Future Leaders Exchange Program

International experience is a key to success in today's world. In 2021, the U.S. Department of State and American Councils for International Education launched the inaugural year of the Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX Abroad) program. After nearly three decades of success welcoming international students to the United States through the FLEX program, we are now offering a new opportunity for U.S. citizens to go abroad. FLEX Abroad provides young Americans with a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth and fosters the next generation of leaders. Talented high school students from across the U.S. are chosen through a merit-based process to live with a local family and attend high school for one school year in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, or Romania. As citizen diplomats, students develop their language, communication, and problem-solving skills and serve as cultural ambassadors, sharing our national values, culture, and traditions. If you would like to read more on what alumni and current participants say about the impact this kind of exchange has had on them, please explore our sister programs: Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Abroad and National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y).

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FLEX Abroad appreciates the key role that educators play in fostering interest in global issues and encouraging students to participate in opportunities that expand their world. We welcome American high school student applicants interested in being an exchange student in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland, or Romania for the academic year. Thank you in advance for sharing information about the FLEX Abroad program with your student body.

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