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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Ingalls (laura.ingalls@worldlearning.org) in Washington, 1.202.464.6973
World Learning Announces 2009-2010 Serbia Youth Leadership Program
Program promotes intercultural understanding among Serbian and American youth
WASHINGTON, DC (April 15, 2009) -- World Learning Visitor Exchange Program, in conjunction with the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (a branch of the US Department of State), Civic Initiatives (a Serbian NGO), and the National Council for International Visitors (a US NGO), is pleased to announce the first of three exchanges of Serbian students and adults to the United States as part of the 2009-2010 Serbian Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), a four-week educational exchange opportunity in the US for Serbian students and adults. The program seeks to build leadership skills and civic awareness among Serbian youth from different ethnic groups while promoting a sense of mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between citizens of Serbia and the US. A total of 57 students and 8 adults will participate in the three exchanges to the US, with a reciprocal exchange of 15 American students and educators heading to Serbia for two weeks in the spring of 2010.
Twenty-one participants, including 19 students and two adult educators, were selected based on their academic achievement, community service, English language competency, and potential leadership skills. The program will begin April 25, 2009 with a week-long Orientation in Leadership Program at World Learning’s SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont. The group will then split into two groups and travel to either Cleveland, OH or Seattle, WA for 15 days. During these community visits, the students will live with a host family, attend a local high school, engage in local community service, receive mentoring from NGO and community leaders, and lead individual research projects. The groups will reconvene in Washington, DC for action planning for projects which they will be undertake when they return home to Serbia.
World Learning is a global non-profit organization with operations in more than 75 countries. Through its international education programs – The Experiment in International Living, SIT Study Abroad, and SIT Graduate Institute – World Learning fosters global citizenship by connecting over 3,000 young ambassadors annually across cultural differences and social barriers. Through its International Development Programs, World Learning practices what it teaches, undertaking community-driven international development, training, and exchange projects in 20 countries. Over 75 years, World Learning has built a deep and diverse array of offerings and services that transform lives and strengthen the capacity of communities and institutions to address pressing global needs. – www.worldlearning.org
World Learning works globally to enhance the capacity and commitment of individuals, institutions, and communities to create a more peaceful and just world through education, training and exchange programs.
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