WASHINGTON DC/ITANAGAR, 10 Oct: Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) President and The Arunachal Times Sub-editor Amar Sangno has been selected to represent India at the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP)-2022 in the United States of America (USA).
The fortnight-long programme, titled ‘A Global Movement in Time: Photojournalists Document Challenges and Opportunities in the Covid Era – A Multi-Regional Project’, being hosted by the USA’s department of state, commenced on Sunday and will conclude on 22 October.
Sangno was selected for the global leadership exchange programme on 17 September, 2021, followed by 15 days of a virtual programme held from 30 September to 15 October, 2021.
Sangno is the lone representative from India among the 77 participants from 58 countries across the globe nominated by the US embassy of their respective countries.
The objective of the programme 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 crises. 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 9-13 October will highlight the power of photojournalism, reporting, safety, and security, followed by split-city programmes.
The participants have been divided into five teams. Sangno is in Team B. From Washington DC, Team B will be heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Team A will fly to Dallas, Texas, while Team C will fly to New Orleans, Louisiana, Team D to Portland, Oregon, and Team E to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
All the participants will meet again in Florida on 18 October 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 & Cultural Affairs. The mission of the IVLP 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 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.
