From Cincinnati to Kansas City, Exploring IVLP and Mentorship

Posted: July 18th, 2024 by Emily Rose, International Programs Lead Diplomacy, Our Team, Uncategorized

During the dates of June 16-19th, I used the Global Ties Mentorship Program Travel Grant to travel from Cincinnati to Kansas City.

On June 16th,  after I arrived in the late morning, my mentor, Sarah, had arranged a cultural day for me. We went to brunch at a very cute local creperie that was tucked off the main road. It was hot, but after being on a cramped plane all morning, it was nice to sit outside and smell the fresh breeze while enjoying fresh crepes. After breakfast we went to the World War I museum. It was pretty busy since it was Father’s Day. Sarah and I climbed to the top of the museum and were able to see 360 views of the city! Then it was time to visit the local River Market. It was like Findley Market, but much larger! There were people selling flowers, homemade earrings, crocheted bouquets, baked goods, candles, local art, locally made screen-printed shirts, and so much more! There were also permanent fruit markets, ethnic restaurants, boba shops, and others. This truly felt like a heartbeat of the city. It highlighted the rich cultural heritage of the city where everyone, from all walks of life, came together to celebrate local artisans in Kansas City. 

The next day was all business. Sarah picked me up bright and early and brought me to the gorgeous Kansas City Union Station. It is the historic train station that has been renovated for office spaces, shops, and restaurants. We grabbed a coffee and headed down to the office.

Meetings consisted of IVLP Management and Corporate Sponsorship. During the first meeting on IVPL Management, we discussed the Global Ties KC best practices on proposal tracking, Salesforce management, and working off the itinerary.

Global Ties had an interesting approach to corporate sponsorships. One of the agreements their staff had created with corporations was creating the models of Hosting Sponsorships and Financial Sponsorships. Hosting sponsorships/ promotional sponsorships is where the company/business hosts an event, pays for food or drinks, and promotes to their social media and their networks. This allows these corporations to get involved outside of IVLP. The second is financial only sponsorships, which is exactly what it sounds like. These companies financially sponsor the Global Ties KC events. Companies can split this cost too if two or more companies want to sponsor events.

One exciting initiative that the Global Ties KC staff is taking is the creation of their cultural outbound fund for outbound exchanges. Currently, they have three artists using this fund to go to the largest art festival in Senegal. Those traveling through the fund are responsible for fundraising the money. The role of the Global Ties KC is the administrative tasks, connecting the participants with the U.S. Embassy in Senegal, connecting participants to IVLP alumni in Senegal, etc.

At the last minute, the Global Ties KC was able to get permission to bring me to the JVS Young Professional Board Meeting, which one of their staff members was a part of. They had 3 different breakout groups which each had their respective projects. The first one raffled off a KC football ticket. The second was a cooking event/cooking class which had 30 seats. This had a cultural aspect to it that highlighted the cook’s story and background. The largest fundraiser the JVS Young Professionals put on is the Global Table to Go, which happens at two different restaurants during the summer. They close a lane of traffic, people pull up to get their meal, they are greeted by one of the young professionals, a team member brings the meals out pre-bagged. Their sponsors get extra goodies. They never use the same restaurant twice in a row so that they can showcase the different refugee-run owned businesses in their area. 

Internships were the last thing that we talked about during my trip. At Global Ties KC, they have up to 3 interns per semester and usually more during the summer. The Global Ties KC team focuses on what the intern wants to put on their resume. If the intern doesn’t know, they help them create a 3-year plan which focuses on specific words such as writing, social media, or in-person cultural communication. During their first day orientation, the staff creates an itinerary with an intentional trajectory for their day. They also create a powerpoint about Global Ties KC and what they do. Afterwards, they get a coffee with their CEO to learn about her and the work that she does. There is a networking lunch with Board Members which introduces the interns to boards and different career options. The Global Ties KC staff said that this was something that the Board Members love doing. 

On June 18th, I joined the Global Ties Kansas City team at the President Truman Museum and Library for the dedication of Kansas City as a UNESCO City. We were treated to Kansas City BBQ and Kansas City Jazz at the reception. At the main event, there were many wonderful speakers, including the Deputy Director of the United States Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. It was so exciting to hear him speak about the importance of IVLP and the work that the Global Ties KC does at such a prestigious event. Afterwards, I was able to tour the museum. Before we left, though, I was able to meet the Deputy Director of the United States Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and thank him for his speech. I let him know that I was visiting from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and that I work to implement IVLP at home. It was so incredible to meet him and have the opportunity to take a picture with him. 

Overall, my experience, although short, was a wonderful one. The Global Ties KC team was welcoming and were excited to show off their systems and processes to me. I got to see the best of their city and the best of their organization. I am happy that I was able to participate in this exchange. I learned so much during my time in Kansas City. I would say that this is a portion of the Global Ties Mentorship program that should be included every year. It not only helps mentees learn, grow, and adapt new processes which they are interested in taking back, but it also gives us a chance to meet more of the Global Ties network. I was able to learn more about challenges facing other community based members in the Global Ties network and their communities while also getting to experience the city in a similar way that our IVLP delegates do. It is an experience that will help me grow within my organization, the network, professionally and personally.