The American Center at the U.S. Embassy Dhaka is pleased to announce the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (K-L YES) Program for academic year 2020-21.
The K-L YES program is a high school exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program is administered in Bangladesh by the International Education and Resource Network – Bangladesh (iEARN-BD), a non-profit organization, with the support of U.S. Embassy Dhaka.
The program enables exemplary Bangladeshi high school students from grades eight through eleven to spend one academic year at an American high school. Its purpose is to provide promising high school students with a deeper understanding of the United States, while simultaneously enhancing their leadership skills. In addition to their coursework, participants are also expected to become active members of their local communities by participating in extracurricular activities and volunteer projects. Participants will be placed with an American host family for the duration of the program, and will also help Americans to learn about Bangladesh’s culture.
The K-L YES Program began in Bangladesh in 2004, and since then, 420 Bangladeshi students have successfully participated. Many YES participants have been recognized for their community service activities in the United States and the YES alumni association in Bangladesh is actively engaged in several community programs.
To be eligible for the K-L YES program, interested candidates must:
- Be Bangladesh citizens and not dual citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., or any other country;
- Be between 15 and 17 years of age on August 01, 2020; have a date of birth between August 1, 2003 and August 1, 2005
- Be currently enrolled in grade 8-11 in any high school and/or college in Bangladesh.
- Be proficient in written and spoken English at a level sufficient to engage in high school-level courses;
- Have a B grade point average or better, without any failing grades in the present year, and past two years;
- Be able to meet U.S. J1 visa eligibility requirements;
- Have not applied for U.S. Immigration through family and/or relatives;
- Have not remained in the U.S. for more than 90 days in total .
- Not have either of the parents working in the U.S. Mission (U.S. Embassy, USAID) in Bangladesh.
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Candidates are also expected to:
- Be able to accurately present Bangladeshi culture in American schools and communities;
- Be committed to returning to Bangladesh upon completion of the program;
- Have demonstrated leadership skills;
- Have had little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
- Be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and
educational travel for one academic year;
- Be prepared to adapt to American high school life and to live with an American host family;
- Be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful and inquisitive;
- Be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and educational travel program; and, be comfortable with campus life, prepared to share living accommodations, and able to make adjustments to cultural and social practices different from those of their home country.
Selected applicants must meet all U.S. visa eligibility requirements, and selected applicants’ health records will also be reviewed by a medical team in the U.S.
The program application is online and the interested students can apply at the iEARN-BD website: http://www.iearnbd.org/.
The deadline for submission of completed applications to iEARN-BD website is Saturday, November 23, 2019.
Please contact iEARN-BD with all questions regarding the application process:
iEARN-BD
Kha-44 (3rd Floor), Bashtola, Shahjadpur
Gulshan, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh
Tel: 880 1718 208 668
E-mail: yesinfo@iearnbd.org
For general program information, please contact Tahnia Shahid at the American Center at ShahidTX@state.gov.
