About

The Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC) is a community-based, member-driven non-profit organization that creates, supports, and sustains citizen diplomacy initiatives in eastern Iowa’s Creative Corridor.

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CIVIC coordinates people-to-people exchanges between international visitors and residents of eastern Iowa’s Creative Corridor. As a member of Global Ties U.S., CIVIC collaborates with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program to host current & emerging international leaders who work in both public and private sectors. By programming meetings between visitors and their professional peers, hosting Iowa Table dinners, and sharing the rich culture of our community, CIVIC builds global ties locally.

Mission and Values

CIVIC seeks to strengthen our community’s commitment to and participation in cross-cultural exchanges on professional and individual levels. We believe in the inherent value of cross-cultural interactions and that people-to-people exchanges contribute to the creation of a more peaceful world for which we strive.

Through citizen diplomacy, CIVIC aims to develop international cooperation, foster mutual understanding across national borders, facilitate the creation of global professional networks, and contribute to the global cultural education of area students and community residents.

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In our day-to-day and long-term decision making, we seek to align our actions with our values. To do so, we ask: Is it globally-focused? Is it member-focused? Is it community-focused? We believe that affirmative responses support our mission and move us closer to our vision.