Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Studies Program
Consortium Partners
A consortium of partners lead by American Council collaborate with Education and Cultural Affairs-US Department of States and U.S. Embassies, select students and provide full scholarships. 10,077 High school students from 40 countries will be placed in clusters of 2 – 3 students and spend an academic year in the United States. The YES program encourages the exchange of ideas, values, and experiences among young people and leads to greater cultural awareness and appreciation, exposing these young scholars to the principles of democracy, free market economy, civil society, and community service. Enrichment activities are a major component of the program and will include community service, a youth leadership training summit, civics education, negotiation training, diversity training, and other activities to give students a well-rounded view of the U.S. culture and values. The goal of this special program is to engage participating youth, their teachers and classmates, and community leaders in an exchange effort that will promote increased understanding and tolerance between our peoples.
American Council for International Education (AC) Founded in 1974 as an association for area and language professionals, American Councils has focused its expertise on academic exchange, professional training, distance learning, curriculum and test development, delivery of technical assistance, research, evaluation, and institution building. http://www.americancouncils.org/index.php AC is the consortium leader for the KL-YES program and also a placement organization.
Placements Organizations: The YES exchange students are assigned to one of the following US based placement organizations. These organizations shares responsibility for U.S.- based student placement and programming These organizations are approved by the US State Department, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs as part of the KL-YES program;
AYA/AIFS Foundation -Academic Year in America
http://www.academicyear.org/about.asp
AYA is one of the largest and most respected high school/homestay programs in the United States. Founded in 1981, AYA is well recognized by high schools across the U.S. and endorsed by thousands of American host families. AYA is sponsored by the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1967 with the assistance of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
ACES- American Cultural Exchange Services
http://www.exploretheworld.org
Was founded in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas, ACES is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to international cultural, educational, and sports exchanges. The ACES national office is located in Bellevue, Washington.
AFS Intercultural Programs http://www.afs.org
AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
ASSE- International Student Exchange Programs
was founded by the Swedish Ministries of Education in the 1930s and reincorporated in the U.S. in 1976. ASSE. ASSE is based in Laguna Beach, CA.
AYUSA: Academic Year in the United States of America
Since 1981, AYUSA Global Youth Exchange has been a leader in providing a wide range of life-changing cultural exchange experiences.
YFU-Youth For Understanding http://www.yfu.org/
is one of the world’s oldest, largest, and most respected international exchange organizations. Today, YFU USA administers the Youth For Understanding programs in the United States. YFU will be responsible for placing and follow up for some of the YES students.
CIEE- Council on International Educational Exchange http://www.ciee.org/
Since 1947, CIEE, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world."
PAX Program of Academic Exchanges
PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a non-profit educational organization that promotes and arranges international student exchange to foster the positive development of the world's young people and to support international peace, friendship and cross-cultural understanding.
World Links:
World Link, Inc. is an Iowa-based organization dedicated to youth development and cultural exchange around the world. World Link grew out of programs formerly operated by the National FFA Organization and conducts only U.S. Government sponsored exchange programs.
Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI)
Established in 1985, the Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI) is a non-profit international educational exchange organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural understanding, academic development, environmental consciousness and world peace. Learn more about our social responsibility.
AYUSA International is a non-profit high school organization headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Has been the past consortium leader for the YES program and has administered over 40 grants for the U.S. Dept. of State. AYUSA is now responsible for placing the students.
ASSE
International Student Exchange Programs
was founded by the Swedish Ministries of Education in the 1930s and
reincorporated in the U.S. in 1976. With AYUSA, ASSE will share
responsibilities for host family and school placement, student support and
administration and the coordination of local orientation and enhancement
activities. ASSE is based in Laguna Beach, CA.
AMIDEAST
America-Mideast Educational and Training Services
is the largest, most experienced private American non-profit organization
promoting understanding and cooperation between Americans and the peoples of the
Middle East and North Africa. Headquartered in Washington D.C, AMIDEAST is
responsible for in-country recruitment, selection and preparation of YES
students, as well as alumni tracking and follow-on activities.
iEARN International Education and Resource Network is the world’s largest K–12 project-based, internet-supported learning network, which since 1988 has pioneered programs in schools globally. iEARN-US is a partner in the KL-YES program and works with iEARN programs in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal, Mali, Arab Israel and Ethiopia conducting participant recruitment, screening, and selection in collaboration with local iEARN country coordinators.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, CCI organizes academic year, short term homestay, internship, work & travel, language study, environmental and volunteer programs in the United States and in over thirty different countries around the world. CCI is a non-profit organization, recognized by the United States Department of State as an official exchange visitor program.
Youth For Understanding (YFU) is a
non-profit US Based educational organization which offers opportunities for
young people around the world to spend a summer, semester or year with a host
family in another culture.
Pacific Intercultural Exchange-USA (P.I.E.- USA) was incorporated in 1975 in San Diego, California, as a not-for-profit international student exchange organization. Since that time, the program has facilitated exchanges for more than 25,000 high school students from almost every corner of the world. Working with similar organizations in more than 40 countries, P.I.E.-USA brings students into the United States for six and ten month academic homestays, and sends American students overseas for similar time periods.