Programming
The International Visitors Committee of Fairfield County has been welcoming international visitors - 55,000 and counting! - since 1955. Fairfield County's unique combination of easy access to New York City and a full spectrum of leading-edge business, government and non-profit initiatives deliver not only a full engagement rich with information, but also a more relaxing and enjoyable ambience than the norm.
IVC is the local chapter of the United Nations Association and has a longstanding relationship with the United Nations, functioning as the NCIV liaison. Recent guests have included Mrs. Kofi Annan, Sir Brian Urquhart and the Ambassadors of East Timor and Switzerland. Fairfield County often surprises with its array of first-movers, world-leaders, and a unique transparency into the interactions between government, business, and citizen-diplomats - the most vocal, involved, and innovative to be found - that brings visitor programs to life in a special way.
Where We Are
F. Scott Fitzgerald's original "Gold Coast" has sprouted urban centers that live side by side with historic towns and villages. Our programming extends to the state capitol of Hartford, to the academic powerhouse at Yale in New Haven and to the cultural and historic attractions of Mystic.
From the corporate giants of Stamford to the elite schools of Greenwich and Westport, to Bridgeport's valiant struggles to re-invent itself, we bring a diversity of cities, villages, scenic beaches, nature preserves, infrastructure, and cultural experience all within an hour's distance of each other, and only 25 miles north of New York City.
A Study in Contrasts
Southern Connecticut boasts one of the highest per capita incomes in the US as well as three of the nation's poorest cities (Waterbury, Bridgeport and New Haven), presenting the full gamut of challenges to state and local governments. Alongside public and private schools consistently rated in the top 20 nationally are schools that perform so badly in standardized tests that the students have sued the municipality.
We face housing and development issues that juxtapose the needs of "McMansion" developers with advocates for affordable housing. In the shadows of the densest concentration of Fortune 100 companies in the U.S. are a wealth of small businesses finding ways to compete in a global economy. These contrasting threads create a rich tapestry that can be explored in situ with a driving time of less than twenty minutes.
Competition for Resources
Connecticut considers itself one of the birthplaces of American democracy and the tradition is fiercely maintained today. Issues from how to balance wetlands and development, to re-integration of criminals, to choosing underground or overhead utility lines, each become grist for ceaseless vociferous and articulate debate in town councils, newspapers, and civic forums.
IVC programs take advantage of the eagerness of politicians and advocacy groups to not only share with our international guests the debate, but also their often-innovative solutions for which Connecticut is known. Some recent hotly-contested issues include: Environmentally sound land and water use, educational standards, ethical and moral considerations in government, casino development and its implications for local communities, and many others.
Potential Programs
The IVC believes in providing unusual and high quality programs that enrich the visits of our guests, the committee and leverage the uniqueness of our local resources. We prefer timely programs that tap into issues galvanizing our state and towns. A sample of programs that we plan to run this year:
Women in Politics
The First Selectwoman of Westport, who just completed an unsuccessful bid to unseat a popular incumbent U.S. congressman, nonetheless garnered extraordinary grass roots support and national party endorsements in an intriguing intersection with women as political activists. Our program would begin there and end with faculty at the Yale Women's Campaign School in New Haven, CT.
Indian Casinos in CT
Native American Casinos in Connecticut are big business. Ledyard is home to the largest casino in the Western Hemisphere. But should they expand to Bridgeport, a poor city only an hour north of NYC? Do the tax benefits to the state outweigh the traffic? Should gambling be considered a moral way to create job growth? Our program would visit the casinos, the groups in favor and against their expansion and finally visit a town where the battle is raging fiercely between a native American tribe and the local townspeople.
Business Financials in the Global Economy
Start with UBS in Stamford, the world's largest trading floor, meet with FASB and GASB, which sets the accounting standards for the entire U.S., at their headquarters in Norwalk, and end with a variety of small businesses that build on Connecticut's long history of manufacturing and technology excellence. A truly unique proximity of the best of both big and small.
Education
Fairfield County's secondary schools have won numerous competitions and awards at the national level, whether private, public, or parochial. The elementary and middle schools are second to none. Our program would begin with visits to top private and public schools, end with schools that are failing in the teaching of basic skills, and explore the implications of public education policy and state achievement standards on the education process and the children with government officials.
Infrastructure and Environment
Start with a tour of Long Island Sound, one of the longest protected areas of ocean on earth, with its unique climate and challenges, and end with insight into the battle between New York and Connecticut and between local control and big business in the resolution of placement of cables, power lines, and water and sewer implications.
Justice System and the Family
Start with the judge who pioneered CT's family law, visit a suburban police department fighting inner-city crime problems and end with innovative rehabilitation programs for work-release and women prisoners at Danbury.