U.S. Youth Ambassadors
The Youth Ambassadors Program, created by the U.S. Embassy in Brazil in 2002, has expanded, established important partnerships, served as a basis for other initiatives, crossed borders, and been cited as a best practice at the State Department. As of 2011, has been replicated in 25 other countries. In addition, with the important support from State Department, the program became a two-way exchange and will now include U.S. Youth Ambassadors who will travel to Brazil.
In August 2010, Brazil hosted the first group f U.S. Youth Ambassadors. Thirteen students from the states of North Carolina, Montana, Oklahoma and Washington came to Brazil, along with a teacher and a coordinator from World Learning, the non-profit organization in charge of implementing the program of the Brazilian Youth Ambassadors in the U.S. For information on their program in Brazil, please check this link: 2010 U.S. Youth Ambassadors
The second group of U.S. Youth Ambassadors will travel to Brazil in August 2011. The group is composed of thirteen students from the states of North Carolina, Montana, Oklahoma, Washington and now also from Ohio, along with a teacher and two coordinators from World Learning, the non-profit organization in charge of implementing the program of the Brazilian Youth Ambassadors in the U.S.
The U.S. Youth Ambassadors will participate in a three-week exchange in Brazil along the same lines of the program for Brazilian students going to the U.S. The students will stay in Brasília for three days, where they will participate in an orientation and visit important sites and monuments. After that, they will be split in four groups and each will go to a different part of Brazil – one group will go to Paraná, one to Amazonas, one to Pernambuco and the fourth one to Bahia – where they will be hosted by volunteer families, visit schools, give presentations about the U.S. and develop a project on social justice and volunteerism. The program of the U.S. Youth Ambassadors is being developed by the Binational Centers (BNCs), institutions in Brazil who are officially recognized by the U.S. Government for their quality English teaching and their commitment to build the U.S.-Brazil partnership – ICBEU Manaus/Amazonas, INTER Curitiba/Paraná, ABA Recife/Pernambuco e ACBEU Salvador/Bahia.
Prior to returning to the U.S., the U.S. Youth Ambassadors will meet again in Rio de Janeiro for a final program evaluation, presentation of their projects and, also, to do some sight-seeing.
The U.S. Embassy in Brazil is very pleased with the developments of the Youth Ambassadors Program and is certain that the U.S. Youth Ambassadors will have as memorable an experience in Brazil as the Brazilian Youth Ambassadors have always had in the U.S.
