Bosnian students featured in "Doing Good"

An excerpt from a recent article in ParentMap about students and hosts from the most recent Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Twice a year, FIUTS welcomes groups of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of a State Department-sponsored Youth Leadership Program - an incredible opportunity for high school students to immerse themselves in a new culture while developing skills in leadership, community service, and civic engagement.

Several students in the most recent group were lucky to have the chance to sit down with Elizabeth Ralston, who writes a column for ParentMap called Doing Good. Here's an excerpt from her article about the Bosnian students, which includes an interview with a host family. Click the link at the end to read the whole thing!

The students from Bosnia had pressing reasons for coming to the U.S:

Emina: “I wanted to improve my communication skills, learn about U.S. democracy, and diversity.”

Lejla-Nur: “Bosnia needs leaders and needs someone to change the course of its history.”

Harun: “I want to learn about different projects in the community and I already have plans to do some projects back home and make some changes.”

FIUTS kept the students busy with community service projects, workshops, visits to high schools, and activities with their host families. “The students get to see a wide cross-section of American culture,” explained Ellen Frierson, FIUTS manager of Community Programs.

The students went to a food bank to learn about community service, where they helped package 1000 pounds of food.  This activity had a big impact on them — never before had they seen such poverty up close. Read More