FLEX Alumni Monthly Newsletter April 2017

May 7 to 13 is Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States, and National Teacher Day is celebrated on May 9. Please show your support by thanking an American teacher who has impacted you during your exchange year! The steps are simple:
1. Find photos with your U.S. high school teachers
2. Share how they inspired you inside or outside of the classroom
Post on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Use #FLEXProgram to share your stories with the entire FLEX community plus the campaign hashtag #ThankATeacher

April 2017 Vol 2, Issue 2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

More jobs and op portunities at

www.bradleyherald(dot)org/opportunities/other/

( The FLEX Alumni Website)

Last call for Mentors: The IDEAL Workshop (Southeast Europe)

American Councils for International Education is seeking experienced trainers in the fields of anti-corruption, civil society, human rights and gender equality, and utilizing the arts as tools for social change to serve as mentors for the IDEAL Workshop for FLEX and YES Alumni in Southeast Europe. The event will take place in Cetinje, Montenegro on August 3-6, 2017, preceded by a mandatory Mentor Training on August 1-2. Accommodation and travel costs are fully covered by the program. In addition, each mentor will receive a symbolic engagement fee of $300 for their role in the workshop. Preference will be given to applicants from FLEX alumni living and working in Southeast Europe. Find complete details here.

Ukrainian Youth Delegates to the United Nations

Are you a FLEX alum from Ukraine, who would like to represent Ukraine's youth at the United Nations? Do you believe that young people need to be involved in decision-making processes worldwide? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then this opportunity is just for you. Please note that there are costs associated with this program and fundraising may be necessary. Apply here!

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

FLEX alumnus nominated by the U.S Department of State for 'Emerging Young Leader' award Jahongir Olimov '10 (Garm, Tajikistan/ Liberty Township, OH) will be recognized by the U.S. Department of State as one of ten Emerging Young Leaders #EYLeaders . Representing Tajikistan and the FLEX alumni community, on May 4, Jahongir will receive the award for his work to counter violent extremism and prevent youth from joining extremist and terrorist groups in risk oriented and vulnerable regions of Tajikistan. Read more about Jahongir and the other awardees here .

NEWS

GYSD 2017 with FLEX Alumni

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) celebrates and mobilizes the millions of young people who improve their communities through service. GYSD is the largest service event in the world and the only one dedicated to the contributions that children and youth make 365 days of the year. As part of FLEX Alumni GYSD Matching Grants program, 60 alumni received support to hold GYSD events in their communities. In addition to these projects, many alumni joined in the GYSD spirit and organized projects on their own. Some highlights of FLEX Alumni participation in Global Youth Service Day 2017 include:

1) Alumni in Turkmenistan organize a nation-wide awareness event in celebration of Earth Day.

2) The Montenegrin FLEX Alumni community got their hands dirty and held a clean up through the Step Out for Sustainable Development project.

3) Alumni in Almaty, Kazakhstan visited their furry friends at a dog shelter to celebrate GYSD.

4) Through the Y oung Social Entrepreneurs project in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 20 students learned the basics of social entrepreneurship during GYSD weekend.

Social Café: Social Entrepreneurship in Action in Kazakhstan

FLEX alumnus Maulen Akhmetov '14 (Karaganda, Kazakhstan/ Kennewick , WA) returned home from the Central Asia FLEX-Ability Workshop 2016 with a head full of ideas related to Social Entrepreneurship. Fast forward 10 months, and we find Maulen and his team launched the Social Café, based out of Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. The café offers food services to university students while employing 20 people with cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses.

Check out the full story of Maulen's efforts to normalize disability inclusion and destigmatize mental illnesses in the country.

Join FLEX Alumni Moldova as they wear 'Red lipstick' to support the #RedMyLips2017 campaign to raise awareness about sexual violence and combat victim-blaming.

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