Six Tips for a Life Changing Experience… But Only in Your Own Way!
by Shadan Hameed
"Life changing" is a must-happen experience for every IYLEP participant. So for all the participants of IYLEP...
IYLEP Alumna Recognized by the State Department
Congratulations to Noof Assi, the US State Department's State Alumni Member of the Month for May 2012!
April 5-7: Days to Remember!
by Shireen Aziz
The Alumni Leadership Development Conference was a great opportunity for me to discuss my project idea...
by Shadan Hameed
Shadan participated in IYLEP 2011 at the University of Arkansas, focusing on Social Entrepreneurship. She currently studies Medicine at the University of Baghdad.
“Life changing” is a must-happen experience for every IYLEP participant. So for all the participants of IYLEP 2012, firstly CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES! For everything; for fun, friendships, education and the unlimited self-developing chances!
No matter what your dream is, no matter how it becomes true or in which field it lies (health, environment, etc.), you will have the chance to love, develop and learn how to handle your dream and add values to your approach. But the thing is — it only happens in your own way. Your learning depends on your way to accept new ideas and how you can match them with your belief. It is not about making up your mind, but about opening it to new ideas and values while sticking to your culture’s bright values and your original beliefs.
Here are some aspects I experienced, from the day I left Baghdad Airport until the day I returned, and would like to share:
Posted in Alumni Blogging! by .
May 12
8
Breaking Stereotypes
by Saif Alsaegh
Saif participated in World Learning IYLEP in 2010 at Colorado State University and focused on Environment & Social Awareness. After studying Mass Communications at the University of Baghdad, Saif is now a Business and Political Science student at the University of Great Falls, Montana.
This is Saif’s fourth blog post. Read his previous posts here.
Sometimes when I see how it is easy for people to believe whatever the media says about a country, I think that we have no hope in changing people’s preconceived ideas. However, there is always hope, somewhere. You just need to look carefully. For me, I found that hope in IYLEP.
This program gathers young Iraqis and young Americans and creates a multicultural environment that changes each others’ paradigms and demolishes stereotypes. When I decided to join the program, I was worried that people would be asking many questions about Iraq and that many of them were “stupid,” and my prediction was true; yet, the whole group tried to do their best regarding these questions.
Posted in Alumni Blogging! Alumni in the U.S. Stereotypes by .
Congratulations to Noof Assi, the US State Department’s State Alumni Member of the Month for May 2012. She was selected for her efforts to promote youth civic engagement through social media in Iraq.
Assi traveled to the US in 2010 on the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) administered by World Learning. The program inspired her to become a youth activist in Iraq and she co-founded the grassroots organization Iraqi Streets 4 Change after returning home. Assi now works as a project assistant and social media trainer for the nonprofit Iraqi Al-Amal Association.
More than 800 Iraqi high school and undergraduate students have participated in the IYLEP program since 2007. World Learning is excited to host a new group of students this summer and will have more details to share on the upcoming program soon.
Check out our recent interview with Assi to find out more about her experience on IYLEP and the work she’s doing in Iraq.
Posted in Alumni in Iraq Leadership Making Change in Iraq Power of Youth by .
Apr 12
27
Thank You!
by World Learning IYLEP team
On behalf of the IYLEP team at World Learning, we want to thank and congratulate our undergraduate, high school, and adult mentor alumni for completing the recent Alumni Leadership Development Conferences.
Thank you for actively participating, voicing your opinions, working as a team, and challenging yourself to step out of your comfort zone once again.
We hope that the conferences were a great opportunity to meet your fellow alumni and also to meet alumni of other years for the first time! We hope that your friendships and renewed lessons will have strengthened through the conference
We also want to thank the many alumni who shared their recent activities and projects, such as There is Always Hope, Vision, and the many other projects located on the Alumni Projects Map! Your projects inspired us to remember that big change starts with small steps that we can all accomplish.
Congratulations to the Graduating Students this Year!!
And lastly, congratulations to the many alumni who are graduating this year! We wish you a lot of success as you make such an outstanding change in your lives.
Read More Alumni Blog Posts on the Conference!
To read more about the Alumni Conferences, read Shireen’s (undergraduate IYLEPer) blog post, April 5-7: Days to Remember!, and Ibrahim’s (high school IYLEPer) post, IYLEP 2011 Alumni Leadership Conference.
Watch Alumni Presentations from the Conference!
Here are a videos of two alumni presenting their projects, There is Always Hope and Photographic Space. Please share and support their projects!
Posted in Alumni in Iraq IYLEP News by .
by Nawras M.
Nawras participated in World Learning IYLEP 2010 at the University of Southern Indiana, focusing on Social Services and Community Health. Nawras currently studies Nursing at the University of Sulaimani. Read Nawras’ last post, called All Those Visa Forms!
Studying abroad (even if it’s for one month) can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a young person’s life. International students reach the host community with their own perspectives and cultures. When they return home they bring new knowledge and perspectives, and they gain a deeper understanding of the world.
Even now, almost two years after my experience studying abroad, it’s hard to describe what happened during the recent alumni conference. All I know for sure is that it felt so right. Seeing my friends again and meeting new ones from IYLEP 2011 brought joy to my heart.
Posted in Alumni Blogging! Alumni in Iraq Leadership by .
IYLEP
The Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) enables Iraqi undergraduate and high school students to study at American institutions, develop leadership skills and build action plans to strengthen the future of Iraq.
IYLEP is sponsored and funded by the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Youth Programs DivisionFollow Us!
Mapping Alumni Projects
IYLEP Alumni are leading projects around the world.
View IYLEP Alumni Action Plans Map in a larger map
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