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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Ingalls (laura.ingalls@worldlearning.org) in Washington, 1.202.464.6973

World Learning Announces 2009 Summer Leadership Programs for Iraqi Youth

2009 Summer Leadership Programs for Iraqi Youth Set to Begin

WASHINGTON, DC (June 22, 2009) -- World Learning, in conjunction with the US Department of State and the US Embassy in Iraq, is pleased to announce the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) and Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students (IYLEPUS), 4-6 week educational exchange opportunities in the US for Iraqi high school and college students. The Programs, which will take place throughout July and August of 2009, seek to provide opportunities for Iraqi youth to learn first-hand about the US, broaden Americans' understanding of Iraq and its young people, and develop leadership and problem-solving skills to help Iraqi youth effect positive change in their lives and their communities.

Program participants engage in a wide range of activities in Washington, DC and other US cities, including classroom instruction, field trips and site visits, community service, and cultural and recreational activities. Participants in the undergraduate program will attend a summer institute at one of three partner universities: Colorado State University, Indiana University, or the University of Arizona. Each institute will focus on a theme such as Social Advocacy, Contemporary Issues in Society, and Communications and Civic Participation. World Learning staff in Washington, DC conduct critical orientation and end-of-program workshops focused on team-building and emphasizing the collaboration skills, tools, and support networks students need to effect change at home in Iraq.

The high school program will begin in Brattleboro, Vermont, where the students will interact with American teenagers for an American-Iraqi Youth Camp. This will be followed by homestay programs in Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; or Louisville, Kentucky. Their programs conclude with a civic education week in Washington, DC.

"With 60% of Iraqis under the age of 25, understanding and supporting the dreams and potential of these young people are critical to the future stability and success of Iraq," says Colin Davies, World Learning's Director of Capacity Building Services. As a student who participated in a previous year's program reflected, "Before the program, I didn't believe that I can be a leader in my community but…I learned that everyone can be a leader and I have to think deeply and critically inside myself to discover this skill."

World Learning has been implementing IYLEP programs since 2007 as part of its long-standing mission to build a more peaceful and prosperous world through intercultural exchange, education, and community-based development. The IYLEP programs are made possible through grants from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the US Embassy in Iraq.