Purpose of the FREEDOM Support Act Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program

The FREEDOM Support Act (FSA) Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program is funded by the United States Government to promote respect for cultural diversity, friendship between the United States of America and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, and opportunities for personal development through international host family living.
The Future Leaders Exchange program provides students from the New Independent States the opportunity to attend an American school for an academic year, share in US family life by living with a host family. Acquire an understanding of important elements of a civil society and serve as agents for change in their countries after they return home.
The scholarships include roundtrip travel to the US, orientation programs and materials, incidentals and monthly allowances, placement with a host family, and enrollment in a secondary school.
The United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) administers the FSA Future Leaders Exchange program grants. The Program is carried out by approximately 20 US not-for-profit organizations selected to participate through a competitive grant process. Consistent with US laws, the Placement Organizations do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion or gender in employment or in making selections and placements of students.

What Makes FLEX Students Different From Other Exchange Students?

The purpose of the Future Leaders Exchange program is to foster democracy-building. Unlike students who pay a fee to come to the U.S. on a private exchange, FLEX students are awarded U.S. government scholarships mainly so they can learn about democracy and the U.S. system of government through experiencing them firsthand. A major goal of the program is for participants to gain a real understanding of democratic concepts such as student government, debate, citizen empowerment, volunteerism, and community action so they can take these concepts back to their communities in the emerging democracies of the former Soviet Union. The federal grant awarded to your exchange organization includes funds for "enhancement activities" for your FLEX students. We urge you to use these funds to help students achieve the programs democracy-building goal through visits to state and local government, participation in community service activities, etc. FLEX students had to undergo a rigorous competition in order to be selected for this program. Since they are on government scholarships, their responsibilities during the exchange period greatly exceed those of students who come to the U.S. under private programs.

What Are Those Responsibilities?

FLEX students are expected to be ambassadors from their countries and to teach Americans with whom they interact about the culture and the socioeconomic system of their native countries. Upon returning home, they also are expected to be ambassadors from the U.S. to their countries and to teach their fellow citizens about life in the U.S. Many FLEX alumni have written articles for local newspapers, have been interviewed on TV and radio, and have made presentations about American life in their schools and universities. While it is hoped that all high school exchange students will share their native culture with the Americans they meet, it is an obligation for every FLEX participant to be both a cultural teacher and student while he or she is in the U.S.
Your organization may be one of several that has incorporated a community service component into the program of its FLEX students. USIA supports this effort, since participating in volunteer activities provides a way for these students to give something back to their host communities.

How are FLEX students recruited?

Eligible candidates are recruited through a comprehensive, merit-based, open competition in all 12 countries of the former Soviet Union. A tremendous effort is made to recruit students from diverse geographical areas, backgrounds, and ethnic groups. This ensures that the candidate pool is representative of the disparate groups of people that make up the populations of the NIS. Students with disabilities are also aggressively recruited in the NIS, in keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). No special consideration whatsoever is given to a candidates financial status or connections that a candidate's parents may have. This latter condition is unprecedented in a society where, until recently, bribes and connections were often used as ways to get ahead. The recruitment is conducted by representatives of the American Council of Teachers of Russian/American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study (ACTR/ACCELS) through a grant from USIA. ACTR/ACCELS staff advertise an open competition in targeted cities throughout the NIS countries in newspapers, on the radio, on television, in local schools, and through the Ministries of Education. Students are asked to go to the nearest testing site with a birth certificate and photo identification to prove that they meet the eligibility requirements.
Students who are eligible are administered a short, multiple choice English test to qualify them for the next round of testing . Those who pass are given a comprehensive, secondary level English exam, such as the pre-TOEFE, or SEEP, and are asked to write three essays in English on specific topics. These tests and essays are then forwarded to Moscow where they are reviewed by a multinational committee; Students who make it to the third round are selected because of their English proficiency score and a demonstration in their essays that they possess qualities necessary for intercultural adjustment. Successful candidates from this round receive applications to complete and are interviewed individually by both American and local ACTR/ACCELS staff who have been specially trained to evaluate these students. Interviews are conducted in both English and in the student's native language. They also participate in group interviews, sometimes referred to as "games," which enable ACTR/ACCELS staff to observe candidates interacting with their peers. When students are notified of their selection as finalists, each is assigned to one of the placement organizations. The role of the placement organizations is fully explained to students at the pre-departure orientations in the NIS. At that time, each student is given materials (that have been provided by each organization) about the mission, rules and regulations of his or her organization. After arriving in the American host community, it is the responsibility of organization representatives at the local level (like yourselves) to further orient FLEX students about your organization's rules and regulations (stipend dispersal, insurance, etc.).

How Can FLEX Students Be Assets To Their School and Community?

FLEX students were selected because they exhibited leadership qualities. They have been told to come to the U.S. prepared to make presentations about their home countries and its culture to schools, churches, and community groups. Please encourage your FLEX students to make presentations for their history and government classes as well as their school's international clubs. In previous years, some FLEX students have made wonderful presentations at middle and elementary schools. Remember, most people think of the vast area of the former Soviet Union as being only "Russia." But in fact, the USSR was made up of a number of different republics that are now- independent countries. The students chosen for the FLEX program are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Many FLEX students from countries other than Russia are sensitive when it comes to their national identity, and feelings of national identification and pride have increased greatly in many of the NIS countries since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Each country has its own language, culture, history and traditions. Students, school staff and others in your community could benefit from learning more about these countries and peoples who were relatively isolated from the rest of the world for nearly 70 years.

What Happens To FLEX Students When They Return Home? The Re-Entry Experience:

Like all exchange students, FLEX students encounter a re-entry and adjustment period when they return home. However, these students may experience unique re-entry issues that stem from political, economic, and social changes in the NIS. Upon returning, some alumni feel as if they don't recognize the country to which they have returned while others feel frustrated with the lack of progress during their absence. Students may start to compare the conditions in their home country with conditions in America. Sometimes, the comparisons are negative. Alumni have noticed that people in their countries do not smile or say thank you as much as Americans do. They find their cities to be "dirty" and "gloomy." On the other hand, many students have a new respect for their cultural traditions and practices and find themselves more patriotic, despite their initial disappointment with the physical appearance of their country Students may also have difficulty readjusting to life with their natural families. Traditionally college age students in the NIS live with their families and do not move out until they have married and can afford to live on their own. Many people in the NIS live in multi-generational households their entire life. After a year of being separated from their natural parents, alumni, particularly young women, frequently have a difficult time getting their families to accept their new independence. Parents often are not prepared for the changes that have occurred in their children. ACTR/ACCELS conducts re-entry seminars for returning FLEX alumni, but not all students are able to attend because of university exam schedules or distance from the nearest ACTR/ACCELS offices in the NIS. Therefore, it is important that students are prepared for reverse culture shock before they leave the US.

The Alumni Program

Returning FLEX students have the opportunity to join the alumni program organized by ACTR/ACCELS offices throughout the NIS. Alumni meet regularly for discussions, viewing of American films, celebration of American holidays, debates, speaker nights, and career counseling, and to help with recruitment and orientation of future FLEX students. Some alumni have participated in community service activities, such as volunteering in local orphanages. Alumni who live in cities where there are ACTR/ACCELS offices have the opportunity to meet more frequently than students who have to travel to an event, but all students are invited and alumni in other cities will often travel great distances to attend an alumni gathering, perhaps spending the night at the home of a fellow FLEX student. Alumni may also get involved when the recruitment competitions are conducted in their home town. In regions that are quite far from an ACTR/ACCEES office, some alumni have formed their own associations! Alumni correspond with each other on an e-mail list serve and they have their own quarterly English language newsletter, The Bradley Herald, which contains stories and articles written by the alumni, themselves. In general, FLEX alumni have been extremely successful both in school and in their communities. The alumni program was created to give FLEX alumni the opportunity to connect with one another and to continue their American experience. It provides both an outlet and a forum for these bright young students and gives them opportunities to participate in activities that support their movement into positions of leadership. In addition, alumni are able to provide a support system for one another during the readjustment period. If your FLEX students want to learn more about participating in the alumni program, tell them to contact the nearest ACTR/ACCELS office after they return home.