By Zac Carr, Program Associate, Communications & Advocacy, NCIV
January 2012

The 2012 NCIV National Meeting will feature two International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni—Mr. Apostolos Aristeidou of Greece and Ms. Elisheva Darar of Israel. Speaking at the IVLP Alumni Luncheon on Friday, February 17, they will share their stories about the impact of their IVLP experiences. Building on the tradition begun with NCIV's 50th Anniversary in 2011, the U.S. Department of State has selected Aristeidou and Darar as IVLP Gold Stars, meaning they will participate in a return tour of cities they visited in their first IVLP program.

Apostolos Aristeidou is the director and organizer of a Balkan break dance competition called the Battle of the Year – Balkans. Organizing events in Greece and throughout the Balkans, Aristeidou's office hosts dance seminars, film screenings, dance-theater events, hip hop concerts, graffiti exhibits, and other events related to hip hop culture. His events bring together young people from all over the Balkans to promote mutual understanding and tolerance of other cultures.

An IVLP participant in 2009, Aristeidou's program was entitled, "Managing Cultural and Hip-Hop Events." Aristeidou's broad exposure to U.S. culture allowed him to return to Greece with innovative perspectives on managing street art events, youth outreach, and engagement. He has maintained contact with many of his American counterparts and even carried out projects with them. Since his return to Greece, Aristeidou has worked closely with the U.S. Embassy to help bring American hip hop and graffiti artist to Greece. His efforts have proven invaluable to U.S. efforts to reach younger Greek audiences.

Overseen by World Learning, his 2012 Gold Star tour will take him to Washington, DC; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and Miami, FL.

Elisheva Darar, currently an MA candidate in Political Science at Bar Ilan University, is the former Division Director for Social Planning at the Department of Policy Planning, Israeli Prime Minister's Office. In this role she supported the establishment of a think-tank devoted to social change initiatives for women, people with disabilities, and under served communities. Ms. Darar has also worked on education, leadership and youth issues for the 110,000 Ethiopian immigrants in Israel.

Darar's first IVLP experience was with the 2006 "Grassroots Activism" IVLP program. Darar's U.S. experience helped her understand the importance of civil rights and equal opportunity employment, which was especially useful in her work representing the under served minority of Jewish Ethiopians in Israel.

In 2011 Darar told a State Department official, "My work has been guided directly by my experience as an IVLP participant." In her position with the Prime Minister's Office, Darar was one of the highest ranking Israeli civil servants of Ethiopian origin. She achieved that post just four years after her IVLP experience. Her World Learning–managed Gold Star program will take her to Washington, DC; San Diego, CA; St. Louis, MO; Atlanta, GA; and Miami, FL.

The 2012 NCIV National Meeting is NCIV's most comprehensive professional development and training event. The December edition of the NCIV Network News includes information on several other 2012 NCIV National Meeting program highlights.