanding between people and cultures in the U.S.
Dates for Chicago Visit: March 12-17, 2010

 

Taiwan International Trade Institute Program: Homestay Hosts & Internship Hosts Needed!

Taiwanese Ladies

Description: The Taiwanese delegates will be working in Chicago-area organizations as high-level interns Mondays-Thursdays to improve business and English communication skills with Fridays designated for organized tours, educational seminars, or free-time.

Homestay Hosts Requested!
The International Visitors Center of Chicago, in partnership with Roosevelt University, is seeking Chicago-area residents who would like to open their homes to the Taiwanese delegates during their professional exchange program.   

Dates: March 30-May 22, 2010 (hosting opportunities for 4 or 8 weeks)

13 English-speaking young business professionals from Taiwan (5 men, 8 women, ages 23-29)

Homestay Requirements: Participants must have own room in the home and full board.  Generous stipend is provided to homestay hosts. 

We ask the homestay hosts to provide:
-a separate bedroom for the delegate and access to a private or shared bathroom;
-full board: have all meals together with the delegate or have food available for him or her; and
-quality time spent with Taiwanese guests to share experiences/insights about daily life and culture in Chicago

If interested or to learn more, contact Marian Reich at (312) 254-1800 x103 or
mreich@ivcc.org.

Internship Hosts Requested!
Roosevelt University, Heller College of Business is looking for companies interested in hosting an unpaid international business student intern.  

This program provides Taiwanese graduate-level students with an 8 week internship in Chicago.  Students will arrive in Chicago on March 29 and depart from Chicago on May 21, 2010.  These internships are unpaid and FREE to each Chicago based company.  An Info Session will be held on February 10th from 7:30AM to 8:30AM at 18 S. Michigan, 4th Floor. If interested, please RSVP to Kristin Nance via email at knane@roosevelt.edu or phone by 312.281.3326.

The Objectives of the internship:
To give the student first-hand experience with a foreign culture and environment.
To give the student first-hand knowledge of the market and economies of their chosen country.
To give the student a more global perspective.
To develop the student's confidence in dealing with non-native situations.
To polish the student's communication skills in English.

Internship Requirements:
1. The duration for the internship is eight weeks.  
2. Each company hosts one student at a time, or hosts two students but places them in different departments.
3. ITI requests that each company assign a staff member to be the intern's mentor.
4. ITI requests that students should be placed in English speaking and business-related enterprises.
5. Three types of work are preferred:
    a. Working in one or more departments to develop an understanding of daily operations.
    b. Participating in special projects.
    c. Visiting clients with staff members from the sales department.

 

Georgia Community Connections Program: Homestay Hosts Needed!

 

CC

Description: These programs provide professional training and exposure to free market systems and encourage public-private partnerships.  Programs include homestays, cultural activities, action planning and volunteer opportunities.  Small homestay stipends available.

  • Georgia: April 7-April 28

10 Public Broadcasting Professionals looking at the topics of objective news reporting and quality programming in Chicago

We ask the homestay hosts to provide:
-a separate bedroom for 1-2 delegates and access to a private or shared bathroom;
-breakfast daily and some dinners; and
-quality time spent with Georgian guests to share experiences/insights about daily life and culture in Chicago

If interested, please contact Donna Sadlicki at (312) 254-1800 x104 or
dsadlicki@ivcc.org.

 

Other International Events

The International Visitors Center of Chicago is a partner for the following event.

Chicago Sister Cities International cordially invites you to the Second Annual International Business Breakfast

Keynote Address by The Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor, City of Chicago

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
7:00am-Registration
7:30am-Reception
8:00am-Presentation/Remarks

The Palmer House Hilton, Grand Ballroom
17 E. Monroe Street, Chicago

Cost: $75 per person; sponsorship opportunities available

For more information and/or to register, click
here.

Other International Opportunities Around Town

HONG KONG at the FULCRUM POINT
 
February 25, 2010, 7:30 pm
Thorne Auditorium of Northwestern University
375 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
 
Celebrate the Year of the Tiger
A multi-media Hong Kong fanfare featuring the American Debut of the Windpipe Chinese Ensemble, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, with special video appearance by Manga comic artist - Lee Chi-Ching.

-Showcasing two World Premieres: "Ode to the Tiger" and "Drumming Ridge"
-"Cat & Rat - Legend of the Chinese Zodiac" based on the illustrated book by Caldecott Award winner Ed Young; performed with reading and video
-Plus modern works that blend the traditional with the contemporary
 
FREE ADMISSION
RSVP is required.  
To redeem your e-ticket (up to 4 per RSVP), please email: RSVP@fulcrumpoint.org with full contact information before February 22, 2010.
 
More info: www.fulcrumpoint.org or phone: 312-726-3846