Click here the Youth Ambassadors 2010 List

Gabrielle Coelho Vieira Cavalheiro when she found out she had been selected for the Youth Ambassadors Program 2010. (Photo: U.S. Embassy)  Check us on Flickr

Brasília, 2009 – On October 16, the 35 candidates selected to take part in the U.S. Embassy’s Cultural Exchange Program, “Youth Ambassadors,” were announced.  This is the eighth edition of the program that will take the students to the United States for three weeks, from January 8 to 30, 2010. "The experience of being a Youth Ambassador gives them the opportunity to expand their horizons at the same time as they help us strengthen the ties of friendship, respect and collaboration between Brazil and the United States," said the United States Embassy’s Chargé d' Affaires, Lisa Kubiske during the ceremony at the Banco Bradesco’s headquarters in São Paulo.

Over four thousand high school students from every Brazilian state have taken part in the selection process, which involved 54 of the US Embassy’s partner institutions throughout Brazil.  One hundred and thirty-nine students have reached the final stage and are competing for the thirty-five places.

The Youth Ambassadors will spend a week in the US capital, Washington D.C., taking part in meetings with officials, visiting historic monuments, museums and  organizations.  After Washington, each student will be sent to one of the five participating states to spend two-weeks with an American family who has volunteered to host them.  Additionally, they will attend classes at a high school where, in addition to learning about the daily lives of  American students, will have the opportunity to speak about Brazil.

Since the founding of Youth Ambassador’s in 2003, 170  Brazilian public school students have participated in the program. The finalists not selected to travel to the United States will be invited by the US Embassy to take part in an English language and American culture immersion course in July 2010, in Brasília.