The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institute

The application season for the 2013 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institutes in the United States is now open.  Please email your completed application form to the U.S. Embassy in Pristina by Friday, March 1, 2013.

The 2013 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institute will last three to four-weeks between late June and late August 2013.  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;
• to develop a cadre of youth leaders who will share their knowledge and skills with their peers through positive action.

Activities will include discussions of global issues of common interest, leadership and media training, collaborative project development, community service, educational travel, and plans for follow-on activities.  Two three- to four-week Institutes, offered in summer 2013, will accommodate up to 90 Fellows total, ages 16 to 18. Each Institute will be designed for 35 European students and 10 Americans.  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.

Two principal and two alternate candidates will be chosen from Kosovo.

Candidate Qualifications:

a. Between 16 and 18 years of age as of July 1, 2013;

b. Highly proficient in English, as demonstrated in a personal interview or the results of a standardized test;

c. Committed to enrolling in high school or university in their home countries in fall 2013, following completion of the Institute;

d. Demonstrate strong leadership potential and interest in transatlantic relations and diplomacy;

e. Indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;

f. Sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated by academic grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;

g. Demonstrate a commitment to community and extracurricular activities;

h. Have had little or no prior U.S. study or travel experience in the United States;

i. Be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful and  inquisitive;

j. Willing and able to fully participate in an intensive summer program, community service, and active educational travel program;

k. Comfortable with campus life, shared living accommodations, travel and interaction with a multinational, co-ed group of participants from across Europe and the United States, and
comfortable with engaging various Americans in the broader community. Able to adjust to cultural and social practices different from those of their home countries.

More information about the program can be found at the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Institute website: www.bftf.org

Specific questions about the Kosovo program application process please contact:

Cultural Affairs Assistant – Education 
Public Affairs Office
U.S. Embassy Pristina 
KosovoEdExchanges@state.gov