Annual Report 2013 TABLE of CONTENTS

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Annual Report 2013 TABLE of CONTENTS Annual Report 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Message from Our President & CEO 4 We Are Cultural Vistas 6 Our Programs and Services 8 2013 Program Highlights 12 Cultural Activities & Engagement 22 Gatherings & Special Events 24 Invest in our Mission 25 Board of Directors 26 Financials 27 A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO Three years ago, we embarked on a bold new journey, INTEGRITY This is who we are. bringing together two longstanding exchange organizations We are dedicated to providing all of our stakeholders with In three short years, we have come a long way. We have to create a new organization that would strengthen, grow the highest level of professionalism and commitment in established a new culture and identity and have greatly and improve our existing programs and allow us to develop all that we do. enhanced our ability to positively impact and change people’s new ones, expanding and diversifying our portfolio of lives through the international experiences we provide. international exchange opportunities. COLLABORATION As we continue our journey, we invite you to join the At the time, we were told that more than half of all mergers We encourage individuals from around the world to work Cultural Vistas family and to help us create more fail and those that don’t, take at least three years to complete together through our exchange programs, and value a opportunities for people to inquire, learn, experience, the transition and to establish a new culture and identity. team-based approach in everything we do. and understand the interconnected world we live in. We As with all mergers, we have had our share of challenges all can and do make a difference. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING along the way, but as we move into our fourth year, I can We are Cultural Vistas! proudly say that our union has been a success thanks to We provide personally and professionally transformative the hard work and commitment of everyone at Cultural Vistas. experiences through a “learning by doing” philosophy. In terms of growth since our merger, the number of DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM participants served by our programs has increased by 35 We bring together people representing cultures and percent, our annual revenue has increased by 72 percent, languages from around the world to learn new perspectives, and our staff has expanded by more than 40 percent. We share knowledge, and exchange best practices. have instituted new partnerships and secured a greater Robert Fenstermacher President & CEO variety of funding sources, allowing us to add a number of INNOVATION new exchanges to our program portfolio. And in 2013, we We advocate for creative approaches in our daily work and established our first overseas subsidiary with a European in developing a more active, engaging, and internationally- office based in Berlin. Our programs now touch people in relevant exchange experience. nearly 140 countries. The creation of Cultural Vistas, however, was about much PASSION more than just growth. It was about creating a new shared We believe in what we do. We strive to fulfill our mission every culture that would better enable us to fulfill our mission day by providing meaningful and high-quality experiences to enrich minds, advance global skills, build careers, and for all those we serve. connect lives through international exchange. Our core values embody who we are as an organization and serve as the principles that influence the implementation of our programs. WE ARE CULTURAL VISTAS What We Do Our Mission Our nonprofit annually serves more than 5,000 students, To enrich minds, advance global skills, build careers, and professionals, and emerging leaders through career-focused connect lives through international exchange. internships, educational study tours, language immersion and cultural exchange programs in the United States and Our Vision around the world. To create memorable and transforming global learning » Professionally-focused study tours in a wide range opportunities that enrich career and encourage leadership of career fields development. We firmly believe that those who travel to other countries to deeply inquire, learn, experience, and » Customized program development and placement understand other cultures and practices will be the ones to programs for universities, businesses, foundations, lead and succeed in our increasingly interconnected world. and government institutions » International internship, fellowship, and immersion Our Core Values programs in Asia, Europe, South America, and the Expanding our Reach: Cultural Vistas Establishes First International Office in Berlin United States At Cultural Vistas, we are committed to empowering individuals In 2013, Cultural Vistas proudly opened its first international office in the heart of Europe: Berlin, Germany. Cultural Vistas and impacting lives through international exchange. Our core Europe has been established as a German nonprofit organization (gGmbH) and is staffed by a bi-national team with years of » J-1 Exchange Visitor visa sponsorship and values of integrity, collaboration, experiential learning, experience in international exchange. programmatic services for interns, trainees, and teachers diversity and multiculturalism, innovation, and passion serve as a foundation for our organizational culture and as » This expansion signifies our nonprofit’s commitment to longstanding relationships in Germany and our goal of promoting the Public diplomacy initiatives sponsored by both the principles that guide all of our nonprofit’s work and actions transatlantic relationship through exchanges and practical training opportunities throughout Europe. U.S. and foreign governments on a daily basis. It will enable Cultural Vistas to foster new university partnerships with institutions throughout the European Union, strengthen » Cross-cultural learning and professional development ties to European companies interested in providing training to international interns and to their staff abroad, and facilitate greater seminars and activities outreach and engagement with its extensive European alumni base. 6 More than 130 members of our international community attended the official opening of Cultural Vistas Europe, held in our new office 7 space on Pariser Platz, overlooking the Brandenburg Gate and the U.S. Embassy. OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Our array of international internship, fellowship, and work abroad programs allow students, International Visitor Leadership IAESTE United States young professionals, and emerging leaders to see the world, experience new cultures firsthand, Program [IVLP] A reciprocal exchange program providing students and recent and gain the transferable skills that will set them apart in today’s globalized economy. As one of seven National Program Agencies, Cultural Vistas graduates in science and technical fields with internships in works in close cooperation with the U.S. Department of State to the United States and more than 80 countries around the administer, design, and implement IVLP programs that support world. Cultural Vistas has administered the U.S. affiliate of J-1 Exchange Visitor Programs the foreign policy goals of the United States. Through short-term IAESTE since 1950. Cultural Vistas is authorized by the U.S. Department of State as an Exchange Visitor Program sponsor for three categories of the visits, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields J-1 Visa: Intern, Trainee, and Teacher. As an Exchange Visitor Program sponsor, Cultural Vistas is responsible for administering experience the United States firsthand and cultivate lasting cultural exchange programs in compliance with the Department of State’s public diplomacy goals and visa requirements. relationships with their American counterparts. Robert Bosch Foundation Cultural Vistas also provides cross-cultural orientations, educational Teach USA A teacher exchange program providing visa Fellowship Program activities, monitoring and evaluation, and acts as an advocate for sponsorship to qualified educators for full-time teaching A fully-funded, six-to-nine month professional development the participant to ensure a positive and successful program. positions at accredited primary and secondary schools in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program in Germany annually providing 15 accomplished United States. Full-time placements are determined by the for Young Professionals Americans firsthand experience in the economic, political, and Train USA A cultural exchange program providing visa host school and can last up to three years. A reciprocal fellowship program, funded by the German cultural environments of Germany and the European Union sponsorship and support to qualified individuals who have Bundestag and U.S. Congress, annually providing 75 American through high-level work placements, language training, and established arrangements with a U.S. host company to pursue Korea WEST A U.S.-Korean initiative enabling South Korean and 75 German young professionals the opportunity to spend a series of professional seminars. Cultural Vistas has served internships or training lasting from three weeks to 18 months. university students and recent graduates to study English, one year in each others’ countries, studying, interning, and living as the U.S. representative of the Robert Bosch Foundation intern for up to 12 months, and explore American culture Fellowship since its inception in 1984. Global Career Launch A short-term exchange program through immersion and independent travel. Candidates are with hosts
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