PH International

Vermont Office

Azerbaijani Youth Environmental Program

The Azerbaijani Youth Environmental Program (AYEP) is an exchange program funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baku.

AYEP will provide 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.

AYEP will provide participants with hands-on learning, interactive group and peer-to-peer activities, site visits, and community service experience highlighting community involvement to develop their leadership abilities.

Through the AYEP program, participants will develop an understanding of how they can become active members of society and more involved in their communities through an environmental approach.The goals of AYEP are to: develop participant understanding of community engagement as practiced in the U.S.; build critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills; improve understanding of social, environmental, and economic components of environmental sustainability; and foster cross-cultural communication and understanding between U.S. and Azerbaijani citizens.

AYEP is scheduled to take place in Massachusetts and Vermont from July 2 - July 13, 2022.

 

 

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Burma Youth Leadership Program

The Burma Youth Leadership Program (BYLP) is a program funded by the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) implemented by PH International. A group of 10 Burmese youth aged 17-19 and two adults travelled to the U.S. for six weeks of leadership training in the Spring of 2023.  For Year Two, taking place in Spring 2024, a different group will visit the U.S.  The goals of the program are to:

  1. Prepare Burmese youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities;
  2. Empower participants to be actively engaged in addressing issues of concern in their communities;
  3. Build mutual understanding, tolerance, and respect through shared culture and values between the people of the United States and Burma; and
  4. Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, racial, religious, and national groups.

Year One of the program was a success.  Our Burma partner Doh Eain prepared the group for their journey with virtual and in-person sessions.  During their time New York, Vermont, and Washington DC, the group engaged in various community service and educational projects, including two week-long retreats with our partner Sustainable Learning.  They enjoyed their time staying with host families and learning about U.S. culture.  Later, the group returned to Burma, where they implemented an impressive array of sustainability-based projects under Doh Eain’s guidance.

PH will build off Year One’s success during Year Two.  With an updated list of local partners and continued collaboration with Doh Eain and Sustainable Learning, we plan on hosting another active exchange with our motivated participants.

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Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange Program II

The Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange (CSP) is a U.S. Embassy London  funded program that will provide twenty 16-17 year-old future cybersecurity leaders (10 from the US and 10 from the UK) with a 14-day hands on and skill-based cybersecurity summer camp in the UK, followed by a seven-day introduction to a range of cybersecurity challenges and meetings with US government agencies, universities/research institutions and private sector companies in Washington, D.C. and Southern California.  PH International is the implementing partner for the US portion of this program.  Specifically, the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange will take place in the UK from July 19-August 2, 2019 and in the US from August 3 – 11, 2019.

Participants in the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange will:

  • Travel to the UK for a fourteen-day Cybersecurity Camp that will include training seminars, interactive group activities, and hands-on practical training with ten UK 16-17 year-olds;
  • Participate in cybersecurity-related site visits as well as cultural activities in Washington, DC and Southern California following the two-week UK program;
  • Participate in a cultural exchange with UK students, creating global networks between future cybersecurity leaders.

US-based program objectives are to:

  • Identify, inspire, and connect future cyber leaders in the U.S. and UK;
  • Provide firsthand, high-level exposure to public and private sector approaches to cybersecurity issues, including ethics, privacy concerns, and alternative viewpoints; 
  • Increase the level of understanding of the U.S. federal system and how cybersecurity challenges are addressed at different levels of government;
  • Introduce participants to leading private sector cybersecurity firms/innovators;
  • Encourage participants to consider the range of possibilities of cybersecurity career opportunities;
  • Provide British participants with a better understanding of American culture.

PH International encourages all 16-17 year olds, (must be 16 by July 1, 2019 & no older than 17 as of September 1, 2019), regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin to apply for the Future Cybersecurity Leaders Exchange. All participants’ costs including airfare, ground transportation, lodging and meals will be covered for both the UK and US portions of the program.

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Sport for Social Change

The Sport for Social Change Program (SSC) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA)/Sports Diplomacy Division. SSC is a global program which fosters cross-cultural communication and leadership development through sport between youth athletes and coaches from the U.S. and eleven other countries around the globe. Those countries include: Brazil, Algeria, Colombia, Israel, Thailand, South Korea, France, and Japan. At this time, the remaining countries are still being determined by ECA. 

SSC aims to inspire, strengthen, and mentor athletes, coaches, and sports administrators athletes from diverse backgrounds including those challenged by gender bias and those with disabilities so that they have the leadership skills and confidence to more fully contribute to their team, their school, and their communities.

All participant costs are covered by the SSC program, except for the cost of a passport and souvenirs. Interpretation will be provided throughout the duration of each exchange. 

 

 

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Past Programs

Community Connections Hosting

Program Information
PH is the only partner in the Community Connections global program that hosts groups as well as recruits for professional development opportunities in target countries. Over the years we have hosted groups from more than a dozen countries on programs ranging from agricultural production to the arts. Participants typically spend 3 weeks in Vermont, staying with host families and having a series of meetings with relevant professionals, organizations and institutions appropriate to the theme and objectives for the exchange.> More

DOTCOM in USA

Please visit the DOTCOM Program Forum for all modules, news, staff and student blogs, and links to relevant sites, including the DOTCOM YouTube page and Twitter feed: http://www.netvibes.com/phdotcom#DOTCOM-Home_Page

The Developing Online Tools for Community Outreach and Mobilization (DOTCOM) program engaged media-savvy and civically-engaged youth from Armenia, Azerbaijan and the U.S. and provided training and opportunities for young people to create socially conscious media impacting communities across the U.S. and the Caucasus. The program was sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and supported by a global network of organizations that include OneWorldTV, ListenUp!, Young People’s Media Network and the International Youth Media Summit.

The first phase of the program began in early 2009, when ninety Armenian, American and Azerbaijani students began their online collaboration by exploring youth issues through the lens of media, ultimately creating their own documentaries, digital stories, short films, public service announcements and other media for distribution internationally.

In May 2009, the second phase of the project began. Based on their achievements in the first phase, 30 students (ten per country) were selected as program finalists, and traveled to the U.S. in July 2009 for advanced media and social action training. In March 2010, ten American high school students met their Azerbaijani and Armenian peers in Tbilisi for a two-day regional media conference to showcase their work to a global audience.  American students then traveled to Azerbaijan and Armenia. 

All students in DOTCOM also had an opportunity to vie for mini-grants to implement civic initiatives based on their selected social issues.

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Global New Media Lab

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

The purpose of the Global New Media Lab is to provide students participating in three of the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ 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 gives young people, ages 15-17 the skills to harness innovative online and mobile tools for powerful change in communities worldwide.

The program has trained 240 international students how to create a social media for social change campaign to address an issue in their home countries using the world's most powerful online platforms. Seventy-eight of these students also participated in a one-week Youth TechCamp in Vermont. Youth TechCamp participants gained leadership and training skills enabling them to transfer knowledge and skills in social/digital media and other information technologies to people and groups at home.

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International Youth Leadership Camps

In 1996 and 1997 Project Harmony organized the International Youth Camp for 12-16 year-old students from Russia, Europe and the United States. The camp was situated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The campers took part in a structured morning session of intensive language courses and spent their afternoons involved with leadership building activities, sports, field trips, and arts and crafts. A total of 45 Russians and 25 Americans have taken part in Project Harmony camps.> More

Scottish Study Abroad Program

The Scottish Study Abroad Program, was funded by the U.S. Embassy’s London Public Affairs Office in England and implemented by PH International from March 8-22, 2014. The objective of  this two-week, U.S.-based exchange was met by providing an opportunity for six education professionals from Scotland to increase their knowledge about and to promote the use of study abroad opportunities to university students and educational institutions in Scotland.  Exchange participants also learned how to provide informed advice and counseling to students interested in these opportunities; and to how measure, document and communicate the outcomes of studying abroad in the United States.

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Semester Study Program

Sports United YLS

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

 

Program exchanges have already been completed between the United States, Kosovo, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Future exchanges are to take place between the United States, Georgia, Uzbekistan, India, a joint country program with Croatia & Serbia, Bosnia, Armenia, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, and a joint program with Ukraine & Belarus.

 
 
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Teacher in Residence Program

U.K. Youth Entrepreneurship Program

The UK Youth Entrepreneurship Program (summer of 2012) served to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in UK’s diverse young people, giving them tools that will help them realize their dreams, and connecting these young people to their American counterparts and young American entrepreneurs. The program was funded by the US Embassy Public Affairs Service in London.

The Scotland Study Abroad Professionals Exchange (spring of 2014) better equiped teachers and guidance counselors in Scotland to promote and facilitate application to university level study abroad programs in the U.S.

The UK Young Leaders Program (summer of 2014)  enabled a group of ten up-and-coming young leaders from disadvantaged communities across the U.K. to expand their understanding of leadership, see new models and approaches to promoting leadership among youth, and gain personal experience in the U.S.

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UK Young Leaders

Ten up-and-coming young leaders from disadvantaged communities across the U.K. will travel to Vermont, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. to expand their understanding of leadership, develop greater awareness of additional models of programs and approaches to promote leadership to fellow youth and to have personal experiences in the U.S. that may offset negative images and impressions.> More

Ukraine/Michigan Program on Integrating Ethics into Democratic Governance

Virtual Classroom Project and YIEP

The Virtual Classroom Project (VCP)  was a component of Internet and Exchange component of YIEP.  VCP was designed to connect students and teachers from Turkey and New England to develop new insights and understanding of current events, international issues, and cross-cultural perspectives. By participating in VCP, students and teachers developed transformative 21st century skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork while integrating the use of technology as part of the learning process. 

For more information about VCP, please visit the website above.

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.

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Youth LAB - Leadership Across Borders

Youth LAB: Turkey-Armenia-U.S. was a program to foster innovative leadership and forge cross-cultural connections among Turkish, Armenian and American youth. Youth LAB 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 objective of the Turkish-Armenian-American Youth Leadership Project was to nurture a cadre of youth to become actively engaged in addressing issues of mutual concern to Turks, Armenians and Americans in their schools and communities, and to equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to become citizen activists.

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 begin talking with one another about leadership and change in their communities. In July 2011 students came together in Vermont for a two-week leadership camp at Sugarbush Resort followed by a one-week homestay experience. International teams of students designed and planned civic activities that they would work on in their communities upon their return home, and were to spend the next four months implementing these projects and continuing to communicate with their peers and program coordinators as they put learning into action. In late December 2011, all students got together again and spent ten days in Turkey and Armenia visiting each other’s projects, communities, and expanding their cultural and leadership training.

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PH Vermont Office (HEAD OFFICE)

5197 Main Street, Unit 6 | Waitsfield, Vermont | 05673 USA
T (802) 496 4545 | F (802) 496 4548

email: ph-vt@ph-int.org