Froskhan Abdurahim YES ‘05

Zamboanga City, Philippines

Hosted in Florence, SC

A registered nurse and peace advocate, Froskhan maintains a fine balance between his passion and profession. He holds a B.A. in Nursing from Xavier University in Ateneo de Cagayan and is actively engaged in different leadership roles, volunteer and community service projects, and peace building activities in the Philippines and abroad. Froskhan was the Chapter President of AFS Cagayan de Oro in 2010, and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of AFS-Philippines for the past 2 years. In 2011, he received an internship with AFS-USA in Baltimore, MD, and in 2012 officially joined AFS-Philippines as the Volunteer and Chapter Development Coordinator. In addition to his experience with AFS, Froskhan worked as a Youth Program and Classroom Videoconferences Officer at PeaceTech Inc., whose primary mission is to use information technology to promote peace and build bridges of understanding and mutual respect between Muslim and non-Muslim worlds in the Philippines. Froskhan also successfully implemented the First National Youth Ambassadors Program for Peace; a program geared towards empowering young leaders to become effective volunteers of peace in the Philippines. Finally, in 2009 along with other YES alumni, Froskhan helped organize the first YES Assembly in the Philippines.

Tara Djelic 

A-SMYLE ‘08

Belgrade, Serbia

Hosted in Washington, IA

Tara is an active A-SMYLE alumna in her third year at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, working towards her bachelor’s degree in English. In addition to her major, Tara is studying Russian, Latin, Spanish and general linguistics courses. She currently serves as the A-SMYLE Alumni Coordinator in Serbia, interacting with more than 350 Serbia Alumni Association members, encouraging the alumni to be active, engaged leaders who organize events and projects that improve their communities through positive change. One of the many projects that Tara has organized in her role as coordinator is “Let’s Learn English Together,” an extracurricular class of English for Roma and non-Roma elementary school students designed to motivate the integration of Roma students into the community. She also organized a Fashion Show Fundraiser which raised money to provide children from a nearby Roma settlement with a mini-soccer field and basketball backboards. Tara has also helped establish projects like “Unified on the Road towards the Common Goal,” a regional conference for YES and A-SMYLE alumni focusing on overcoming inter-Balkan conflicts by breaking stereotypes, building stronger bonds, and developing friendships between the alumni of neighboring countries. Most importantly, Tara thoroughly enjoys sharing the lessons she has learned as an active, engaged and enthusiastic A-SMYLE participant and alumna with her peers and colleagues by helping them strive to reach their dreams for a better and more peaceful tomorrow.

Maty Faye,  YES ‘08

Dakar, Senegal

Hosted in Montour Falls, NY

Maty is an active alumna from Senegal who is in her third year at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, working toward her bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting and Financial Administration. As the Senegalese YES Alumni Association’s President since 2008, she has coordinated several successful alumni events concentrating on leadership and community service. Among those projects, Maty effectively led a blood drive, which helped educate and sensitize families, friends, relatives and the local community about the importance of giving blood. Under her leadership, Senegalese YES alumni collect boxes of notebooks, books, pens, pencils, dictionaries and backpacks, which they donate when volunteering to teach English at an elementary school in Wayembam, a village outside of Dakar. Maty, along with the rest of the Senegal YES alumni, volunteer at a local orphanage bringing diapers, milk and spending time with the children. Maty gives back to the YES program every year by volunteering with the U.S. Embassy and local YES coordinators during the interview process and leading workshops for finalists at YES Pre-Departure Orientations. Maty’s experience as a YES student has changed her life. In her words, the program “built self-confidence, responsibility and maturity.” As an alumna, she feels a responsibility to help others and believes her YES experiences will help her change her community.

Dalal Faisal Alsharhan 

YES ‘03

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Hosted in Ashburn, VA

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Dalal is a member and volunteer of several civil society organizations and social grassroots initiatives aimed at improving the community and prospects of youth in civil rights and in a socio-political context. After receiving her B.A. in International Studies at the American University of Kuwait, and being an editor for an English-language newspaper, Dalal currently works at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As an active YES alumna, she is involved in a number of start-up initiatives, including co-founding a Facebook group called “Kuwait Rights and Progress Forum” which fosters a platform for peaceful dialogue and debate on human rights, political, social, environmental, and economic issues. Dalal is also part of a World Economic Forum initiative called Global Shapers Community. As a Global Shaper she works with other young leaders in Kuwait and globally to build a more peaceful and inclusive world. In 2012, Dalal was nominated to represent the Women’s Cultural and Social Society in the National Youth Council of the National Youth Project, an initiative by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, aimed at involving youth in the decision-making process in the country. Dalal was assigned to the civic education committee, one of 10 committees that tackle issues concerning the welfare of residents by drafting recommendations for various legislative initiatives. Dalal enjoys joining other YES alumni volunteering at a cancer hospital for children, and government homes for the elderly and orphans. Apart from these organized initiatives, Dalal also enjoys spending time with children building the capacity of future generations by focusing on civic education, open dialogue and social integration.