The YES alumni in Lebanon are always looking for new ways to share their YES experience with their younger peers. For the second year in a row, a group of YES alumni held informational visits to English Access Microscholarship Program classes across Lebanon. YES alumnus Ali Al Ghoul said, “Sharing my YES experience with the Access program was like reading a book about a fantastic part of my life. It let's the people who are listening really learn about the U.S. through that book in ways that immerses them in the story and culture." The YES alumni visited thirteen different Access classes for a two-hour session where they discussed diversity, and shared their YES experiences with the students.

One of the main aspects of YES is learning how to be flexible, and how to adapt to diverse settings. Keeping these themes in mind, the YES alumni played several games with the Access students that introduced them to the U.S. culture and geography, and increased their understanding of diversity.

The “line-up game” was a particular favorite among the Access students. During this game, the YES alumni asked students to form two lines facing each other, with some distance in the middle. Then, the alumni called out a series of statements, and if the statement was applicable to them, the students walked one step closer towards the line of students facing them. Alumni called out statements such as, “Take one step if you struggle in school sometimes.” Once all the alumni said all the statements, they asked the students if they discovered new things they have in common with each other.

One of the students from the Access class in Hasabaya shared, “My favorite activity was the line-up because it was fun and I learned a lot of new things about my friends. I benefited from this session because I learned many things about the U.S. that I did not know about.”

Khaled Diab (YES 2004 -2005, hosted by AYUSA, in Kennewick, WA)

Ali Al Ghoul (YES 2018 - 2019, hosted by World Link, in Visalia, CA)