Future Leaders Exchange: Placement

Program News

• South Caucasus FLEX-Ability Workshop 2010 04/02/10
  More than 55 alumni of the U.S. Government sponsored Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gathered from March 25 - 29 for the first South Caucasus FLEX-Ability Workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia. The university-age alumni participants met to share ideas for working with youth in the South Caucasus, and collaborate in teams led by FLEX alumni trainers and Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) to develop skills for active citizenship. The workshop agenda included designing projects to inspire youth across the region to be implemented in all three countries in summer 2010. The FLEX-Ability Workshop, administered by American Councils' offices in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, was sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, as well as those in Azerbaijan and Georgia, along with funds from the 15th Anniversary FLEX Alumni grant.
• FLEX Alumni Spread the Word for International Education Week 11/25/09
  FLEX alumni across Eurasia took part in the global movement to share the benefits of international education during International Education Week (IEW) on November 16-20. This annual event gives FLEX alumni the motivation to tell others about their personal experiences of studying in the U.S. and share information about various U.S. Government-sponsored exchange programs.
• FLEX Alumni Coordinators: Trained and Ready for Action 10/20/09
  The atmosphere was celebratory at the annual FLEX Alumni Coordinator (AC) training conference on the weekend of September 25-27 in the outskirts of Moscow. FLEX Program ACs as well as American Serbia & Montenegro Youth Leadership Exchange (A-SMYLE) national and regional coordinators celebrated the 15th anniversary of the FLEX Program, while interweaving trainings to prepare them for their work with alumni across their nations.
• Central Asian FLEX Alumni Debates Explore Regional Issues 08/20/09
  FLEX alumni, representing program years spanning 1999 to 2008, from the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan met at the Kazakh British Technical University to take part in an alumni debate tournament aimed at developing Central Asian partnerships. Organizers Kseniya Shilina ’06 (Kazakhstan), Assiya Beleukhanova ’07 (Kazakhstan), and Aizat Jakybaliyeva ’07 (Kyrgyzstan), together with event sponsors American Councils, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan coordinated the event to improve communication not only among alumni, but with other talented youth leaders of Central Asian countries.
• FLEX Alumni Making Waves in their Communities in the Heat of the Summer 08/19/09
  While summer is typically a down-time for alumni of U.S. Government-sponsored programs, or a time for international conferences and vacations to sandy beaches, FLEX alumni throughout Eurasia have rolled up their shirtsleeves and taken the opportunity in these long days of summer to make a difference in their communities. From Russia to Kyrgyzstan and everywhere in between, FLEX alumni are eager to develop programs to improve their communities and volunteer their time throughout the year.
• Paper, Rock, Scissors: FLEX Alumni Use Crafts & Music to Celebrate International Children’s Day 06/25/09
  International Children’s Day, a globally recognized celebration of society’s youngest members, has been annually observed on June 1 for the past 54 years. The celebration was commemorated by two Eurasian Alumni Coordinators this year, each with a longstanding commitment to the children and young adults of their communities.
• FLEX Alumna Aysel Temurzade ’05 Takes Third Place at Eurovision 06/01/09
  Azerbaijan alumna Aysel Temurzade ’05 (known on-stage as AySel) and well-known singer Arash took third place at the Eurovision Song Competition held in Moscow this past Saturday, May 16. The pair competed in the prestigious event with their song “Always” among 25 other European entries into the final round. The U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan predicted success for Aysel at a party she hosted for the FLEX Notification Meeting this year with newly selected FLEX finalists. FLEX alumni from across Europe actively supported Aysel’s Eurovision entry with motivational messages through Facebook and other social networking sites.
• FACES of FLEX Alumni Photo Contest 2009 05/21/09
  The 2009 winning shots from the “Faces of FLEX” photo competition are more than just a group of eye-catching images of Eurasian life. The visuals also demonstrate how, even in an age of virtual reality, FLEX alumni are making tangible contributions to the world, and the time they spend with their fellow citizens has very real and concrete benefits.
• Cost Free is the Key to Global Youth Service Day 2009 05/12/09
  FLEX alumni across Eurasia used the economic crisis to their advantage during the 21st annual Global Youth Service Day (April 24-26) by treating the international community service initiative as an opportunity to conduct cost-free projects that assisted people and places in need. A wide variety of parks, beaches, orphanages, elderly homes, highways and secondary schools were the direct beneficiaries of the more than 18 projects completed either at no cost, or with the support of local administrations, in-kind contributions, and alumni’s personal donations.
• And The Oscar Goes To… Ukrainian Children with Cerebral Palsy 04/30/09
  The interior of the Barsky nightclub in downtown Kyiv, with its lush wonderland of overstuffed pillows, coral-like golden chandeliers, and fringed red drapery, is a far cry from the clean lines and ascetically white rooms of the International Clinic of Rehabilitation in Truskavets, Ukraine, where young cerebral palsy patients can be found receiving miniature massages or peddling gently on tiny exercise bikes. In fact, the two are situated more than 200 kilometers from one another, and, were it not for the work of FLEX alumni, would remain unlinked. Yet, both the Barsky club and the Truskavets Center do indeed have something in common: their recent work helped to provide needed medical treatment to twins Andriy and Oleksiy Lazorenko, age 3, and Yuriy Onufer, age 13, as they cope with their illnesses.