- Meder’s journey from Kyrgyzstan to America actually started in Ghana. Last fall, Meder Mukai Uulu was thrilled to learn he earned a scholarship for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program. The competitive, merit-based program, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State, has an acceptance rate of less than three percent. FLEX students live with a host family and attend an American high school, and Meder couldn’t wait. Meanwhile in Raleigh, North Carolina, the… Read More
- The Future Leaders Exchange program celebrated its 25th cohort of students yesterday, at a ceremony in the Kennedy Caucus Room on Capitol Hill. The reception honored the latest 200 students to complete the program. Several guest speakers, including Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, congratulated the students on their accomplishment, while challenging them to make their voices heard. Mr. Murphy, who studied abroad in college, shared that he started questioning the leaders in his community… Read More
- Habib Debaya, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study student From Tunisia; Hosted in Nebraska As he waited for his meeting with a staffer from Senator Deb Fischer's office, Habib explained that he was proud to be hosted in Nebraska. He has taken five AP courses at his high school, including macroeconomics and government, and he has learned how to play American football. When the staffer asked him to describe his program, he was ready. “Everyone gets a different experience, but it’s all… Read More
- ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN -- Representatives from higher education institutes in the United States and Kazakhstan met this month for a workshop, the latest event in a yearlong initiative to increase collaboration between universities. The workshop was hosted in Astana, Kazakhstan as part of the U.S.-Kazakhstan University Partnership Coaching Program. It was funded by the U.S. Embassy in Astana and administered by American Councils for International Education. The 12-month coaching program, which… Read More
- What story do you tell the most when people ask, "What was your program like?" The Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program allowed me to explore and experience a region of the world that I never thought I would have an opportunity to see, let alone live in for four months. What turned out to have the biggest impact on the experience for me was being able to be a part of American public diplomacy in Kazakhstan. When I was in Almaty I volunteered in an English language conversation… Read More
- The students at the Youth Exchange and Study English Camp in Senegal had a chance to practice their language skills with a diplomat last month. The camp offers exchange program semi-finalists two weeks of intensive English training and preparation before their academic year abroad in the United States, and last month the camp included a visit from US Ambassador to Senegal, Dr. Tulinabo Mushingi. The 17 students, alumni assistants, and staff welcomed Ambassador Mushingi… Read More
- VILNIUS Officials are hopeful about an uptick in Americans attending university in Belarus, following a three-day education workshop. The event, which took place earlier this month, brought together educators from Belarus and the US, who discussed increasing opportunities to engage American students. The Head of the International Relations Department at Mogilev State University, Sergey Machekin, was among the attendees. "One of the objectives of the conference is to attract American… Read More
- BACAU, Romania--American Councils for International Education won two national awards last week at the Romanian Youth Gala. American Councils Romania earned second place in the cultural category for the 2017 Elie Wiesel Study Tour, which shared Holocaust-era history with a group of students. The tour also won a special award for combatting discrimination and promoting gender equality. The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Romania each year honors projects that support youth around the… Read More
- Most discussions of why Americans need to study Russian, or any other world language, understandably begin with a recognition of the demands of the 21st-century global economy, of US international security concerns, and may go on to include acknowledgment of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism and the increasingly multilingual nature of US society today. But the issue of foreign language study for Americans is as old as America itself: in 1781, in the final days of the American Revolution… Read More
- Take your language skills beyond the classroom and use your second (or third or fourth!) language to make a difference in the lives of others. Even if you are just practicing your skills and aren't fully proficient, these are great opportunities to go beyond a conversational partner, study group, or class. 1. Support displaced Syrians through Arabic conversation practice NaTakallam, a language startup by Columbia University grads, provides online language learners a new opportunity to learn… Read More
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