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Youth Ambassadors Program – U.S.A.

DURATION: 09/01/2011 - 12/31/2027
FUNDER: U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
CONTACT: [email protected]

Are you a U.S. citizen interested in an international Youth Ambassador exchange?

We offer opportunities for U.S. Citizens interested in going abroad and for international applicants interested in coming to the U.S.

U.S. CITIZENS
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

Program Description

The Youth Ambassadors Program brings together high school students and adult mentors from across the world to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities.

The U.S. Youth Ambassadors Program aims to develop a network of young adults from across the United States who have a strong sense of civic responsibility, a commitment to their communities, an awareness of current and global issues, and strong interpersonal leadership skills. The program aims to promote civic engagement, youth leadership, mutual understanding, and collaboration between people in the United States and other countries.

The U.S. Youth Ambassadors Program is a 9-month leadership program, including a 3-week international exchange abroad for U.S. teenagers ages 15-17 and adult mentors.

The program provides full scholarships for students and adult mentors to take part in one of six exchange program offerings to countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia.

Youth Ambassadors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by World Learning. Exchanges are implemented by World Learning.

Program Locations

Asia: South Korea
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
  • Pre-Departure Location: Chicago, IL 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s): Seoul, Gongju 
  • Overview: Programming begins with orientation in Seoul and peer-to-peer leadership exchange with local Korean youth. Workshops and lectures will include topics such as AI Ethics and Governance, Comparative Civic Reflection on Korea’s 2026 Framework Act on AI. Stay with a homestay family in Seoul for 10 days. In addition to technology-centered visits, like learning how AI chips are made, your group will have the unique opportunity for cultural visits such as the Magoksa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for a 2-day temple stay, and to deepen your understanding of the country’s split with North Korea through an excursion to the DMZ.  
  • Homestay community: Seoul 
Asia: India
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
    Pre-Departure Location: Chicago, IL 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s): New Delhi, Bengaluru 
  • Overview: Programming opens with orientation and homestay in New Delhi. Activities and site visits center on business, policy, and social entrepreneurship, including an overnight cultural excursion to Agra to experience the Taj Mahal. The group will travel to Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, widely recognized as “the Silicon Valley of India” for its concentration of major IT companies, multinational tech offices, and startups, for a series of AI and technology-sector site visits, before closing with capstone planning in Delhi. 
  • Homestay community: New Delhi 
Europe: TBD
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
  • Pre-Departure Location: Washington, D.C. 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s):  
  • Overview:  
  • Homestay community: 
The Middle East & Africa: Morocco, TBC 
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
  • Pre-Departure Location: Washington, D.C. 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s):  
  • Overview:  
  • Homestay community: 
The Middle East & Africa:  Tanzania, TBC 
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
  • Pre-Departure Location: Washington, D.C. 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s):  
  • Overview:  
  • Homestay community: 
Latin America: Chile 
  • Program Dates: Virtual program: May – June, Travel: July, Capstone: August – November 
  • Pre-Departure Location: Washington, D.C. 
  • Program site(s)/excursion(s): Santiago, Valparaiso, San Fernando  
  • Overview: Programming opens with orientation in Santiago, including a guided cultural tour of the capital and an educational excursion to Valparaiso, and a site visit to Chile’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence. The cohort moves to a week-long homestay in San Fernando, visiting local schools, community engagement activities, and continuing capstone development. Reflect on your program and learnings with your cohort in Santiago and participate in a workforce development panel tied to Chile’s 2026 Youth Summit coalition and final capstone presentation. LATAM-GPT, launched in February 2026, is the first large-scale open-source AI model built specifically for Latin America, positioning Chile as a regional leader in AI sovereignty and infrastructure investment. 
  • Homestay community: San Fernando 


Eligibility Requirements

All Youth Participants must:

  • Be high school students between 15 and 17 years old (at the start of the exchange);
  • Have at least one semester of school remaining after program participation;
  • Be a U.S. citizen;
  • Demonstrate leadership aptitude and an interest in community service and in the program theme;
  • Exhibit flexibility, maturity, integrity, good social skills, and open-mindedness;
  • Have the motivation necessary to be active and successful exchange participants; and
  • Have parental/legal guardian permission.
  • Be willing to complete a capstone project in their U.S. community after the exchange.

All Adult Mentor Participants must:

  • Be teachers or community leaders who work with youth;
  • Be a U.S. citizen;
  • Demonstrate an interest in assisting youth to become productive and responsible members of society;
  • Exhibit maturity and open-mindedness;
  • Be supportive of high school participants;
  • Have sufficient proficiency in the language of the exchange (i.e. English, and Spanish) to participate fully in all exchange activities; and
  • Have availability to meet for pre-travel virtual programming and meet periodically with selected program participants during the academic year, following the exchange, to support and monitor their capstone work.


U.S.A. Youth Ambassadors Application

Applications for the U.S.A. Youth Ambassadors program will open soon! Stay tuned for updates and information on how to apply.

Program Components

  • Pre-Travel Virtual Programming 
    • YA-USA youth participants and adult mentors will participate in virtual workshops and modules from May – June.
  • Pre-Departure Orientation
    •  Programs will launch in Chicago, IL (for programs traveling to Asia) or Washington, DC (for programs traveling to Africa, Europe, and Latin America). Participants will be grounded in American innovation, civic foundations, and program expectations before departure.
  • In-Country Program & Intercultural Exchange
    • All in-country programs will include an in-country orientation upon arrival, including cultural orientation and a health and safety briefing. During the program, participants will experience thematic focus site visits and guest lecturers, skill-building workshops, and cultural visits.
    • An important aspect of intercultural exchange is the opportunity to live with a homestay family during your time abroad. participate in the daily life of a local community as a family member, not as a tourist. Periodically during the homestay, you participate in cultural activities with your host family and other members of your YA-USA cohort.
  • Capstone
    • After returning home, you will be prepared to implement your capstone project in your home community, which may take many forms in addressing a community need, such as an awareness campaign, a needs assessment, a research project, supply drives, or leading civic action. During this period, adult mentors will meet regularly with their youth participants and support them in completing their capstones.

Contact Us

Questions? Contact our Admissions Office at [email protected] or 1-877-591-9626 inside the U.S., or 1-802-258-3485 outside the U.S.

Youth Ambassadors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The program is administered by World Learning.

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