For the second year in the row, the U.S. Department of State’s Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is bringing U.S. teenagers to study and visit Bosnia and Herzegovina. A group of 20 New York City public high school students and two teachers will be in Bosnia and Herzegovina from July 7-25, 2014.
Over the course of the three week trip, the students will visit Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka, Prijedor and Sanski Most for workshops, meetings with local leaders and activists, and cultural and educational activities. The bulk of their time will be spent in Sanski Most, living with host families and engaging in community projects alongside BiH peers.
Participants will take part in local service-learning activities and conduct social media projects to advance dialogue and community building, and to explore media and society.
The Youth Leadership Program, which sends students and educators from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States, has operated for nearly 15 years and sent over 300 young people on cultural and educational exchanges to the U.S. This is the second time the program has included a reverse exchange to bring Americans to BiH.
The three-week trip was made possible by the U.S. Department of State, and is being organized by the New York-based non-profit educational organization Global Kids in partnership with Global Youth Connect, a U.S.-based human rights organization, and the Center for Peacebuilding, an organization that works with young people to nurture trust and mutual understanding in Sanski Most, as part of efforts to empower youth worldwide.
The exchange aims to demonstrate the power of citizen diplomacy, the importance of intercultural understanding, and the role of media in conflict, peacebuilding and social change. Students will use technology and social media to report and share views.
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