Host a YSEALI PE Participant

Apply to Host a YSEALI PE Participant

About Professional Placements

YSEALI PE participants are placed with U.S. non-profit, public, or private sector organizations for four-week placements individually tailored to their professional experiences and interest. Participants come from a range of backgrounds and professional sectors. They are between the ages of 25 and 35 years old, have demonstrated expertise in their field, are currently employed, and have at least two years of relevant professional experience. The majority of participants have university or advanced degrees, and all have working proficiency in English.

Professional placements should be mutually beneficial to the YSEALI PE participant and the host organization and must provide a substantive experience for the participant. These placements should provide participants with direct, hands-on experience in the daily operations of leading U.S. public, private, and nonprofit institutions, and foster professional partnerships with American counterparts. Participants are expected to report to their host organizations approximately 32-40 hours per week during the four-week program. Past participants have been placed with large multi-national companies, fast-paced start-ups, NGOs, government offices, and other dynamic organizations within their sector or a complimentary sector.

Responsibilities of Hosting a YSEALI Participant

While at their professional placement, YSEALI PE participants work directly with a U.S. placement host, who serves as their main point of contact and coordinates professional activities. Activities can include shadowing important meetings, conducting research, presenting on relevant topics, participating in office events, and many other projects. While the U.S. placement host is the main point of contact, they are encouraged to arrange for their YSEALI PE participant to collaborate with other colleagues and departments within their organization as well. There is no cost to a U.S. institution to host. Participants are provided a living stipend from the U.S. Department of State and take public transit or other means to commute to their host site each day.

For more information about hosting a YSEALI Professional Exchange participant at your organization, please contact us at ysealipe@americancouncils.org.

Reciprocal Exchange Projects

U.S. placement hosts have a unique opportunity to participate in a Reciprocal Exchange Project as a follow-on to the U.S.-based exchange. The Reciprocal Exchange Project affords the U.S. placement host the opportunity to travel to the participant’s home country and implement a professional project addressing a need or challenge faced in the participant’s community. The projects are designed by the participant in close collaboration with the U.S. placement host. Reciprocal Exchange Project proposals are competitively selected. Selected Reciprocal Exchange Projects are fully-funded, are approximately ten days in length, and are open to U.S. citizens who have worked closely with a YSEALI PE participant during the program.

U.S. participants in these projects are expected to provide expertise, insights, and best practices while simultaneously learning about the international participant’s country, community, and work. Reciprocal Exchange Projects are intended as substantive professional experiences directly supporting U.S. public diplomacy objectives and advancing the YSEALI PE goals of strengthening bilateral partnerships between the U.S. and the Indo-Pacific. U.S. participants who successfully complete projects become members of the prestigious U.S. Department of State Exchange Alumni network at the conclusion of the project.

Apply to be a Host Family

About Host Families

Host families are an important part of the YSEALI PE experience and provide participants with valuable cultural immersion during their time in the U.S. Host families reflect the full breadth of the United States and serve as cultural ambassadors for the participants, offering them a glimpse of into everyday American life.

The majority of YSEALI PE participants are housed with U.S. host families for the duration of their four-week placement. Others will stay with a host family for a shorter period of time (several days to a couple of weeks) and reside in university housing or an extended stay hotel for the remainder of their exchange.

Host families provide participants with their own bed, private room, adequate space to put their things, and meals and/or access to groceries and kitchen amenities. Host families are volunteers and do not receive compensation for hosting. Participants receive a modest stipend for lunches during working hours and an allowance for public transportation provided by the U.S. Department of State.

For more information on becoming a host family, please contact us at ysealipe@americancouncils.org.

Apply to be a Hospitality Host

About Hospitality Hosts

For those who may not have the space, time, or capacity to host a participant in their home for a longer stay, there are still plenty of opportunities to be involved as a hospitality host. Home hospitality experiences provide YSEALI participants with a glimpse into everyday American life. Hospitality hosts are community members who are interested in sharing their American culture and learning about the participants’ culture, but may not be able to commit to the full four-weeks of hosting.

Hospitality hosts can lead experiences such as inviting a participant for a homecooked meal, taking them out to dinner, visiting a museum, attending a sporting event, or another cultural experience. As with host families, hospitality hosts are considered volunteers and are not compensated for hosting a participant.

For more information about volunteering as a hospitality host, please contact us at ysealipe@americancouncils.org.