SECRETARY CLINTON WELCOMES YOUTH AMBASSADORS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Secretary Clinton Welcomes Youth Ambassadors to the United States
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
June 8, 2012
On June 8, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed a group of Youth Ambassadors from Central America and the Dominican Republic to the United States for a three-week exchange program on civic education, youth leadership, community service, and entrepreneurship. Secretary Clinton congratulated the 21 students on their leadership and encouraged them to continue being agents of positive change in their communities. During their visit to the U.S. Department of State, the group also met with Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta S. Jacobson.

The Youth Ambassadors Program of the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs brings talented high school students to the United States to promote mutual understanding, increase their leadership skills, and prepare participants to make a difference in their home communities. This program allows youth to serve as “ambassadors” of their own country and encourages them to become active and engaged citizens through service.

The 21 students and four educators from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama spent their first week in Washington, D.C., where they volunteered and completed training sessions focused on building leadership and conflict resolution skills.

Next week, the group will travel to San Antonio, Texas, and Marquette, Michigan, where they will continue to develop their leadership skills and experience U.S. culture through homestays with local families. Their program concludes in Miami, Florida, where the students will present the community service action plans they will implement after returning home.

The Youth Ambassadors Program underscores the Department of State and Secretary Clinton’s priorities of engaging international youth and creating networks of youth leaders across the Western Hemisphere. The United States and Central America have participated in this program since 2009, and the first group of U.S. participants will travel to the Dominican Republic and Panama this July.