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Host Scholarship Students

CONGRESS-BUNDESTAG YOUTH EXCHANGE | KENNEDY-LUGAR YOUTH EXCHANGE AND STUDY PROGRAM
FUTURE LEADERS EXCHANGE PROGRAM

YFU is proud to be an implementing partner for the CBYX, FLEX, and YES programs with the U.S. Department of State

 

Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Logo

 

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Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)

YFU welcomes Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) scholars from Germany to the US each year.  CBYX is citizen diplomacy at work since 1983, created to strengthen ties between Germany and the US in recognition of the 300th anniversary of the first German immigration to the United States.

CBYX, funded jointly by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, and sponsored by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, offers a full scholarship to participants.  It counts over 17,000 students as alumni, including U.S. CBYX students sent to live through YFU with German host families.  Learn more about the CYBX scholarship program on our Study Abroad Scholarships page.

“In so many ways this program has changed and affected me, it is hard to count them and even harder to express. There is that immense gain of self confidence, tolerance and respect, and independence I experienced, and then there is the feeling of being home wherever my loved ones are. My friends and families are spread around the world now, and although it makes it close to impossible to gather them in one place, it also opened my horizon and view of this world; it got a lot smaller and at the same time bigger. This year turned me into a worshipper of diversity, more than ever I feel how the differences between us humans and cultures are making this world so much more interesting and colorful, and for nothing I would ever trade in this experience.”

— Nathalie, YFU CBYX scholar from Germany to Texas

 

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES)

The events of September 11th, 2001 inspired the launch of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program to build bridges of understanding between the United States and countries with significant Muslim populations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Southeastern Europe. Students live in the US with host families, attend local high schools, engage in activities to learn about American society, values, and leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures. The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funds this full scholarship opportunity for all participants.

Quick facts about the YES program

  • 4% of the students who apply to the YES Program are accepted.

  • 10,000+ students have participated since 2003

  • 39+ Nations participate in the YES program.

School Administrators: The US Department of State describes the selection of YES scholars and the benefits to your school community in the School Administrator Handbook.

“As a youth, one of my efforts for a better understanding for a better world is learning about other cultures and widening relationships by making as many friends around the world as I can… Most people think what young people do is only have fun and care about nothing. The fact is there are a lot of young people who have concern about their society but their voice is omitted.”

— Dimas – YFU YES Scholar from Indonesia to Virginia

Learn more about YES and its impact:

 

Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX)

Established in 1992 as part of the Eurasian Secondary School Initiative under the FREEDOM Support Act, the goal of FLEX is to improve mutual understanding between the US and Eurasian countries by allowing youth from Eurasia to observe and experience the US way of life. Senator Bill Bradley, the Act’s sponsor, believed the best way to ensure lasting peace and understanding between the US and Eurasia was to allow youth to learn about the US and Americans firsthand. FLEX students live in the US with host families, attend local high schools, engage in activities to learn about American society, values, and leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures. The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funds this full scholarship opportunity for all participants.

Quick facts about the FLEX program

  • 3% of students who apply to the FLEX program are accepted.

  • More than 22,000 students have participated in the program since its inception in 1992.

  • Participants in the FLEX program come from: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine

Learn more about FLEX and its impact:

FLEX website
Read about the experiences of FLEX students and their hosts
The Bradley Herald – FLEX Alumni Newsletter
FLEX Country Profiles: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine