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Host a Student from the Islamic World for the 2007--2008 School Year!
Contact Erica Sewell at esewell@sister-cities.org or 202-347-8630 ext. 8252 to find out more about hosting!
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- What is the YES Program?
- Which countries participate in the YES program?
- Where are the YES students living?
- What is Sister Cities International's role in the YES program?
- How can your sister city organization be involved in the YES program?
Click here to read what Senator Kennedy had to say about the YES program.
What is the YES Program?
YES is a program sponsored by ECA to provide scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the U.S. The program is vital to expanding communication between the people of the United States and the partner countries in the interest of promoting mutual understanding and respect. The students live with host families, attend school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.
Sister Cities International has partnered with Academic Year in the USA (AYUSA), American Scandinavian Student Exchange (ASSE), and AMIDEAST and iEARN for this initiative. AMIDEAST recruits students abroad; AYUSA and ASSE place the selected students with their American host families and monitor them throughout the year; and iEARN recruits students in Pakistan and facilitates electronic interconnections of local participating schools and U.S.
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Which countries participate in the YES program?
The 2007--2008 program will consist of just over 350 students from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Gaza, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Pakistan, Oman, Senegal, Tunisia, the West Bank, and Yemen.
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Where are the YES students living?
Students have been placed around the country according to a cluster plan, with 2-4 people per group. Clusters are located evenly across the country, with representation in the west (including Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Western Washington); central states (from South Dakota to San Antonio); Great Lakes (Michigan and Minnesota); gulf states (Northern Florida and Southern Georgia); and along the eastern seaboard (Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and throughout South Carolina). New states are being added all the time!
For information on a cluster near you, please contact Erica Sewell at esewell@sister-cities.org or 202-347-8630 ext. 8252.
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What is Sister Cities International's role in the YES program?
Sister Cities International holds a youth leadership summit in Boulder, CO each spring whose purpose is to bring together the YES students with their peers and mentors to develop leadership capacity and learn sound leadership skills. Interactive and educational activities provide them with the basic principles of positive and visionary change, community problem-solving skills, and the resourcefulness needed to bring diverse community elements together.
Sister Cities International is attempting, through this program, to increase its sister city partnerships in predominantly Islamic countries. Creating and strengthening sister city partnerships helps increase global understanding, build bridges to a more peaceful coexistence, and enrich communities on both sides of the ocean.
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How can your sister city organization be involved in the YES program?
Local sister city organizations can participate in the YES program in any number of ways, including:
- Finding host families,
- Hosting events,
- Facilitating access to municipal leaders,
- Inviting students to sister city events and meetings,
- Linking students with community mentors.