Individual Grant Projects are designed with the participant's involvement. The participant's suggestions are sent to Washington D.C. before he/she leaves his/her country. These suggestions are discussed among those responsible for developing the participant's program, and a preliminary plan is developed. After the participant arrives in the U.S., this plan is discussed with the participant and final arrangements are made.

For each Multi-Regional and Regional Group Project, an outline is prepared summarizing the goals of the project, characteristics of the foreign participants, the project themes and the types of activities that may be helpful in meeting the major goals of the project. The summaries are sent to programming institutions and the U.S. embassies abroad. The programming agencies use the outlines as the basis for preparing their project proposals. The embassies use them to assist in determining their nominees for the project.

In many cases, the programming agencies submit competitive proposals for a particular project. Competitive proposals are reviewed by the project coordinators and discussed with an advisory committee comprised of USIA staff experienced in international exchanges. The advisory committee provides substantive guidance on project proposals to the project coordinator and the programming agency.

Voluntary Visitors usually travel either as individuals or as single-country groups self-formed to examine a particular subject. Although combining some aspects of both individual and group projects for grantees, Voluntary Visitor projects are primarily designed around the participants' particular interests and with their active involvement. Suggestions provided by the visitors are sent to Washington, D.C. in advance of their departure for the U.S. and, through constant dialogue with the visitors and USIS posts overseas, are developed directly by the Voluntary Visitors programming staff, or in conjunction with cooperating programming agencies, into a completed national program. The relatively shorter duration of Voluntary Visitor programs dictates a greater degree of pre-planning, although additional fine-tuning is still possible once the visitors have arrived in the U.S.

Multi-Regional Projects (MRPs)

are conducted for English-speaking visitors from all countries of the world and are designed around themes of global interest.

Regional Projects (RPs)

tend to focus on topics of specific interest to one geographic region. They may be conducted in English or in a foreign language such as French, Spanish, or Arabic.

Single Country/Small Group Projects

focus on topics of concern to a particular country or small number of countries such as a sub-regional grouping.

Themes which are frequently explored in Group Projects are focused on the way in which the topic is addressed in the United States and include the following:

• American Studies
• Broadcast Journalism I
• Broadcast Journalism II
• Building Democracy on the State and Local Level
• Business Ethics and Intellectual Property Rights
• Civic Education
• Congressional Campaign and Governance
• Cultural Heritage in Civil Society
• Education for the Twenty-First Century I
• Education for the Twenty-First Century II
• Entrepreneurship in the U.S.
• Ethics in Government and Business
• Democracy Building in Diverse Communities
• Dynamics of U.S. Foreign Policy I
• Dynamics of U.S. Foreign Policy II
• Global Environmental Issues
• Globalization of Business and Markets
• HIV, Education Prevention & Infectious Disease
• Immigration, Citizenship & Assimilation in a Demo Society
• Integrating Language Teaching in Civic Education
• International Crime Issues
• International Security and U.S. Defense Policies
• Labor and the Market Economy
• Non-Governmental Organization & Association Managem
• Preventive Diplomacy & Conflict Resolution
• Print Journalism in the U.S.
• Substance Abuse Prevention and Education
• The Information Highway
• The Role of the Media in a Civil Society
• The Role of Women and Minorities in U.S. Politics
• U.S. Financial System
• U.S. Judiciary and the Rule of Law
• U.S. Participation in Disaster Relief & Emergency
• U.S. Trade and World Markets I
• U.S. Trade and World Markets II

For more information about these programs, please contact the Group Projects Division, International Visitor Program at 1-800-650-9822.

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