Guwahati: President of the Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) and sub-editor at The Arunachal Times, Amar Sangno has been selected to represent India at the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP)-2022 in the US.
The two-week programme: “A Global Movement in Time: Photojournalists Document Challenges and Opportunities in the Covid Era – A Multi-Regional Project” is hosted by the United States of America’s Department of State. The event commenced on Sunday and will conclude on October 22.
Sangno was selected for the global leadership exchange programme on September 17, 2021, followed by 15 days of a virtual programme held from September 30 to October 15, 2021.
Sangno is a lone representative from India among the 77 participants from 58 countries across the globe nominated by the US Embassy of their respective countries.
The programme objective is to examine the role of photojournalism in civil discourse, public opinion, and public understanding of how COVID-19 has disrupted society as well as how it has brought people and organisations together.
The participants will get a chance to engage with US photojournalists and media experts to discuss disinformation and the responsibility of media during the crisis. The participants will also explore current practices for safety and security while reporting, as well as related issues of self-care and resilience.
The opening of the multi-regional project in Washington DC from October 9 to 13 will highlight the power of photojournalism, reporting, safety, and security followed by the split-city programmes.
The participants are being divided into five teams, of which Sangno is among Team B. From Washington DC, Team B will be heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Team A would fly to Dallas Texas, while Team C to New Orleans, Louisiana, Team D to Portland, Oregon, and Team E to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
All teams’ participants would meet again in Florida on October 18 for an interactive workshop on the theme, “Journalism, Trauma and Resilience and Investigative Reporting.”
The IVLP is a professional exchange programme funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The IVLP’s mission is to offer current and emerging international leaders the opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of American political, economic, social, and cultural life through carefully designed exchanges that reflect participants’ professional interests and the public diplomacy objectives of the United States government.
The IVLP was first established in 1940 and it brings up to 5,000 professional emerging leaders from around the world to the United States each year for a programme of up to three weeks.
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