Youth Exchange and Study (YES)
Youth Exchange and Study (YES) is a inter-cultural study program financed by the US State Department Cultural Affairs and implemented by AFS with local implementation done by the Lurdes Mutola Foundation. The program will place ten Mozambican students between 15 and 18 years of age to study for one year in the USA. The Lurdes Mutola Foundation is working closely with the Ministry of Education to implement the program in Maputo and Nampula Provinces.
Five students have already been place in five different states in the USA. Follow their blog about their experiences here. Learn more about where the five students are from, and where they are now. (Click here)[ to learn more about them.
YES program features include:
o Enhancement and Leadership activities organized by each area hosting a group of YES students. Local volunteers plan six different activities throughout the academic year.
o 2 ½ day Arrival Orientation in Washington, DC with all YES students, prior to onward travel to welcome orientation sites in each student’s host-community.
o 3 day End of Stay debriefing in Washington, DC with all YES students after the locally-organized end-of-stay activities in each student’s host-community.
o Monthly stipend of $125 starting in the month of August and ending in the month of June.
o Incidentals Allowance of $300 provided for all YES students meant to cover expenses such as school activity fees, a winter coat, school pictures, team uniform or laboratory fees, books, etc.
o Full medical insurance
Where do YES students come from?
o In the sixth year of the YES program, participating scholars from Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey arrived in August 2008, and participants from Brunei and Malaysia will arrive in January 2009 for a semester stay. YES students reflect a wide range of socioeconomic, cultural, and religious affiliations within their countries, including people with disabilities.
What is the selection process for YES students?
o YES participants are selected through an open, merit-based selection process established by AFS organizations in each country within a three-tier framework. The process begins with the initial application and screening for eligibility phase; an interim phase incorporates written applications and interviews, either conducted regionally, or nationally; a final selection committee convenes nationally to select the final scholarship recipients. YES scholars are selected based on a variety of indicators, including an evaluation of their personal qualities, such as adaptability, leadership potential, and motivation for an intercultural experience. AFS organizations attempt to reach a wide audience within each country, embracing all of the ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic diversity within the target countries.
See the Call for Proposals to submit your application.