By Rimsha Ali Shah.
Ten months with experiences that last a lifetime – that’s how the latest cohort of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KL-YES) program summed up their year in the U.S. Be it Dur-e-Nayab’s cultural exchange with her Tunisian, Mexican, and Lebanese friends, or Nayab Ali’s intensive four-month preparation to speak at Tedx Ann Arbor, or Moiz Khan’s excellent understanding of cultural shock and reverse cultural shock, the alumni had experiences that transformed them into global citizens, pumped with energy to change the world.
“For the past 14 years I have seen a critical mass of young people transform through this experience of ten months,” said Farah S. Kamal, founder of iEarn, at the KL-YES Re-entry Seminar organized in Islamabad on July 16, 2016. With over 1000 KL-YES alumni, the program has grown from two to 49 cities, and alumni have implemented over 250 projects reaching over 300,000 beneficiaries.
Azam Nawaz, a total foodie, had a spectacular time sharing in the cultural food festivities around his high-school. Not only that, he also completed over 100 hours of community service and shared the Pakistani culture by giving 72 presentations to different groups throughout his ten-month tenure.
American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale noted in his remarks the importance of such cross-cultural exchanges. “Through these exchange programs, we are strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries by building new friendships and mutual understanding.”
These alumni are now eligible to apply for KL-YES and PUAN small grants to continue sharing what they have learned in the U.S. with communities in Pakistan. Program Officer Sana explained the focus of the re-entry workshop: writing effective grant proposals and financial budgeting. As a KL-YES alumna herself and now working at iEarn, she said, “It feels wonderful being on the other side of the team. Being a support system for these children is very fulfilling.”
Shanza Akmal is presently designing an English Workshop for Youth Leaders in English teaching. “My mother inculcated a love for language in me since I was kid. I used to write short poems for the magazine Young World. In the U.S. I learned more about how teaching English can be made more interactive and engaging and that is why I want to design this workshop.”
The alumni from last year’s KL-YES cohort also served as mentors for the outgoing KL-YES batch. As mentors, they shared their experiences through various workshops including “host family communication,” “American pop culture,” “Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities,” and “Cultural Shock.” Nayab, commenting on the experience of being on the other side of the table a year later, said, “I learned a lot from this young batch of students and I’m sure they will do wonders!”
As for the outgoing batch, here is what a few of them seek to learn in the U.S
Learn a musical instrument (Noor-ul-Ain)
Play baseball (Zeeshan Ahmed)
Learn a new language (Noor-ul-Habib)
Share the Pakistani culture (Wajiha)
For more information about the KL-YES program, please visit: https://yespk.org/
