Jakarta (Antara Bali) -- The U. S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake hosted an iftaar reception at his residence for 85 youths newly fluent in English and missing their friends and host families back in the United States.
According to the official website of the U. S. Embassy, the ambassador hosted the event to welcome home students of the 2015-2016 batch of the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
Now in its 12th year, the YES program was established in October 2002 to provide scholarships to high school students (between the ages of 15 and 17) from countries with significant Muslim population, including Indonesia. According to the program, students can spend up to one academic year in the United States.
YES students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about America, acquire leadership skills and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.
Several parents of students from this year's returning cohorts were also in attendance as Ambassador Blake spoke about the importance of educational exchange between the two countries.
Moreover, the strong ties between the United States and Indonesia were in evidence as students spoke enthusiastically about the experiences that forever changed their perception of the United States.
The YES program is generally regarded as one of the U. S. government's most successful exchange programs in Indonesia, which includes a range of the best and brightest students from across the archipelago. (WDY)
