United States

PH International, Headquartered in Vermont

PH International (Project Harmony, Inc.) is based in Waitsfield, Vermont, USA. The home office supports our globally connected network by working with PH field offices and global partners to continuously innovate program design and improve implementation. In addition, the Vermont office facilitates U.S.-based and virtual exchange and training programs.

Since its founding in 1985, PH has planned and facilitated international youth and professional exchanges from Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, South and Central America, the Balkans, and the U.S. Cross-cultural exchange is at the core of our mission and recent programs focused on youth leadership include the Burma Youth Leadership Program (BYLP) (2022-2024), the reciprocal global exchange programs of the Sports for Social Change (I-III, 2021-2025) and Youth Leadership through Sport (YLS) (I-IV, 2017-2024) grants.

PH has managed more than 500 programs with over $100 million in funding from the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and private donors and has conducted more than a hundred professional, cultural and educational exchanges involving over 15,000 adults and youth from more than 25 countries and across 17 states. It has a vast network of diverse public and private organizations including schools, universities, and community service organizations.

Current Programs

PAST PROJECTS

Ten high schoolers and two adult mentors from Myanmar participated in an immersive practicum exploring the intersection of leadership, social change, and sustainable practices during a 6-week exchange to the Hudson Valley, Vermont, NYC, and Washington, DC this past spring. According to final interviews, the second iteration of the Burma Youth Leadership Program (BYLP) was both life changing and life affirming. From cities to towns to forests, BYLP offered these budding leaders a profound opportunity to build skills and perspective while engaging with Americans and their institutions. This program was funded by DOS-ECA.

In Vermont, the group zeroed in on the successes and struggles of sustainability initiatives. Highlights included sessions with Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership and 350Vermont, where students absorbed methods of community organizing and advocacy. Visits to Chittenden Solid Waste District, Local Motion, and Champlain College instilled more material lessons in different areas of sustainability. The intrepid group also created lasting ecological impact through experiential learning opportunities with Friends of Winooski River, Green Mountain Club, and the Vermont Youth Climate Corps.

These informative experiences were heightened by the mutuality of the host families who welcomed the foreigners into their homes. The participants were eager to show how American hospitality mirrored traditions of kindness and generosity from their own country. Hailing from a conflict-afflicted region, the group surprised many Vermonters with upbeat attitudes, aspirations, and erudition. Many described growing up in political turmoil as a unifying force underpinning their striving for academic achievement and support for their community. All postulated on how they could affect positive change amidst rising challenges, exemplifying the ideals of many of the Vermonters they spent time with. Adult chaperones noted how the homestays led to a richness of experience that fostered further personal and professional development.

After further study of community impact and sustainability, the group returned home to initiate projects in their hometowns. These projects reached thousands of people across Myanmar — a testament not only to the talent of the group but also to their prodigious development on the exchange. This cause for celebration could not come about without the staunch support of the northern Vermont community, whose hospitality, mutuality, and sustainability continues to cultivate enduring relationships and better lives.

The Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange (CSP) was a U.S. Embassy London-funded program designed to equip twenty 16-17 year-old future cybersecurity leaders (10 from the U.S. and 10 from the UK) with hands-on, skill-based training. The program began with a 14-day cybersecurity summer camp in the UK, followed by a seven-day introduction to cybersecurity challenges and meetings with U.S. government agencies, universities, research institutions, and private sector companies in Washington, D.C., and Southern California. PH International served as the implementing partner for the U.S. portion of the program.

Participants traveled to the UK for intensive cybersecurity training seminars, group activities, and hands-on practical experiences alongside UK peers. Following the camp, they participated in cybersecurity site visits and cultural activities in Washington, D.C., and Southern California. The program connected young leaders across both countries, fostering global networks and enhancing their understanding of public and private sector approaches to cybersecurity issues. Additionally, it encouraged participants to explore cybersecurity career opportunities and deepened their understanding of American culture for UK participants.

The Azerbaijani Youth Environmental Program (AYEP) was an exchange program funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baku. It provided Azerbaijani youth with the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills and engage in community service through an environmental lens during a 12-day exchange in the United States.

Participants in AYEP engaged in hands-on learning, interactive group and peer-to-peer activities, site visits, and community service projects, all aimed at highlighting the importance of community involvement while developing their leadership abilities.

The program helped participants understand how they could become active members of society and contribute to their communities through an environmental approach. The goals of AYEP were to develop participants’ understanding of community engagement as practiced in the U.S., build critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills, improve their understanding of the social, environmental, and economic components of sustainability, and foster cross-cultural communication between U.S. and Azerbaijani citizens.

The Youth Leadership through Sport Program (YLS) was funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)/Sports Diplomacy Division. This program provided engaging opportunities for male and female youth athletes, coaches, and sports administrators through a series of two-way international exchange programs that harnessed the power of sport for social change. YLS was designed to foster greater understanding between people of the United States and partnering Eastern European and Central Asian countries by offering youth athletes and their coaches opportunities to develop leadership, civic engagement, responsibility, teamwork, mentorship, healthy living, and self-discipline in a multicultural setting.

Program exchanges were completed between the United States, Kosovo, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Additional exchanges took place with Georgia, Uzbekistan, India, a joint program with Croatia and Serbia, Bosnia, Armenia, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, and another joint program with Ukraine and Belarus.

The Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program (YIEP) was implemented by the Turkish Education Association and has provided support for the development of innovation and entrepreneurism among Turkish high school students since 2008. PH’s Internet and Exchange Component served three functions.

First, the component provided a means of delivering additional content and new approaches that enhance the teaching of entrepreneurism in the classroom. Second, the component established linkages between Turkish and American youth that allow them to explore how innovation, entrepreneurism, culture and their lives are similar and different in the two countries, enriching awareness and understanding. Finally, the component provided opportunities for leading young entrepreneurs and their teachers to have in-person experiences in one another’s countries, further expanding connections and understanding.

The Scottish Study Abroad Program was funded by the U.S. Embassy’s London Public Affairs Office in England and implemented by PH International. The program aimed to provide an opportunity for six education professionals from Scotland to increase their knowledge about study abroad opportunities for university students and educational institutions in Scotland.

During this two-week, U.S.-based exchange, participants learned how to offer informed advice and counseling to students interested in studying abroad. They also gained skills in measuring, documenting, and communicating the outcomes of studying abroad in the United States.

The UK Youth Entrepreneurship Program served to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in the UK’s diverse young people, providing them with tools to help realize their dreams and connecting them with their American counterparts and young American entrepreneurs. The program was funded by the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Service in London.

The Scotland Study Abroad Professionals Exchange equipped teachers and guidance counselors in Scotland to promote and facilitate applications to university-level study abroad programs in the U.S.

The UK Young Leaders Program enabled a group of ten emerging leaders from disadvantaged communities across the U.K. to expand their understanding of leadership, explore new models and approaches to promoting leadership among youth, and gain personal experience in the U.S.

Funded by the US Embassy in Türkiye The YouthLAB project forged cross-cultural connections and fostered innovative leadership among Turkish, Armenian and American youth, nurturing a cadre of youth to become actively engaged in addressing issues of mutual concern in their schools and communities, and equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to become social activists. The program was funded by a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and was implemented by PH International and its Turkish partner, ARI Movement.

The 16-month initiative brought together 75 young leaders (25 from each country) with creative ideas and open minds. Prior to a three-week leadership camp in the U.S., students from the three countries communicated online via a secure website and began talking with one another about leadership and change in their communities. In July 2011 all 75 students came together in Vermont for a two-week leadership camp at Sugarbush Resort, followed by a one-week homestay experience with American hosts. As part of the camp the students formed international teams to discuss, design and plan civic activities to work on in their communities after they returned home. They then spent the next four months working on these projects in their schools and communities, continuing to communicate with their peers and program coordinators as they put learning into action. In late December 2011, the students reunited in Turkey and Armenia visiting projects, communities, and expanding their cultural and leadership training.

This program produced Armenian alumni many of whom were core participants of the Velvet Revolution and currently serve in the government or affiliated agencies.

The Russian Youth Environmental Program (RYEP) was a four-week exchange program to the United States designed to equip Russian youth and young adults with skills in environmental stewardship, American culture, English language, leadership, and community service. Approximately 40 finalists traveled to the U.S., spending three weeks at host universities engaged in classroom sessions, field trips, and site visits, while staying with host families to gain insights into American daily life. In the final week, students traveled to Washington, DC, for workshops and tours of historic sites. Upon returning to Russia, participants implemented community service projects addressing local environmental issues.

RYEP emphasized environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and community service. Participants engaged in sustainable practices, such as trail maintenance and habitat restoration, while learning about American culture through homestays and community networking. They also planned and executed community service projects in their home regions, fostering a lasting impact on both their communities and their understanding of civic engagement.

Funded by the US Embassy in the UK, ten up-and-coming young leaders from disadvantaged communities across the U.K. traveled to Vermont, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., to expand their understanding of leadership. The program enabled them to develop greater awareness of various models and approaches for promoting leadership among their peers while providing personal experiences in the U.S. that helped offset negative images and impressions.

The Global New Media Lab (GNML) was a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and PH International. GNML consisted of two program components: GNML Online and the Youth TechCamp.

The purpose of the Global New Media Lab was to provide students participating in high school academic exchanges with the skills to actively engage in and teach others about the use of social media and other forms of information technology for greater civic engagement. GNML equipped young people, ages 15-17, with the skills to harness innovative online and mobile tools for impactful change in communities worldwide.

The program trained 240 international students to create social media campaigns for social change, addressing issues in their home countries using powerful online platforms. Seventy-eight of these students participated in a one-week Youth TechCamp in Vermont, where they gained leadership and training skills that enabled them to transfer knowledge and skills in social and digital media to people and groups in their communities.

Funded by USAID, EGA/ED, the Community Connections (CC) program provided an important opportunity for Americans and people from across Eurasia to work together to address common professional challenges while expanding their social and cultural understanding.

PH was the only partner in the Community Connections global program that hosted groups and recruited for professional development opportunities in target countries. Over the years, PH hosted groups from more than a dozen countries on programs ranging from agricultural production to the arts. Participants typically spent three weeks in Vermont, staying with host families and engaging in a series of meetings with relevant professionals, organizations, and institutions aligned with the themes and objectives of the exchange.

Funded by ECA, DOS, DOTCOM brought together American, Armenian and Azerbaijani youth for media literacy in action project. It used online coursework focusing on media literacy and the use of Web 2.0 tools along with two face-to-face exchanges to bring 90 American, Armenian and Azerbaijani youth together over twenty months as each participant found their own voice, created their own media products around different social causes.

Among the 90 students in the program, 30 were selected for a more intensive exchange experience in which they continued their learning and work face-to-face. Ten students from Armenia and ten from Azerbaijan participated in a summer program in Vermont in 2009, followed by ten Vermont students traveling reciprocally to Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2010 to work with their DOTCOM peers to bring media action to the next level.

Project Harmony organized the International Youth Camp for 12- to 16-year-old students from Russia, Europe, and the United States. The camp was situated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Campers participated in structured morning sessions of intensive language courses and spent their afternoons engaged in leadership-building activities, sports, field trips, and arts and crafts. More than 45 Russians and 25 Americans participated in Project Harmony camps.