Find and complete the hidden challenge in this newsletter to win a prize!

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is the largest youth service and civic action event in the world and the only one that celebrates and builds the capacity of all youth to help our communities and democracy thrive by working together for the common good.

In celebration of GYSD, FLEX alumni are eligible to apply for matching grants of up to $500 to address an issue in their local community in one of six areas: health, education, environment, hunger, community -building, and human rights. Activities funded by these grants should take place on or around GYSD Weekend 2023, April 28-30!

Applications will be open from November 28 to December 27! See below for examples of past projects. Click on the photos below to read about some past GYSD projects.

The Iacocca Global Village experience is uniquely designed to meet the needs of future leaders, bringing young professionals, entrepreneurs, and advanced university students from every continent to live and work together in an intensive and extremely diverse learning community. In the Village, participants work in cross-cultural teams on real leadership challenges for organizations across the globe, develop their personal leadership vision and plan, and build a lifelong network of global colleagues, mentors, and friends. Together, you will create new visions for what leadership means in the future.

November 14-18, the world celebrated International Education Week by expressing the benefits of international education and international exchange. See below for some highlights from Instagram!

@flex_alumni: "On November 14, FLEX Alumni Tajikistan took part in an International Education Week Fair organized by the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan! Alumni in Tajikistan, along with Alumni Coordinator Surush Ruhulov '19, discussed the importance of international education and why it matters in this world. Surush says, 'International Education Week is a fantastic opportunity to gain and share new insight, information, and values about different cultures with the world.'"

@flex_alumni_moldova: "To top off #IEW2022, America House Chisinau hosted an Exchange Programs Fair where FLEX alumni got a chance to share their experiences with local youth!

Fair participants did not only learn how to apply for FLEX, but, most importantly, found out WHY it is worth a try."

"IEW is realizing how proud you are to be a part of your culture." - Daniela Simion '22

"IEW is a unique tool that helps us expand our knowledge of diversity." - Vadim Iasco '22"

@flex_alumni: "On November 12, to celebrate International Education Week, FLEX Alumni in Kyrgyzstan shared American culture with their local community in an English discussion event at American Corner, Bishkek! On a regular basis, the FLEX Alumni community in Kyrgyzstan organizes a weekly discussion club for people interested in learning English and more about American culture. At the discussion, alumni choose a topic about American culture or professional development and discuss it with the visitors!"

November 3-6, 70 FLEX Alumni from 10 different countries met in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where they participated in the 2022 FLEX Alumni Social Entrepreneurship Workshop (SEW). Check out the video below to learn more about their adventures in Romania and accomplishments throughout the week!

Senior Alumni Gain New Perspectives, Make New Connections through Critical Thinking Workshop  

On October 28-31, six FLEX alumni from Serbia joined 21 YES alumni from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, and North Macedonia in Skopje, North Macedonia, for an interactive workshop on critical thinking. Guided by award-winning professor and Executive Director of American Councils’ Center for Global Leadership Dr. Sam Potolicchio, participants learned about the ways in which our brains process, and sometimes tune out, new information, and explored strategies for more effectively observing, processing, analyzing, articulating, and utilizing information. Read more here! 

We hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Each year, many FLEX alumni enjoy sharing this food-and-family-filled American holiday with their communities and with their fellow alumni. Check out this photo taken at an alumni Thanksgiving celebration in Georgia in 2015! We enjoyed seeing all the Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving celebrations that took place this year as well. Looking to celebrate quintessential American holidays like Thanksgiving? Christmas is coming soon! Reach out to your country's Alumni Coordinator to learn more about events happening near you!

The first ten alumni to share a recent academic, professional, or community service-related achievement here will receive free LinkedIn Learning access for six months!