IVC PROGRAMS

IVC uses Philadelphia as a 'classroom for democracy and free market development,' and annually arranges more than 4,000 meetings between Philadelphians and guests from abroad. The visitors come through the following programs of IVC's Center for International Development:

1. "The International Visitor Leadership Program"
   This State Department  program is considered the crown jewel of all exchanges and is by invitation only (which is why most Americans have not heard of it, as they have the Fulbright Program). It is IVC's core program where high-level guests from around the world come to the U. S. as guests of our country.  Their professional program typically includes five U.S. cities, and Philadelphia competes with 91 other cities to bring the visitors here to meet their professional counterparts, examine issues in their fields and gain an understanding of American life and culture.  IVC draws upon thousands of Philadelphia-area members and experts who donate their time and talents when meeting with our distinguished visitors. Alumni of the IVLP include 280 current and former heads of government who came to the U.S. earlier in their careers on this program. 
   
   
2. Sister Cities Program
   IVC administers this city-to-city exchange for the City of Philadelphia and its Department of Commerce.  Through Sister Cities, Philadelphia is linked with seven Sister Cities and three Partnership Cities in nine countries abroad.  Our seven Sister Cities are:  Florence, Italy; Tel-Aviv, Israel; Torun, Poland; Tianjin, China; Incheon, Korea; Douala, Cameroon; Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.  Our three Partnership Cities are: Kobe, Japan; Abruzzo, Italy; Aix-en-Provence, France.
   
   This important program is vital to the Philadelphia and the U.S. because it engages our Sister City "family" in business development and creating jobs in Philadelphia while also improving the image of the U.S. abroad. 
   
   
3. Discover Philadelphia Program
   This City of Philadelphia program is part of the City's efforts to attract, engage and retain students at Philadelphia's universities and colleges.  Funded by the City's Department of Commerce, IVC works with Campus Philly to engage international graduate students in activities in the City.  IVC arranges sightseeing and sports activities with young Philadelphians to introduce the international students to the City's historic and cultural resources, and arranges professional opportunitites to connect the international students with the City's businesses.  IVC gives each party opportunities to develop business networks and long term relationships for business and job creation.
   
   
4. "Community Connections"
   This U.S. Government training program is designed to strengthen the democracies and economies of the former Soviet Union through intensive three to five week training programs in Philadelphia for businesspeople, legal professionals and government officials from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbajian and Kyrgyzstan.   IVC arranges for participants to have internships/job shadowing experiences in Philadelphia-area businesses, law firms and government offices, and to live with Philadelphia-area families. This program is now administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development and was formerly under the U.S. Department of State.