Fox Valley students building international bridges

Submitted by The Youth Exchange and Study Program

The Youth Exchange and Study Program, known as YES, through the U.S. Department of State provides full merit-based scholarships for outstanding high school students. It’s supported through funding from the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

You can learn more at the AFS Information Events-Informal Drop-in from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Borders Books, 1660 S. Randall Road, Geneva; from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, May 23, at the Sycamore Public Library, 103 E. State St.; or 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at the West Branch of Aurora Public Library, 233 S. Constitution Drive. AFS volunteers and students will be available to answer your questions. For more information, visit afsusa.org and yesprograms.org.

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program is an innovative high school exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This public diplomacy initiative builds bridges of international understanding, especially between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations.

AFS is a worldwide, nonprofit organization that has been leading international high school student exchange for more than 60 years. Each year, AFS-USA sends more than 1,400 US students abroad, provides approximately $3 million in scholarships and financial aid, and welcomes 2,500 international high school students who come to study in US high schools and live with host families. More than 6,000 volunteers in the U.S. make the work of AFS possible.