Global Youth Service Day is the largest community service event in the world, an annual weekend celebration of youth engagement in community service, that encourages young people to work together to address the world's most critical issues at a local level.
In Southeast Europe, Youth Exchange and Study (YES) and Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad) students from the US initiated service-oriented projects that underscored the collective power of youth to improve their communities and reflected the diverse forms that community service can take from raising awareness of environmental concerns to collecting food for struggling families.
Biking for a Clean Earth in Albania
Inspired by the environmental activism of Earth Day, 13 YES alumni and biked through the streets of Tirana, Albania to raise awareness about pollution caused by an overreliance on motor vehicles. The volunteers discussed the benefits of cycling with pedestrians and drivers and encouraged motorists to turn off their cars while stopped at traffic lights.
Encouraging Interfaith Understanding in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Jajce, a town in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, YES alums Dunja and Ivana organized a workshop on interfaith harmony. A group of seven alumni practiced the foundational skills for effective interfaith activism and explored ideas to encourage interfaith interaction and understanding in their communities.
Planting Trees in Bosnia and Herzegovina
American students living in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the YES Abroad program got their hands dirty while participating in projects for Global Youth Service Day. YES Abroad students Darcy and Ben, along with many of their local classmates, hiked to Mount Igman, a mountain located just outside of Sarajevo, to plant trees for a reforestation project in an effort to increase the sustainability of the city's environment.
Supporting Animal Rights in Bulgaria
In Ruse, Bulgaria, YES alumna Shebnem hosted a screening of Bold Native, an independent film that explores animal exploitation from political, economic, and ethical perspectives. The film engaged the audience of 22 community members in a discussion of animal rights, effective activism, and the negative environmental, health, and economic effects of human use of animals in modern society.
Exchanging Food for Music in Kosovo
In Pristina, Kosovo, a group of six YES alumni organized a food donation concert in cooperation with the local Red Cross. The event was a non-traditional fundraising concert, where concertgoers donated food items for families in need. More than 60 people attended, donating enough food essentials to make packages for six families in need.
Cleaning Up and Giving Back in Macedonia
In Kumanovo, Macedonia, a group of Macedonian YES alumni and their American counterparts on the YES Abroad program discussed international exchange opportunities to students learning English through a US Department of State initiative. After the presentation, over 30 students and teachers lent a hand to clean up a local park in honor of Global Youth Service Day.
Sharing American Values through Trivia in Macedonia
YES Abroad American students discussed the benefits of cross-cultural education with Macedonians their communities. In Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, the students gave a presentation at their local Macedonian high school on American culture and values and hosted a game of trivia with interesting facts and humorous anecdotes about the two cultures.
From community cleanups to social activism, exchange students sought to address challenges facing their native and host communities, embracing the values of Global Youth Service Day in the process.
About the YES Program
Congress established the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program in October 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The program is funded through the US Department of State and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to provide scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States.
Students live with American host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about US society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.
About the YES Abroad Program
The YES Abroad Program, sponsored by the US Department of State, offers American high school students and recent graduates scholarships to study for one academic year in select countries with significant Muslim populations.
YES Abroad students serve as youth ambassadors of the United States, promoting mutual understanding by forming lasting relationships with their host families and communities. Participants live with a host family, attend a local high school, acquire leadership skills, and engage in activities to learn about the host country's society and values; they also help educate others about American society and values.