YFU USA was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Senator Richard Lugar on Sunday, April 28. Senator Lugar was a devoted and crusading supporter of youth exchange. He co-sponsored the bill that created the YES program. The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, provides scholarships for secondary school students from countries with significant Muslim populations.
In the early 2000s, Senator Lugar was also a key supporter of Senator Bill Bradley in the creation of the FLEX program in 1992. The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program provides scholarships for high school students from Europe and Eurasia. Before that, he was a strong proponent for the creation of the CBYX program in 1983, which was launched to mark the 300th year of German immigration to the USA by creating a U.S./German bilateral exchange program.
YFU USA and the entire exchange community wish to recognize his great commitment to make the world a better place through citizen diplomacy.
Additional information and tributes for the late Senator Lugar may be found at: