Social Justice

The Youth, Exchange and Study (YES) program has been the first opportunity for young people from sub-Saharan Africa to ever participate in a high school exchange. We have brought 55 students to Iowa in the past three years and are set to bring another 20 students in the 06-07 academic year. We only have one or two more Muslim boys to place and strongly believe they must be placed in an area where there is an Islamic
Center and their religious beliefs can be respected. The Quad Cities fit that requirement.

We are looking for host families who have space in their home and would be the kind of people we would want to host our child if they were in another country. They must respect and support the religious beliefs of their guests. If the families are open to learning, flexible, patient and have a good sense of humor...those are the best
qualities. We typically look for two host families at about one semester each for the best program, but the full year of hosting is also possible.

The program is funded by the U.S. State Department, and students will receive a monthly stipend for their day to day expenses. They also receive insurance coverage and will participate in an enrichment program while they are in the United States.

We have found that placing a student requires a direct contact with a potential host families. Newspaper articles or church bulletins help get the message out, but they almost never get a response in themselves. The best approach would be for a small number of persons from the Fellowship or other group to begin identifying persons who would be good hosts and them asking them directly. IRIS will also be happy to make the request if we have the appropriate contact information. You can learn more about IRIS and our project at www.IRIS-Center.org

Sincerely,
Bob Anderson