With the return of the 2023 cohort of alumni, the FLEX alumni family has now reached a total of 31,049 members! Among them, 26 serve as Alumni Coordinators, while 254 contribute as volunteer City and University Representatives. 

From January to November 2023, alumni reported an impressive 2,880 activities in over 300 communities across 23 FLEX countries. These initiatives involved 8,240 alumni and engaged an additional 80,500 participants and volunteers. The diverse range of activities allowed alumni to address local needs, raise awareness about important issues, and connect with one another.  

In this period, alumni also shared 1,550 successes: establishing new businesses, attaining prestigious awards, starting new roles in both the public and private sectors, and so much more! 

Whether virtually or in person, FLEX alumni demonstrated throughout the year what it truly means to embody the spirit of a FLEXer. The FLEXperience doesn't conclude upon returning to one's home country; instead, it is the commencement of an ongoing journey as an alum. 

Thank you to each one of you for being an integral part of the #FLEXFamily. We can't wait to see the remarkable achievements you will share in 2024! 

Apply now to the Iacocca Global Village 2024! The Iacocca Global Village experience is uniquely designed to develop future leaders, bringing together young professionals, entrepreneurs, and advanced university students from every continent to live and work in an intensive and diverse learning community. While in the Village, participants work in cross-cultural teams on real leadership challenges with organizations across the globe. The program starts with a virtual component in June 2024 and then ends with an in-person, full-time program from July 10 - August 7, 2024, at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.  

Applications close on January 15, 2024.  

As we prepare for the next cohort of the Alumni Internship Program, we are looking for host organizations that would be interested in hosting an alumni-intern this spring for up to three months.

The program is intended for the youngest generations of alumni to kick-start their careers. While the interns gain hands-on internship experience, receive professional development training, and a stipend, the host organizations receive talented and globally minded interns to work on tasks of their choice. We are open to online, hybrid, and in-person internship placements with the biggest focus on providing opportunities in our FLEX and YES countries, while internship opportunities abroad are also welcome. 

If you know of a host organization that would be interested, please reach out to us! We encourage senior alumni to consider the possibility of hosting an alumni intern at their place of employment, if possible. The applications will be launched soon.  

For more information and to sign up to host, please reach out to the program administrator Karina Vintere at kvintere@americancouncils.org. 

As FLEX alumni, you are also part of a wider network of American Councils alumni! To keep up with American Councils, opportunities available to you as American Councils alumni, and more, be sure to follow @AC.global and @AC.global.alumni on social media! You can also sign up for the monthly American Councils newsletter here, where in their latest issue, they recognized outstanding FLEX alumna Sasha Ustinova '02 from Ukraine.

On October 18 in Washington, D.C., a landmark anniversary celebration was held at the prestigious Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room at the U.S. Department of State, commemorating the collective milestones of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), Youth Exchange and Study (YES), and Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) programs. Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield presided over the reception, attended by a distinguished assembly of 350 guests, including 170 program alumni, partnering organization representatives, and Department of State personnel. 

Highlighting the event were speeches from notable figures such as former Prime Minister of Moldova and FLEX alumna Natalia Gavrilita '94, and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, the founder of FLEX. Both emphasized the critical role of youth exchange programs in fostering dialogue and mutual understanding across cultures. 

This reception was part of a larger event that gathered FLEX and YES alumni from across all program generations and geographies and marked the inauguration of American Councils’ Center for Global Leadership (CGL), introduced by its Director, Sam Potolicchio. The CGL has launched an advanced curriculum bridging theory with practice, aiming to cultivate leadership in young individuals through various initiatives. Read Dr. Potolicchio’s Leadership Notes where he includes a transcription of his interview with Dr. Rajiv Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, that alumni heard in person at the anniversary conference! 

Read more about the anniversary event here! 

In this photo, Natalia Gavrilita, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, and Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield pose together at the Celebrate the Power of Youth Exchange reception at the U.S. Department of State. We hope all alumni enjoy the rest of the year and the upcoming holiday season! We can’t wait to see what 2024 will bring.  

Warm wishes and happy holidays,

The FLEX Alumni Team