IVLP Highlights of 2024 Part 2
With 2024 winding down and we head into fall, here are more incredible moments from our summer IVLP programs that will warm your heart as the weather begins to cool down!
Our Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management program was a successful collaboration between The Health Collaborative’s Tri-State Disaster Preparedness Coalition and the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky during the Health Collaborative’s recent 2024 Active Threat Tabletop Exercise.
Delegates outside of the United Way building after their tabletop exercise.
This tabletop exercise was held at United Way Greater Cincinnati and facilitated by IMEG Consulting Group. The inclusion of the international delegates from Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan, teaming up with their American professional colleagues, allowed for expanded discussions and insights into how other countries handle disaster preparedness and response, highlighting best practices and innovative approaches. By fostering an exchange of ideas and experiences across borders, the tabletop exercise aimed to improve collective readiness and resilience for the greater good.
Delegates with faculty from University of Cincinnati’s Healthcare Emergency Management Program.
The delegates mentioned that there were many valuable lessons from this exercise that they were able to take back to their home countries to ensure the safety of their communities in the event of a hostile intruder in their hospitals and emergency situations. While the delegates mentioned that they didn’t have the same issues with guns, they were able to apply what they learned with other situations they do face in their home countries. International travel is important in creating these experiences and partnerships in order to keep ALL of our communities safe.
A few weeks later we welcomed the Approaches to Trauma-Informed Support for Victims of Violence, Conflict, and Atrocities program.
International delegates with staff of CHNK Behavioral Health overlooking the Cincinnati skyline.
Visitors traveled from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Republic of Kosovo, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine. They met with the YWCA, Beckett Springs for their Help for Heroes Program in West Chester, Children’s Home Northern Kentucky (CHNK) Behavioral Health, Five Ives, and Seven Hills’ Neighborhood Houses’ Trauma Recovery Center. They followed up their program with a synthesis session led by the World Affairs Council’s Director of Global Education, Melissa McDonald.
This program held a surprise for our staff!
During this program, Emily Rose, the International Programs Lead, had the opportunity to spend time with our delegates. She spoke to them about the delegates about her visit to Kosovo in 2019 where she studied conflict mediation. It was during their conversation that she found out that Mr. Bajram Geci, one of the delegates, was the cousin of her roommate during her stay in Kosovo!
Emily Rose, International Programs Lead, and Mr. Bajram Geci from Kosovo.
It was truly a moment of realization that the world is actually very small! Our international travel made a great impact– putting her on the path to joining the World Affairs Council and Global Ties, and for Mr. Geci– bringing him to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky on an IVLP trip, causing them to cross paths as she set up meetings with our local resources. This human connection is such an important part of the IVLP program and she feel so lucky to have had this experience.
