• Civil Society and Governance
  • Civil Society and Governance Overview
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Civic Education
  • Citizen Participation
  • Advocacy
  • Democratic Governance
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Women's and Minority Rights
  • Disenfranchised Groups
• Education
  • Education Overview
  • Basic Education
  • Higher Education
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
  • Education for Vulnerable Groups
• HIV/AIDS
  • HIV/AIDS Overview
  • HIV/AIDS Prevention
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Institutional Capacity Building
• International Visitors Exchanges
  • International Professional, Academic, and Cultural Exchanges Overview
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Professional Exchanges
  • Youth Exchanges
• Capacity Development and Training
  • Capacity Development and Training Overview
  • Participant Training
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Grant Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Youth Exchanges

Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program

High School Students

I have learned many things including how to communicate with students and people, and how to improve my listening skills with others. Everything I learned on the program I am now implementing in my daily life and in communication with other people. IYLEP helped me make a difference in my small community, even though it’s hard to accomplish that change. But with hope and teamwork, nothing is impossible. That’s another thing that I learned: ''Nothing's Impossible.”
                                                                                 

IYLEP High School Alumnus

The Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) for undergraduate and high school students, funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, has provided invaluable leadership and educational opportunities for over 800 students since its creation in 2007. An investment in the youth of Iraq, the programs have created a cadre of inspiring future leaders committed to making positive change in their country.

IYLEP for high school students and adult mentors provides four-weeks of fully-funded leadership training and classroom instruction to talented students from Iraq. Students begin their program in Brattleboro, VT at the SIT Graduate Institute, then spend two weeks with host families across the U.S. The program concludes with a week of civic education activities in Washington, DC, which will act as an experiential classroom for students as they integrate what they have learned during the program. These events provide cross-cultural training, team-building opportunities, as well as training in advocacy and civil society development, and tools to build action plans when they return to Iraq. Follow-on events in Iraq support the students in their efforts to pursue their action plans, cultivate new leadership skills, and strengthen the expansive IYLEP alumni network in Iraq.

Program Goals:

• Develop a cadre of young adults in Iraq who have a strong sense of civic responsibility, a commitment to community development, an awareness of current and global issues, and strong interpersonal leadership skills.
• Foster healthy relationships among young people of diverse ethnic, religious, and national groups in Iraq.
• Promote mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between the United States and Iraq.
  

Learn More!

Interested students should visit the IYLEP | World Learning Blog to learn more about IYLEP for undergraduate and high school students, stay up-to-date on program news, and read blog posts written by IYLEP students and alumni.

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