Turkish Alumnus Salih Yüce Shares with you his US Exchange Experience

Salih Yüce is the president of “Youth Accumulation Center” and “Help and Love Association for Cancer Patients”. Both associations are very active under Salih’s leadership.

Salih Yüce participated in the U.S. Department of State’sInternational Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in a three-week project on “Managing Migration and Diversity Issues in U.S. Society”, which took place in the United States, September 26 to October 14, 2011.

Mr. Yüce’s program in the United States provided him invaluable experience for developing and supporting his advocacy and awareness projects in Turkey.

Salih Yuce
Salih Yüce participated in the U.S. Department of State’s IVLP in 2011.

Upon his return to Turkey, he started implementing the concepts and skills that he learned during his U.S. exchange program as well as sharing them with public officials, NGO leaders and his colleagues. Just nine days after his return to Turkey, an earthquake hit the Van province of Turkey and its aftershocks affected much of eastern Turkey, demolishing hundreds of buildings and burying numerous victims under the rubble. Salih was the leader of the first intervention team to set up tents for earthquake victims.

His exchange program participation boosted his public image, and society acknowledged him a trustworthy expert on migration and diversity issues. Consequently, he was invited to the Council of Eastern Anatolian Development Agency, entered the Cancer Think Tank of the Turkish Ministry of Health, and occupied an executive position at the Mus Civil Society Platform.

He was selected by ECA as the Department’s July’s International Exchange Alumni Member of the Month. He is only the second Turkish Alum to be selected as Alumni of the Month.

His U.S. exchange experience impacted his professional and personal life deeply and opened new doors to him, and he recommends you to attend an U.S. Exchange program.

For more information on IVLP: http://eca.state.gov/ivlp