Mordecai Nsabaah (YES alumnus 2016-2017) reached out to his community this summer for their thoughts on an English club he wanted to create for the children. He was met with positive feedback, and began his first session with 20 eager students, ranging from ages nine...
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was established in 2002 by the United State Congress. The program is funded by the US Department of State and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs. The YES program was founded in responds to...
Bakari Mtili (YES alumnus 2011-2012) is currently serving as the secretary of the Tanzania YES Alumni Association. He is also currently pursing his Bachelor Degree in wildlife management at the College of African Wildlife Management, in Mweka, Tanzania. Mtili is a member of the Herpetological Society,...
The 2017 Layers of Diversity Art Auction raised over $3,500. The proceeds from the event will fund international initiatives through the Global Grants & Scholarships Program. The Art Auction is the primary source of funding for the Global Grants & Scholarships Program. Each year, IRIS puts...
Simon Zamani (YES '16) is a recipient of a 2017 IRIS Global Grants & Scholarships program award. His award is for the project, “English Language Literacy Program.” The program focuses on teaching and tutoring children between the ages of five and 15, as well as adults who have challenges...
Ori Ogbu (YES Alumna 2013-2014) decided to host an Interfaith and Intercultural Workshop in her community of Benue State, Nigeria after experiencing the diversity in America while studying as an exchange student through the YES Program. Nigeria has two major religions: Christianity and Islam. With the...
Daniel Ishaya (YES alumnus 2009-2010) was the project leader for the Rehabilitation of Boreholes Project in the Gombe State of Nigeria. The project began in March of 2017 and was made possible by a grant from the United States Mission Nigeria Grants Program through the...
Fares Amer (YES alumnus 2013-2014, Jordan) was accepted to the International Writing Program. The program is offered through the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop with funding from the United States Department of State. The University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop is a prestigious creative writing program and has...
For three months Emmanuel Kpochi (YES alumnus 2012-2013) led an empowerment project for local women in the rural Nyambee community of North Bank, Nigeria. "My hope for this project is that it makes a permanent impact on, if not on all, at least 50% of the participants....
Aisha Waziri, (YES alumna 2011-2012, Poughkeepsie, NY), was nominated for the 120 Under 40 New Generation of Family Planning Leaders grant. “My exchange year in the United State has played a big role in who I am today, the opportunity I had to do community service...