Announcements

Around the globe, Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) and International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) alumni strive for more than excellence in the classroom: they carry the expertise and skill they gain through the programs back to their home countries to create lasting change in their school communities. IREX congratulates the 2012 TEA-ILEP winners of the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) for the incredible work they will do to promote peace, gender equality, social inclusion, and leadership development around the world through their respective AEIF grant awards. This year, 14 TEA-ILEP alumni will collaborate on 4 grant projects across 6 countries to bring innovative solutions to challenges in their school communities.

IREX congratulates Lia Putkaradze, a 2009 Global UGRAD student, on being honored as the June 2012 State Alumni Member of the Month. Putkaradze, one of more than a million State Department alumni, is currently serving as one of Georgia’s first young Corporate Social Responsibility professionals at the Alliance Group Holding company.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship, the Muskie Eurasia Map highlights the widespread successes and community engagement of Muskie alumni.

IREX is pleased to announce the winners of the Spring 2012 Cultural Passport to America competition for the Global UGRAD-Pakistan program. Maria (Shawnee State University), Nadir (Dillard University), Yasir (Eastern Michigan University), and Tayyab (Wabash College) were selected as exemplary cultural ambassadors because of their participation in a diverse array of cultural events and their regular reflections through blog posts sharing their experiences.

Forty-five front-line journalists and activists whose work is advancing media freedom in their countries will now have the opportunity to attend the commemoration in Tunis, Tunisia on May, 3-5, 2012.

Global UGRAD students have been busy documenting their diverse experiences since they arrived in the United States in August 2011. The IREX Global UGRAD Team extends its congratulations to three 2011-2012 Global UGRAD students for their outstanding videos: Anton, from Ukraine, studying at the University of Louisiana at Monroe; Asel, from Kyrgyzstan, studying at Utica College; and Batyrbek, also from Kyrgyzstan, studying at Augustana College.

IREX is honored to be part of the inaugural edition of The Peace Journalist. The magazine is a publication of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, Missouri USA (link). The semi-annual publication highlights peace and conflict sensitive journalism worldwide. The second edition of "The Peace Journalist" will be published in October, 2012.

The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2012 is “New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies.” The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Government of Tunisia are organizing this year’s commemoration in Tunis, Tunisia May 3-5, 2012.

IREX is pleased to continue supporting this important event this year by sponsoring a panel on novel ways to gather and share news that give voice to citizens and reach new audiences.

IREX congratulates the winners of the Spring 2012 Global UGRAD-Pakistan program video competition, “A Day in the Life of a Global UGRAD-Pakistan Fellow.” Hadia, studying at the University of Wyoming; Abdul, studying at the College of Southern Idaho; and Zahra, studying at Minnesota State University-Moorhead, won for their outstanding videos showcasing their experiences at a U.S. college or university and what they have learned about American culture and values.

Their videos were selected for their creativity and clarity in demonstrating their unique and varied American experiences. Many of the program’s 99 participants submitted excellent videos for the contest.

The 2012 edition of IREX’s Media Sustainability Index (MSI) for Europe and Eurasia measures the struggles and triumphs of the media sector in 21 transitioning countries from Croatia to Kazakhstan. Evidence from local media experts shows overall stability in the media sector. Increasing use of digital and social media gives hope for expanding freedom of expression. However, reported backsliding in several countries, partly due to the increased political control of media, concerns the experts.