Cultural Exchange Programs
MEPI Youth Summer Leadership Institute for University Students
Application Deadline: March 5, 2008
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen is pleased to announce the opening of the competition for the 2008 Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program.
The MEPI Student Leaders Program is designed for undergraduate student leaders between the ages of 18 and 22 from the Middle East and North Africa. The Student Leaders will participate in a six-week program at a U.S. university to begin on June 30, 2008. The program consists of leadership training, community service, educational travel, and follow-on activities. The theme of the program will be how leadership is conceived and practiced in different capacities (governmental, community, civil society, private sector, etc.) and in different regions of the United States. The two key components of the program are an academic residency, conducted at a U.S. university, running approximately four weeks; and an educational study tour to one or two other regions of the United States, running approximately two weeks (including Washington, D.C.), designed to directly complement and reinforce the concepts explored in the academic residency program.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Competition for the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program is merit-based and open to anyone who:
• Is a Yemeni citizen;
• Is between the ages of 18 and 22;
• Is proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application;
• Is committed to returning to their university in Yemen after completion of the program in Fall 2008;
• Demonstrates strong leadership potential;
• Indicates a serious interest in learning about the United States;
• Has a sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated by academic grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;
• Demonstrates a commitment to community and extracurricular activities;
• Has had little study or travel experience outside Yemen;
• Is mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful and inquisitive;
• Is willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and active educational travel program; and,
• Is comfortable with campus live, sharing living accommodations while traveling with a multinational group of participants from the Middle East and North Africa and with U.S. citizens, and making adjustments to cultural and social practices different from those of their home countries.
Click on the link to download the Application Form
Applications are accepted via fax (755-2282), email PASSanaa@state.gov, or hard copies can be dropped off at the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a.