How Can I Become Involved?
Local Houstonians enjoy great opportunities to meet with IVLP participants by providing professional meetings or by hosting dinner for the visitors during their time in Houston.
Be a Professional Resource
Professional meetings offer opportunities to share industrial or organizational insights, to learn more about global perspectives on current issues, and exchange ideas with international counterparts. They are mutually informative and provide valuable opportunities to gain insights without incurring great expense. Meetings in Houston have included experts from a broad range of industries and fields, from managerial trends in in the performing arts to cutting-edge cancer treatment strategies. No specialized language skills are required, as the State Department provides excellent interpreters for all non-English-speaking delegations.
Be a Volunteer Dinner Host
In addition to local professional meetings, International Visitors frequently spend time with local IIE volunteers in a social setting, to make new friends and learn more about the American people. The connections made in these informal opportunities are often the most significant and lasting ones, and many of our volunteers remain in touch with the IVLP participants. Dinner hosts are not required to have any professional connection with the visitors, nor do they need special knowledge of the visitors’ culture or language, we only ask that they be excited to meet new people.
If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please contact the program manager.
Find out more about IVLP in Houston.
Find out more about IIE/Houston.