Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

The Mansfield Center is excited to announce that we will offer the AYLP Cambodia program for 20 Montana high school students and two teachers again next summer, in 2014.

We will post information on applying in August, but if you would like to learn more about the program before then, we will blog daily about our program activities while in Cambodia June 20 - July 12. The blog link will be posted on our website by the start of the program orientation in Missoula, June 16.

 

 The 2013 AYLP Cambodia program, sponsored by the US Department of State includes 20 Montana high school students and two high school teachers on an exciting 27-day program, focused on dialogue, leadership development, and community service.

The group will learn together about Cambodia and environmental issues through workshops, lectures, and field trips. After a three-day orientation in Missoula, program participants will travel to Cambodia to visit the capitol of Phnom Penh and neighboring beaches, the forests of the Cardamom Mountains, the villages of Battambang, and the ancient temple complex at Siem Reap.

Upon return home, students will be mentored in the development of a community service activity that addresses community needs and builds upon their Cambodia experience.

From other study abroad participants:

"I can't say enough about it.  Who  wouldn't want to be on the voyage to a life-changing adventure?"

"I can't even compare the value of immersion in traveling abroad to anything taught in a classroom. The course changed my life...."

"An adventure you will never forget... life-changing and eye-opening."

"I met amazing, dynamic, & innovative people who are working to pull their people out of poverty & address  the complex problems faced by their country, of which climate change is but one of many."

Program Details

Managed by the Mansfield Center, the Cambodia program focuses on the environment and climate change, introducing youth and educators from Montana to the unique environmental challenges Cambodia faces, while fostering international dialogue between Montana and Cambodia youth about the similarities and differences of environmental issues of their homes, and encouraging collaboration in working toward solutions.

This trip begins with an orientation in Missoula on June 16, 2013, and will conclude in Missoula on July 12, 2013. View itinerary.

Hear what Native American UM student, Monica Lomahukluh, has to say about her Mansfield study abroad experience in southeast Asia:

Eligibility Criteria

Selection criteria for Student Participants:

• US citizen
• Montana resident: homeschooled or attending a public or private school in Montana during the 2012-2013 school year
• Age: at least 15 years old and no older than 17 at the beginning of the exchange (June 16, 2013) AND have at least one semester of high school left to complete after the exchange
• Demonstrated interest in environmental issues through coursework or extra-curricular activities
• Demonstrated service to the community
• Flexibility, maturity, integrity, social skills, and open-mindedness
• Motivation to be an active and successful exchange participant

A candidate will be considered ineligible if s/he has previously traveled outside the United States on any State Department-funded program within the past three years or if s/he has accepted a scholarship for an impending US government-funded exchange program. Should an applicant be accepted for more than one State Department-funded youth program in this timeframe, s/he must choose between the programs and select only one program in which to participate.

About AYLP and the Mansfield Center 

The American Youth Leadership Program is sponsored by the Youth Programs Division of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Cambodia program is one of seven AYLP programs. AYLP is designed to advance mutual understanding between the people of the United States and of other countries, prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens, spark an interest in learning about foreign cultures, and develop a cadre of Americans with cultural understanding who are able to advance international dialogue and compete effectively in the global economy.

With experience leading international exchange projects since 1983, the Mansfield Center has extensive and well-established relationships in Cambodia, as well as experience with high school educational travel overseas.

Learn more about the Mansfield Center's program staff, Deena Mansour and Kelsey Stamm.

Learn more about the Mansfield Center.

Want to hear what other Mansfield exchange participants have to say about Cambodia? View exerpts from Missoula YWCA's Elizabeth Harrison's blog on her recent travels to Cambodia in August 2012 for the Mansfield Center's Women's Empowerment Project.

Questions pertaining to the application process or program in general can be referred to Kelsey Stamm via email or by phone: 406.243.2838.

The Mansfield Center of the University of Montana does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status in its programs and activities.