The time for recruitment for the second class of the Youth Leadership Program with Central Europe has arrived! Meridian International Center in cooperation with our U.S. and Central European partners will recruit 52 high school and 11 adult mentor participants from the following areas for the summer 2012 program:
European Target Countries: Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia
U.S. Target Cities: Burlington, Vermont, Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, Raleigh, North Carolina
During Summer 2012, Meridian International Center will implement the second class of the U.S. Department of State’s Youth Leadership Program with Central Europe. The program’s focus is to bring together young leaders and adult participants from Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States to build cultural bridges and work together to solve community problems. Over the course of the program, a total of 52 youth and 11 adult leaders will work collaboratively towards developing the next generation of young leaders.
The program begins with 48 Central European youth and adult participants travelling to Washington, DC, for an overview of U.S. history, politics and culture. Leadership development will begin with the opportunity to explore the nation’s capital’s world renowned monuments.From Washington, students will split into groups of sixteen and travel to either Raleigh, NC, Kansas City, MO, or Burlington, VT to focus on their choice of important global issues including environmental awareness, underserved youth, and international hunger relief. Participants will be welcomed into the homes of their American counterparts and take part in leadership workshops and cultural activities. Site visits to local non-governmental organizations will provide student with best practices and lessons learned to start grassroots programs of their own. Throughout the program American and European participants will develop well crafted Action Plans to implement long-term collaborative projects addressed to a specific community need. These needs may include community literacy, environmental awareness, voter awareness, political organizing or minority rights. Programs outside of Washington, DC will be coordinated by Meridian’s local programming affiliates. All European participants will reunite in Chicago to participate in closing workshops, enjoy exploring the city, and participate in a final closing ceremony where they will present their community action plans.
Following the conclusion of the European participants trip to the United States, 15 youth and adult leaders from Raleigh, NC, Kansas City, MO, and Burlington, VT, will then travel to Serbia and Hungary to learn more about youth initiatives in Europe and participate in workshops to develop their own leadership skills. The European trip will begin in Belgrade with an overview of the former Yugoslavia along with visits to important historical areas such as the Museum of Former Yugoslavia, the Bohemian Quarter, and sites of NATO bombings. In addition meetings with youth organizations, Serbian and Hungarian institutions and participation in action planning workshops will be experienced throughout. The group will then travel to Southern Serbia to experience an Albanian majority city in Serbia and learn first-hand about the impact of the conflict with Kosovo. Students will then travel in groups to either Southern or Western Serbia where participants will enjoy reciprocal homestays with Serbian families, many of which will be with YLPCE Alumni. Following their Serbian experience participants will then meet in Budapest, Hungary to experience Hungarian culture while living with local Hungarian families and participate in meetings with local civil society organizations. At the conclusion of the trip, all 63 young leaders, American and European, will come together for an Alumni reunion, the capstone of the two-way exchange experience where American participants will present their action plans to their peers. Meridian’s partner in Serbia, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, and Compass Youth in Hungary, will coordinate the European exchange.
Following the exchange, youth will begin to implement their action plans with guidance from local adult leaders, who traveled with them on the trip. American and European participants will have the opportunity to collaborate through social networking sites, such as Facebook and the www.democratic-youth.net, a regional website engaging youth in the Balkan region.
The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of States Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by Meridian International Center, a not-for-profit institution based in Washington, DC.
If you are interested in more information about the program or would like to apply for the US or European exchange, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (202) 478-4459.
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