The LINC-Youth Exploration and Empowerment program gives young leaders
from Bangladesh and the United States an opportunity to explore each
others’ culture through a two-way exchange.
LINC Exchange 2006
In December 2005, eight students from the US visited Bangladesh for
a three week stay. The following Spring, students from Bangladesh spent three weeks in Los Angeles, California. Both sets of
students were brought together in both the US and Bangladesh, and
the goal for this two groups was to get to know each other well over the
course of the year through both the visits and activities between and
after the exchange visits themselves.
The program will focus on several topics relevant to youth and society,
and particularly the role of youth in community service. In both
countries, youth can play a significant role in development and
improvement of their society. Youth leaders can bring about these
changes in society, and we are hopeful that this program will help
develop youth leadership skills, make the participants aware of what
they can do in their communities. By learning about other
cultures, we hope that participants can develop a global view of the
issues their communities face.
In addition to working directly with communities and community groups,
a key part of the LINC program is that the participants will actually
get into communities and perform work with their own hands. After
the exchange, youth in both countries will continue to work on
communities projects – an average of ten hours per month – and we
consider this a vital part of the program.
As a cultural exchange experience, we are hoping to give participants a
personal experience of another culture. Participants from both
countries will work closely together on common projects and can
informally teach each other about their cultures. We hope that
this dispels some stereotypes for both groups and may form the basis
for better understanding between the people of the US and Bangladesh.
The LINC Exchange is sponsored by a grant from the US State
Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural affairs, as authorized
by the Fullbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended.
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