Last fall in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Catholic School Centre Petar Barbaric in Travnik, 120 high school students from around the country graduated from the English Access Microscholarship Program and joined the ranks of the Access community of 95,000 fellow graduates across 85 countries.
Funded by the US Department of State and the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the English Access Program (often referred to as Access, for short) provides English language lessons to talented 13 to 20 year-olds from economically disadvantaged backgrounds through afterschool classes. By empowering students with English-language and cultural skills, Access can lead students to better educational prospects and, ultimately, jobs in their home countries.
While developing their English-language skills, the students also become better acquainted with facets of US culture and society. Upon graduation, their greater sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural differences, coupled with the acquired language skills, enables participants to take advantage of opportunities previously unavailable to them. During Access, the encouragement to work across differences is often immediate: In Bosnia, the students attend afterschool classes with peers from ethnic and religious backgrounds unlike their own.
Welcoming the graduating students to the larger Access alumni community, US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Maureen Cormack underscored the importance of embracing diversity in their home communities, saying, "In the US, we highly value diversity and tolerance: they are the DNA of our society." Representing the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Deputy Husein ef. Smajic elaborated why the Access program is important for Bosnian students and how collaboration in all fields is necessary for better future
The graduation ceremony reinforced the importance of initiatives like Access for students, schools, and host communities and emphasized the message of mutual cooperation and personal growth through learning.
Learning about each other's cultures, customs, and religions is one of the most beneficial outcomes of taking intensive language courses with people from different ethnic backgrounds. The young graduates are now ready to assume their role as fully engaged public citizens working towards creating a tolerant multicultural society in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
About the English Access Microscholarship Program
Funded by the US Department of State, the English Access Microscholarship Program provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 13 to 20 year-olds from economically disadvantaged sectors through afterschool classes and intensive sessions. Access gives participants English skills that may lead to better jobs and educational prospects. Since its inception in 2004, approximately 95,000 students in more than 85 countries have participated in the Access Program worldwide.