The YES scholarship program funded by the American State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs gives the opportunity to high schools students and colleges in many countries to study in an American high school and live with an American host family during one academic year. Since 2003, many students from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Lebanon, and Tunisia... have participated, with success, to this program. Now we are looking for talented students groups on behalf of Mali under the YES exchanges program for academic year 2008-2009.

Firstly, students will be chosen according to their performance in the classroom, then in an English test called SLEP test (Secondary Level English Proficiency test) and at last an interview by a group composed of U.S embassy agents, Ministry of National Education and IEARN-Mali. The successful candidates will be registered for an academic year in American high school, thus , they will participate to courses, practical and directed works, school extra program with other students of their classroom.

YES students will participate particularly to the rewarding activities which are community activities, youth training in leadership, civic education program and other activities developing a better comprehension of American culture in interaction with different groups. Likewise, the selected students will act as cultural ambassadors; they will represent cultural resources of inestimable valour for their host families and for all American population in contact with them. These youth ambassadors, YES will represent a great opportunity for Americans some learning sources of the rich and very diversified Malian culture.

YES students are going from Mali in August 2010 and will be placed in American host families neatly chosen by expert organisms led by AYUSA International, which also invigilate and advise students during all their stay in the U.S.A. All expenditures in link with the study year including trips, documents, extra courses, survival compensation and almost other costs will be pay by YES scholarship. For more information, please contact IEARN-Mali office at Sotuba, former EIV and current CFPE, e-mail: info@mkj-iearnmali.org Tel: (223) 20 24 50 40.