Apr 09 /
YES: An International Goodwill Project
by Aneessa Nagasewi, Thailand 06-07
hosted in Shaftsbury, VT
This article is a translation of the original article from Matichon Online
Many students and parents may be familiar with the name AFS. More than half of Thai students dream of being part of the AFS project, which will give them an opportunity to spend their time overseas with a sponsor family and with local students, deemed a rare opportunity.
However, when asked about YES, several may wonder what YES is. YES stands for Youth Exchange and Study, another exchange project fully sponsored by the U.S. Department of State offered to Muslim youths all around the world. At present, YES members include 9 countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Ghana, and Thailand. Scholarships were first given to Thai Muslim youths in 2006.
YES was established after the September 11 incident, in which pirates hijacked American airplanes to crash the World Trade Center buildings, resulting in a great number of deaths. The incident has caused misunderstandings between Americans and Muslims around the world. The subsequent wars and losses, both attacks in Afghanistan and the U.S.’s war in Iraq, have worsened the situations. Thus, the U.S. Congress has allocated a budget to sponsor education for Muslim students to spend some time in the U.S. to foster better understanding between young ambassadors from two different nations and different religions.
YES students are, in general, similar to any other exchange students. The difference is that YES students hold a ‘dual ambassador status’; that is, representing their own country and representing Muslims studying in an American society. In addition, this project provides American people an opportunity to learn about the real life of Muslims.
The number of scholarships for Thai students which has increased from 15 in the first year to 31 in 2008-2009 should confirm this project’s success. The success of the YES project in Thailand is shown through both former YES students’ achievements which please the project owner and the Thailand AFS’s effective candidate selection, in which candidates are chosen not only for their academic performance but for their adaptability and suitability in other aspects as well.
YES is a project to promote international goodwill that fosters love, understanding and good relationships between people, which is a foundation for peace in our world. From now on, exchange students’ view of American people will change for the better as a result of this cultural exchange. At least, everyone has their friends and host families there.
This is the ultimate objective of the YES project: to have every student returning to their home country to spread this message of peace for always.
Copyright Matichon Public Co.,Ltd.
