52 students from Turkey between the ages of 15 and 18 went to the States for a year to participate to the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange Program. The students along with their families gathered on August 17th 2014 in Istanbul for the program’s post-orientation meeting.
The program officially launched in Turkey in 2003 in hopes to expand communication between the people of the United States and Turkey in order to promote mutual understanding and respect. Since then, over 360 Turkish students have completed the YES program and now participate as alumni. Participants live with a host family, attend an American high school, acquire leadership skills, and engage in activities to learn about U.S. society and values; they also help educate Americans about their home country and culture.
Kennedy Lugar YES Program is sponsored by the U.S Embassy Turkey and run by AFS-Turk Kultur Vakfi. To have more information regarding the program, please visit us at http://exchanges.state.gov
