Youth and Sports Community Connections Participants Return from the U.S.

December 4, 2008

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy Belgrade, and World Learning will organize a meeting with Community Connections program participants in the field of Youth and Sports on December 5th in Nis. The participants, coaches, teachers, municipal and national government officials and others involved in Youth and Sports, have just spent 3 weeks in Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, DC. They met with professionals involved with Youth and Sports like themselves and had the chance to see how different sports activities are organized and financed in the U.S. They also had the opportunity to live with American families and participate in cultural exchange. The participants returned from the U.S. on November 20th. This meeting presents an opportunity to hear about their experiences in the U.S., and about their future plans in the field of Youth and Sports.

Community Connections is a cultural and professional exchange program financed by the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by World Learning in cooperation with the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy. The program offers a three week home stay with a host family in the U.S., cultural experiences, and professional development in different fields. One of the fields is Youth and Sports.

Community Connections currently has an open competition for participants involved in Youth and Employment Services. The deadline for applications is December 8th. Ten finalists are selected at the end of each competition for study visits to the U.S. All expenses in the U.S., including international airfare, insurance, professional and cultural programs and room and board are covered.