The California Central Coast Area Team of AFS Intercultural Programs has announced that Valencia High School Junior, and AFS exchange student from South Africa, Michelle Hadebe recently participated in the Civic Education Workshop in Washington, D.C.

The workshop was held from March 24 through March 29 and hosted select exchange students who are part of a U.S. State Department scholarship program.

“My greatest lesson from the Civic Education Workshop is that a leader is not always the one who speaks, and the one who listens is not always a follower,” said Hadebe. “Good leadership requires working with people, not on top of them.”

The Civic Education Workshop is an annual, one-week program held in Washington, D.C., which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“The program provides an opportunity for qualifying (scholarship program) students to gain a better understanding of some of the key concepts and values integral to U.S. society and culture,” said a statement on the Bureau’s website. “Participants learn firsthand about the U.S. federal system of government and other important concepts through seminar discussions, briefings, and meetings on Capitol Hill. Being selected is a distinct honor.”

Workshop students also learn leadership skills, as it is expected that upon their return to their home countries U.S. Department of State scholarship students will expand on and practice what they learned about volunteerism, community service, and citizen responsibility during their exchange year.

Hadebe’s AFS exchange year in Santa Clarita is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) merit-based scholarship program. She is hosted by the Tuncan family in Valencia.

The U.S. Department of State’s YES scholarship program originated after the events of September 11, 2001 to build bridges between citizens of the United States and countries around the world, particularly those with large Muslim populations.

Currently, the team is seeking local families who are interested in hosting an exchange student for an academic semester or year, beginning in August 2019.

As of March 2019, Santa Clarita is home to five AFS students from Spain, Norway, Germany, Gaza, and South Africa.

Families who are interested in hosting an exchange student can fill out an interest form here.

Ed. Note: This information was provided to KHTS by Intercultural Programs USA.

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