ASSE EXCHANGE PROGRAM SEEKS HOST FAMILIESCAPITAL CITY WEEKLY

Capital City Weekly
Wednesday, July 01, 2009

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is participating
in the State Department sponsored Future Leaders Exchange Program
(FLEX) which brings high school students from the former Soviet Union
to the United States. This global initiative, which began in 1993, was
originally conceived out of former Senator Bill Bradley’s conviction
that true democracy in the former Soviet Union could be realized only
through targeting the young people in those countries.

Through this historic program, students are provided scholarships
to spend an academic year in the U.S. while living with American
host families and further seeks to foster democracy-building and
increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and FLEX students’
home countries. "When it comes to increasing understanding between
people from different cultures and countries, nothing is as powerful as
sharing your daily life with someone from another part of the world,"
says Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs. "We are encouraging American
families and schools to open their doors to these extraordinary young
people from other countries. "When a high school exchange student is
welcomed into a family and a community, the student gets a view of
America that will make a profound difference in who they are and how
they relate to and view Americans forever after. At the same time,
people in the community have an opportunity to benefit in ways that
will also change the way they look at the world." The FLEX Program is
seen as vital to expanding communication between people of the United
States and the partner countries in the interest of promoting mutual
understanding and respect. ASSE is currently seeking qualified host
families to welcome these special scholarship students coming from
Armenia, Azerbaijan, The Republic of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. FLEX
scholarship students will acquire an understanding of American values,
build on leadership skills, and learn about the important elements of
American civil society. Upon returning home, FLEX scholarship students
will work together to share what they have learned while in America
and make a difference in their home countries. To learn more about
the FLEX Program, call 1-800-733-2773 or visit