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YES Welcomes 800+ Students in 2012

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This year, the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program welcomes over 850 high school students from 40 countries and territories with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States of America. During their exchange, students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures. 

Throughout the month of August, students arrive in Washington D.C. to attend a week-long orientation. During the orientation, YES students are split-up into classrooms, which are co-taught by U.S. teachers and YES Alumni. Teachers are strategically selected for their positions after a competitive application process. Students learn about program rules and American families and their values, what to expect in an American high school, and how to make a budget. Other important content include the cultural adjustment cycle, as well as informational sessions exploring diversity and tolerance. Some highlights of the orientation include an excursion to downtown Washington D.C., and attending an interactive Culture Night. During Culture Night, students give presentations about their home countries to their fellow YES students. Students model traditional clothing, sing national songs, and perform popular and traditional dances. After three days of orientation in Washington D.C., YES students travel to their host communities in all 50 states where they begin their adventure!

On behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, the YES Consortium including recruitment and placement organizations, and host communities, we would like to extend a warm and hearty welcome!

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