Email from American Councils for International Education

As we gear up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the FLEX Program later this year, we hit another milestone as this year marks the 25th anniversary of the FLEX alumni community organizing amazing Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) projects! This upcoming weekend, April 28-30, youth will come together to make their communities and the world a better place through projects that tackle issues of health, education, environment, hunger, community-building, or human rights. GYSD is the largest youth service and civic action event in the world! Want to get involved? Contact your country’s Alumni Coordinator to see what project you can help with or gather some friends and create your own!

Share your service this weekend by tagging @flex_alumni on Instagram and using the hashtags #GYSD23 & #GlobalYouthServiceDay. Read more about some past GYSD projects in Central Asia below!

Five Global Youth Service Day Projects in Tajikistan (2019)

Global Youth Service Day in North Kazakhstan (2018)

Kyrgyzstan’s Educational GYSD Projects (2017)

For more information about GYSD, click here!

Curious about what your fellow FLEX alumni are up to in their lives? Read below for some recent alumni accomplishments and share your recent successes using the hashtag #FLEXAlumni and by tagging @flex_alumni!

Azar Seyidli '22 (Azerbaijan)

Azar Seyidli '22 (Azerbaijan) participated as a Youth Representative of Azerbaijan at the 44th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Every year, one young person from the member countries is given the mandate to act as the Youth Representative. Great job, Azar!

Anna Bondarenko '12 (Ukraine)

"It always seems impossible until it’s done," said Anna Bondarenko '12 (Ukraine). Recently at the MentorTalks event organized by U.S. Department of State, Anna shared her perspective on women's rights, gender equity, and her experience working in this field. Way to go, Anna! The full recording of the event can be accessed here.

Gayane Aghabalyan '15 (Armenia)

Elmira Ayvazyan '15 (Armenia)

Gayane Aghabalyan '15 (Armenia) and Elmira Ayvazyan '15 (Armenia) published "Armenian Wonderwomen" after four years of continuous work. Armenian Wonderwomen is a children's book that features Armenian women from past and present. Congratulations, Gayane and Elmira!

Alumni in Georgia Develop Skills through the Alumni Internship Program

The Alumni Internship Program has helped hundreds of FLEX alumni develop skills through participation in professional development training and networking opportunities with global-minded peers, among them Nino Okroadze ’18, Ana Kereselidze ’22, and Diana Rogava ’19. Read more about their experiences as participants in the internship program here.

Alumni in Estonia Revive a Volunteering Tradition

Roosmari Philak ’20, Alumni Coordinator of Estonia, revived the tradition of FLEX alumni volunteering with the Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Center. Read more about how the alumni made crafts and had fun with the students here.

In this photo, Maria Kostomanolaki '20 (Greece) leads a game on proper recycling during the GYSD Eco not Ego environmental workshop in 2022!

The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program is a United States Department of State-sponsored program for secondary school students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. The program provides merit-based scholarships for students to travel to the United States, live with a host family, and attend a U.S. high school for a full academic year. Learn more at www.discoverf lex.org.

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