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Program Information

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, the Youth Exchange & Study (YES) program was launched as a global initiative to build bridges of understanding between the United States and the countries and cultures of the Arab and Muslim world. Administered by the U.S. State Department, the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program provides full scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend an academic year in the U.S.

The chief goal of the YES program is to engage participating youth, their teachers and classmates, and community leaders in an exchange effort to promote increased understanding and tolerance between cultures. The YES program encourages the exchange of ideas, values, and experiences among young people by exposing these young scholars to leadership belief systems, civil society principles, and community service involvement.

YES participants come from Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, and Kenya.

YES students live with host families, attend high school, and acquire leadership skills through community service projects. They teach others about their home country, their culture, and in doing so, tell their story while gaining insight into the American high school exprience.

Students in Their Own Words

“Everything I have seen, heard and experienced this year has showed me that human beings are naturally inclined to love each other and that before being Jewish, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists or Atheists; before being Americans, Australians, Europeans Africans, or Asians; we are humans. The only thing that could generate hatred and push people to become terrorists in the largest meaning of the word is ignorance. When people don’t understand the differences between each other’s cultures they tend to close off themselves pushed by the fear of the unknown. Exchange students will change some of the assumptions and preconceived ideas in their societies, easier than if it is imposed by other countries, because people are more likely to accept the change from within their society rather than from the outside. That is why I strongly believe that an exchange experience is one of the most powerful ways to promote understanding and help end those countries with centuries-long conflicts that take our focus away from the real problems, like fighting hunger and illiteracy and working for the common good of humanity as a whole.”

Speech given by Imane, Morocco, YES Alum