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U.S.-Poland Youth Leadership Exchange Program (USPol)

The U.S.-Poland program was created by the U.S. Congress in 2008 at the initiative of Senator Richard Lugar, who worked closely with the Polish government as part of a larger initiative to celebrate 90 years of U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations. The program sends 15 Polish students and three Polish educators to the U.S. for four weeks, and 15 American students and three American teachers to Poland for four weeks of living with a host family, attending a host high school, civic education workshops (in each country), community service programming, internships with local business or government leaders and cultural excursions. Both groups will also give presentations to their classes and civic groups in the host communities. The program concludes with a mandatory community service workshop in Torun, Poland in June 2012 with both groups coming together to develop targeted service projects that meet the needs of their communities. The main goal of the program, now in its fourth year, is to give participants a sense of civic responsibility and a commitment to international understanding and cooperation among youth, and to develop young leaders who will share their knowledge and skills with their peers.

American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS and its program partners – World Link, European Academy of Diplomacy, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and American Civics Center – collaborate on this project, offering students and teachers from the U.S. and Poland the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge and a deeper understanding of each country’s history and culture. The program promotes the establishment of enduring ties with peers from other countries while exploring the vital commonalities of education, politics, and culture.

Additional information can be found at the US Embassy in Poland’s website

Program Resources

• Documents