US Poland Parliamentary Youth Leadership Exchange Program (USPol)

Eligibility:

American participants:
-- Students must be a U.S. Citizen, national or permanent resident
-- Students must have a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
-- Students must be between ages 15 and 18 at the start of the program
-- No Polish language pre-requisite

Polish participants:
-- Students must be citizens of the Republic of Poland
-- GPA *equivalent to the Americans above
-- Students must be between ages 15 and 18 at the start of the program
-- Sufficient English language ability

Length:

Four weeks

Deadline:

The 2009 program is in progress. Information about the 2010 competition will be provided in summer 2009.

Funded By:

US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

The U.S.-Poland Parliamentary Youth Exchange Leadership Program is a four-week exchange program focusing on civic education and leadership for 15 secondary school students and 2 educators each from Poland and the U.S. for a total of 34 participants. The purpose is to demonstrate to the youth of the United States and Poland the benefits of friendly cooperation between the two countries based on common political and cultural values. Objectives include developing a sense of civic responsibility and a commitment to international understanding and cooperation among youth and developing a cadre of youth leaders who will share their knowledge and skills with their peers through positive action. The goal is to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and Poland and ensure enduring ties between both governments and societies by fostering relationships among youth.

Program features for all participants include civic education workshops in Washington, D.C. and Warsaw, Poland; high school exchanges; presentations to classes and civic groups in host communities; a community service project; internships; host family stays; cultural excursions; and a joint summer camp to bring together teachers and educators from both countries to reflect on the experience of the exchange and to plan for future activities. Ongoing contact will be facilitated by this program website. Follow-on activities will be supported by an alumni grants program underwritten by cost share from the Kosciuszko Foundation.

American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS and its program partners – World Link, the Kosciuszko Foundation, American Civics Center, and the Education for Democracy Foundation – 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
• News
• Announcements