The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institute 2017

Published by emaj

Deadline: 29 January 2017
Open to: students from Macedonia aged 16-18
Venue: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem – North Carolina

Description

The U.S. Department of State is offering scholarships for students from Macedonia to attend the 2017 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute.

The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute is an intensive short-term exchange program whose purpose is to foster relationships among young Europeans and Americans to build strong linkages and an awareness of shared values.  The four-week program will enable teenagers, ages 16-18, to explore U.S. foreign policy priorities such as youth engagement, support for democracy and civil society, and economic prosperity.  The program will consist of a series of lectures, seminar discussions and presentations, and a broad assortment of practical, faculty- and mentor-led workshops.  The coursework and classroom activities will be complemented by community service activities, site visits, social and cultural activities, and home stays with American families to deepen participants’ experience of U.S. society during their exchange.

The institute will be hosted by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, June-July, 2017.

Eligibility

Candidates are expected to:

  • Be born between June 24, 1998, and June 24, 2001 (i.e., be 16, 17, or 18 years of age at the time of the program start);
  • Be highly proficient in English, as demonstrated in a personal interview or the results of a standardized test;
  • Be committed to enrolling in high school or university in their home countries in fall 2017, following completion of the Institute;
  • Demonstrate strong leadership potential and interest in transatlantic relations and diplomacy;
  • Indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
  • Demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, as indicated by academic grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;
  • Demonstrate a commitment to community and extracurricular activities;
  • Have had little or no prior U.S. study or travel experience in the United States;
  • Be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful and inquisitive;
  • Be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive summer program, community service, and active educational travel program;
  • Be comfortable with campus life, shared living accommodations, travel and interaction with a multinational, co-ed group of participants from across Europe and the United States.

Scholarship

  • Travel costs;
  • Food and lodging;
  • Stipend to cover a variety of incidental expenses;
  • Extra funds to pay for meals during the study trip to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

How to apply?

The deadline for receipt of applications is January 29, 2017. Here you can find the Application Form. 

Questions and completed applications should be submitted to: Gazmend Ilazi, Educational Affairs Assistant, e-mail: IlaziG@state.gov

More information about the program can be found at the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative website.

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