- When exchange program participants arrive in America, host families, new friends, and locals welcome them and guide them through the journey to understanding a new and unfamiliar place.For several exchange alumni each year, the roles are reversed when they lead a group of visitors through their home countries on American Councils Insider Tours.The annual trip provides an in-depth look at several countries in a featured region, including tours and tips from exchange alumni of programs… Read More
- The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program celebrated its 15th anniversary and the newest group of alumni this week on Capitol Hill.The event, held in the Kennedy Caucus room, included remarks from YES co-founder, former US Senator Richard Lugar, who received booming applause and a standing ovation from the more than 200 students in attendance. The YES program is sponsored by the US Department of State and funded by Congress.Mr. Lugar commended the students on the courage it took to… Read More
- At least 350 languages are spoken in American homes. Nearly a quarter of all U.S. households speak a language other than English.* Yet speakers of most non-English languages lack opportunities to demonstrate proficiency and gain recognition for their language skills.The National Examinations in World Languages Developed by American Councils, The National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL®) is an online language assessment in four critical languages: Arabic (MSA), Korean… Read More
- One of the longest-running and most respected overseas Russian language and cultural immersion programs, the Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) combines intensive classroom instruction with a wide range of extracurricular activities, including internships and community service, regional field studies, conversation partners, and discussion groups with local students.Locations now include Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, or Kazakhstan. Programming in Russia is currently suspended.RLASP… Read More
- 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 Spalding… 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 as a… Read More
- Tell us a story about your program experience. By far the most rewarding experience I had in Russia was speaking with my host mother for the first time completely in Russian. The exchange itself was remarkably ordinary, but to me it was groundbreaking. Before heading to Russia, I could barely say the word "hello." My journey to a full-fledged conversation was hard-won and so very gratifying. The interaction inspired a new confidence in my fledgling Russian abilities and carried me through… Read More
- KYIV – The former president of Bulgaria spoke at the American Councils office in Ukraine, this week, as part of a special envoy promoting educational opportunities between the two countries. The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) organized “The Future of Leadership” event, which featured an address by former President Rosen Plevneliev, who pointed out proudly that AUBG is located in his hometown of Blagoevgrad. Mr. Plevneliev’s time in office saw major foreign investments in Bulgaria and… Read More
- These funds and fellowships support American Councils’ mission to foster excellence in international education and provide vitally important opportunities for the next generation of global leaders.Opportunity ScholarshipAmerican Councils’ Opportunity Scholarship is a merit-based award designed to encourage transformative international experiences for American students seeking to strengthen their understanding of critical foreign languages and cultures by attending… Read More
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