Deadline: 19-Feb-23
The U.S. Consulate General Naha’s Public Affairs Section (PAS) announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship Program for Okinawa High School Students.
Objectives
- The U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship program is designed to provide an exchange experience for high school students from Okinawa who will live with an American family while they study for one academic year in the United States. By attending a U.S. high school and living with a host family, Okinawan students who participate in the program will deepen their knowledge of the United States and build close relationships with their U.S. families and friends.
- The U.S. Ambassador’s Scholarship for Okinawan High School Students was created in 2018 to reestablish an exchange program in which Okinawan students go to the United States to study. To date 37 high school students have attended U.S. high schools on this program.
- Upon their return to Okinawa, U.S. Ambassador scholars have a role to play as alumni with relevant U.S. experience and knowledge. With their experience and knowledge, program alumni are expected to foster a better understanding of the United States among Okinawans. To attract the best qualified students without regard to Socio-economic status, the program will be fully funded by the U.S. Government.
- Recruitment should be expanded to focus on students living in base-hosting communities and on Okinawa’s SW Islands.
- Therefore, proposals should not include student contributions to offset any involved costs.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: Up to 24 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 awards
- Award amounts: maximum of $110,000
Priority Region: Okinawa, Japan
Participants and Audiences
- Proposals must address the following: recruitment and selection of students (to include making sure students meet the requirements of the program, have the English language ability and emotional and intellectual ability to thrive in the program), the ability to monitor and ensure the safety of students while they are in the US, and the ability to create and maintain a longstanding alumni networks is of paramount importance. The successful applicant must also demonstrate how they can intervene in times of crisis (for example, taking immediate action when students need medical or psychological care or quickly acting when students need to return to Japan). For all these reasons, the successful applicant should be an organization with a local branch in Okinawa or the capacity to organize, implement, and administer this program from Okinawa.
Eligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations
- Public and private educational institutions
- Public international organizations and governmental institutions
- Individuals
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Japan.