- At a May workshop in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 30 alumni of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program from five countries in sub-Saharan Africa explored topics on community project design and management. The workshop, which was organized by American Councils in conjunction with Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS), was sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. IRIS is an implementing partner of the YES Program.YES program alumni… Read More
- Twenty years ago, a visionary step was taken by the United States Congress as they established the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, named after Senators Ted Kennedy and Richard Lugar. Created in response to the events of September 11, 2001, YES provides opportunities for high school students from countries around the world to immerse themselves in an American high school, develop cross-cultural skills, and build lasting friendships.The YES program has profoundly… Read More
- Recently, 24 alumni of the earliest YES cohorts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and North Macedonia gathered in Sarajevo along with seven representatives of American Councils to mark the ten-year anniversary since the alumni program began––a postponed celebration due to the pandemic. Participants rekindled connections from the past, established new networks, explored leadership and social responsibility, and shared ideas for the future of the alumni community.The program opened… Read More
- YES Exchange alum Moiz Rehan is helping young students in Pakistan's rural area of Pallandri a small town in the province of Kashmir learn English. Moiz, who studied in the US and lived with an American host family as a part of the YES program in the 2012-2013 academic year, is also a member alum of the Workshop for Youth Leaders in Teaching English (WYLTE), an enhancement opportunity offered to select students and is sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and… Read More
- Just three months into their exchange experience, seven American high school students on the YES Abroad program in Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced Bosnian culture firsthand through life with their host families, participating in community service, attending local high schools, and learning the local language. For YES Abroad student Lili in Sarajevo, learning to live with a new family has been both challenging and exciting. Some of her most memorable moments in Bosnia so far include a… Read More
- Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program provides merit-based scholarships for eligible American high school students to study and live overseas in select YES countries for an academic year. The YES Abroad program was initiated in 2009 as a reciprocal extension of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program for international students from countries around the world.YES Abroad students serve as youth ambassadors of… Read More
- Filling the stately Kennedy Caucus room in the Russell Senate Office Building today, 230 exuberant high school exchange students from the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program capped off their 2016-17 academic year with some well-earned fanfare. Speakers at-the-ready to congratulate the group of scholarship students included former US Senator Richard Lugar (YES program co-founder) and Mark Taplin, Acting Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational… Read More
- Two decades ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, the United States Congress laid the foundation for the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. This visionary initiative was created to foster greater understanding by providing merit-based scholarships for students from countries around the world to engage in a transformative academic year within the U.S. While the YES program is celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad)… Read More
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