The U.S. Embassy in Moldova announces a competition for students aged 18 to participate in the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative: Summer Institutes for Youth. This program will take place on June 27 – July 25, 2015 in the United States of America.
The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative is named after the legendary American statesman and diplomat Benjamin Franklin in honor of the inspiration his life and career provide to those working to strengthen transatlantic cooperation.
Two four-week Institutes, offered in summer 2015, will accommodate up to 90 Fellows total. Each Institute, one at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and the other at Purdue University in Indiana, will be designed for 35 European students and 10 Americans, ages 16 to 18. Institute activities include discussion of global issues of common interest, leadership and media training, collaborative project development, community service, educational travel, and plans for follow-on activities.
The Institutes will focus primarily on an exploration of issues through interactive activities, practical experiences, and other hands-on opportunities. Participants will learn more about democratic practices, volunteer service, conflict resolution, problem solving, communication skills, critical thinking, tolerance and respect for diversity, youth leadership, team building, and the media.
The goals of the Institutes are:
- to develop a commitment to transatlantic cooperation;
- to foster relationships between American and European youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups;
- to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Europe;
- and to develop a cadre of youth leaders who will share their knowledge and skills with their peers through positive action.
The program is funded by the U.S. Government and provides a full scholarship for participants, which covers visa, travel, lodging, food, educational materials, and ground transportation expenses. The selection process is merit-based, and will be conducted by U.S. Embassy officials.
Interested candidates should:
- be age 18 as of June 26, 2015;
- be citizens of Moldova;
- have the academic aptitude for a program of this nature (at least 8.00 academic averages);
- be committed to enrolling in a Moldovan high school or university in fall 2015, following completion of the Institutes;
- have little or no prior U.S. study or travel experience;
- meet the requirements of receiving and maintaining a U.S. visa;
- demonstrate strong leadership potential and interest in transatlantic relations and diplomacy;
- indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
- demonstrate a commitment to community and extracurricular activities;
- have personal qualities needed to be successful participants, including: maturity, strong social skills, flexibility, open-mindedness, ability to adapt to a new environment;
- be highly proficient in English.
To participate in the competition, interested candidates should e-mail the following documents to BilevschiL@state.gov, no later than February 19, 2015, 16:00:
- A letter of interest (in English, 2 pages max);
- CV (in English, 2 pages max) ;
- A letter of recommendation (in English);
- Copy of one of the following: your birth certificate, ID or international passport;
- An official copy of your school records for the current and previous academic years.
Selected candidates will be invited for a final interview.
For additional information, please e-mail BilevschiL@state.gov.
