The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, a “U.S. State Department-sponsored scholarship program for students from the countries of the former Soviet Union, celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this year. The program has its origins in the FREEDOM Support Act which was passed by Congress in 1992. The Act was sponsored by Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, who envisioned it as a medium to build future U.S. relations with the countries of the former Soviet Union based upon bridges of personal friendship and mutual understanding.
The FLEX scholarship is made possible by funds allocated by the U.S. Congress each year. For 15 years, FLEX students have been making lasting impressions on the people of their U.S. host communities and have applied their cross-cultural and community-building skills to make lasting contributions in their home countries. The impact of this kind of “public diplomacy” is reflected in the decision made by Congress each year to continue funding the program.
The FLEX program is administered by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which awards grants to nonprofit organizations like AFS-USA to administer various aspects of the program. AFS-USA receives a grant each year to host a number of FLEX students on its program. AFS-USA works in close partnership with American Councils for International Education, an organization which administers recruitment, selection, pre-departure orientation, and alumni programming for the FLEX Program in their home countries.
AFS-USA also works with organizations such as Mobility International, Project Harmony, and The Close Up Foundation in its administration of the FLEX Program.
Where do FLEX students come from?
• Armenia • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Georgia • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Moldova • Russia • Tajikistan • Turkmenistan • Ukraine.
What is the selection process for FLEX students?
Being selected to receive a FLEX scholarship is an extremely prestigious honor. The application process is rigorous, and students are selected for their academic achievements, involvement in extracurricular and community activities, and the personal traits and characteristics of an ideal exchange student. Students are selected by a volunteer committee of application readers in the United States. Recruitment and selection for FLEX students is facilitated by American Councils for International Education (ACIE).
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