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SYLP
Serbia Youth Leadership Program

Program of the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
and the Embassy of the USA in Belgrade
was administered by American Councils for International Education, Youth Ventures, Fractal, World Learning and Civic Initiatives 

Description of the Program administered by American Councils:
The Serbia Youth Leadership Program (SYLP) supported the development of community activism, leadership development, respect for diversity, and civic education in youth from Serbia and the United States. This short-term cultural and educational exchange between Serbian and American high school students and teachers/community leaders tought participants valuable skills of social entrepreneurship such as identifying and diagnosing community problems, using new technologies to communicate effectively, and teamwork and consensus building. 

SYLP participants were recruited from Novi Beograd, Novi Pazar, Raška, Srbobran, Vrbas, and Užice. Up to 56 students from Serbia aged 15-17 and four to ten teachers/community leaders traveledl to the United States to participate in a four-week program that enabled them to gain skills that helped them to launch a successful Youth Venture— a community-based project—once returning to Serbia. Participants took part in a week-long orientation in Washington, DC that prepared them for their two and a half week program in a U.S. community. Students were divided into three groups and accompanied by one or two youth leaders from Serbia. Each group traveled to a US community to live with American host families and to actively participate in a program that focused on a specific theme. Each city had a different theme:

  • participants in Minneapolis, Minnesota focused on student activism and expanding educational opportunities;
  • participants in San Francisco, California examined the immigrant experience in the United States to focus on equality issues and ethnic tolerance in a multi-ethnic, pluralistic society;
  • participants in Seattle, Washington focused on grassroots activism from the local to the global levels.

SYLP participants returned to Washington, DC to participate in an end-of-program conference where experiences from the three host communities were shared and evaluated for possible Youth Venture initiatives in Serbia.  After returning to Serbia, all participants will took part in a Community Panel—made up of potential funders, non-governmental organizations, representatives from partner organizations, and US Youth Venturers—where they presented plans for their venture. The panel offered suggestions and gave guidance designed to make the ventures as successful as possible.  During July 2010, 15 US participants from the US host communities traveled to Serbia for a two week exchange program. SYLP finalists from Serbia were eligible to apply to host their US counterparts. All SYLP participants had the opportunity to interact with the US participants during their exchange in Serbia.

The Serbia Youth Leadership Program enabled participants to:

  • develop their sense of civic responsibility and commitment to community development;
  • become part of a group of community activists who will share their knowledge and skills with their peers through positive action and collaboration;
  • foster understanding and build relationships with youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups;
  • promote mutual understanding between the people of Serbia and the United States.

SYLP was also administered by organization civic initiatives in the following municipalities: Blace, Kikinda, Obrenovac, Smederevo, Sokobanja, Zrenjanin, Palilula and Savski Venac.