The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has awarded a grant to AFS Intercultural Programs to launch the Global Citizen Scholarship Program for High School Students from Greece. The scholarship program will provide 50+ Greek youth with year-long scholarships to participate in an exchange program abroad.
The program will provide students with the opportunity and support to develop the global competence needed to collaborate and communicate across cultures and create personal ties between people in other countries and Greece, both widening the perspective of Greek youth and enabling citizens around the world to get to know Greek culture in a positive and personal way.
Research shows that the exchange programs that AFS has developed lead to measurable and significant improvements in intercultural competence and influence outlooks on social issues. AFS alumni have greater respect for other people and their ideas, beliefs, and viewpoints, even when they are opposed to their own, and are more comfortable in different cultural settings, both professional and personal.