FIVE students of the Zamboanga City High School (ZCHS)-west are set to leave for the United States to join the American Field Service-Youth and Exchange Study (AFS-YES) Program.
The students Janelle Ensantam; Renzo Salbayani Wee; Mahter Mohammad Yasser; Sheika Mae Abubakar; and, Janeen Cadir Hassan qualified for the AFS-YES program after passing the essential requirements as exchange scholars.
Councilor Vincent Paul Elago, vice chairman of the City Council's committee on tourism, said the scholars are now undergoing a three-day intercultural orientation in Makati City, which ends Monday.
The AFS-YES is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
The program, funded by the US State Department, is an innovative high school exchange program aimed at promoting international understanding especially between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations.
Elago said the program allow the student-beneficiaries to experience studying abroad while learning a new language and culture.
It also enables people to act as responsible global citizens working for peace and understanding in a diverse world, he added. (Bong Garcia)