Programs : International Visitor Program

Upcoming International Visits

April 12-16, 2008   "Women as Social and Political Leaders" 
with 18 participants from the Middle East

October 26-31, 2008   "U.S. Elections" 
with 10 participants from the Middle East

At the request of the U.S. Department of State and cooperating program agencies in Washington, the World Affairs Council of Maine provides opportunities for international visitors to learn and establish friendly relations with people in Maine. The role of the World Affairs Council of Maine is

• to establish friendly, working relationships with international visitors who come to Maine
• to program time and onsite meetings for international visitors with business, academic, civic and state government officials and
• to serve as host for sightseeing and hospitality for international visitors and to maintain continuing interest of Council members and the Maine community at-large.
  
  At the request of the U.S. Department of State and cooperating program agencies in Washington, the World Affairs Council of Maine provides opportunities for international visitors to learn and establish friendly relations with people in Maine. The role of the World Affairs Council of Maine is
  • to establish friendly, working relationships with international visitors who come to Maine
  • to program time and onsite meetings for international visitors with business, academic, civic and state government officials and
  • to serve as host for sightseeing and hospitality for international visitors and to maintain continuing interest of Council members and the Maine community at-large.  
    
     

  A parent at LeveyDay School explains the school's philosophy and curriculum to South Asian visitors.

  Get Involved in the International Visitors Program
  
  
  Home Hospitality Providers host visitors for home-cooked meals in their homes. Meals in homes do not have to be fancy and wine does not have to be served, but the visitors should feel welcomed and well-provided-for  via both the food and the conversation at the table.  This is a great way to involve children in thinking about the world beyond U.S. borders.  It also goes a long way towards building an impression of Americans as generous and friendly hosts, and can lead to establishing meaningful long-term relationships between volunteers and visitors.
  Subject Matter Experts host visitors in their places of work and share expertise on the visitor's topic or themes of interest. Subject Matter Experts may include senior executives and decision-makers, but they may also be community organizers and activists, people involved in the arts, academics, law, city services, religious leadership, the media, the airline industry- people from every walk of life in our area.  The commonality for these volunteers is an interest in meeting with visitors and diplomatically representing expertise in a specific topic.
  Cultural Ambassadors entertain visitors.  They give informal city tours, go to our museums, hang out in the Old Port until 2am, eat sushi with the visitors, and accompany visitors on cultural 
  outings.  Fluent Foreign Language Speakers and photographers 

  South Asia educators with Portland High School  principal Mike Johnson

  are especially important in this role.
  Assistant Program Directors collaborate with our Program Director to design and implement a delegation's itinerary end-to-end.  This role requires experience experience with visitors, training, and some weekday work. Volunteers use their resourcefulness and personal networking skills to arrange meetings with decision-makers at relevant organizations in town.  The key success factor for this job is to be a friendly, Portland-savvy go-getter who knows people in all walks of life or is willing to find them.  Ideally, if you're interested in taking on this role, you will be willing to invest several hours per month to volunteer on multiple visits, thereby learning the ropes from experienced Programmer mentors.
  Office Volunteers and Interns help the IVP with ongoing projects to capture our historical record, maintain a thriving volunteer corps, and research resources for entry into our database.
  Drivers & Transportation Coordinators transport visitors to and from appointments and support their airport logistics.  They provide useful advice and directions for driving efficiently around the Portland area.
  Foreign Language Speakers provide welcome relief for visitors who are unaccustomed to interacting in English all day long.

  A visiting educator from Afghanistan speaks with a teacher at PortlandHigh School who is originally from Afghanistan.

   
  Database Developers & Tech Support volunteers help provide process efficiency in the office by keeping in touch with our resources and adding or maintaining records in our nationally linked and Maine IVP database.  Tech support helps with our webpage and future web-based collaboration applications.
  
  
  "First Maine Lobster"
  2007 NCIV Award-Winning International Photo 
  capturing international visitors encountering
  American people and culture
  
  Anyone wishing to get involved in the IVP program or wanting more information, should contact:
  Maureen Hurley
  Director, International Visitor Program