Deadline: 4-Feb-22
The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has announced an open competition for one cooperative agreement for the FY 2022 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program.
NSLI-Y increases the number of American youth (ages 15 to 18) who learn critical foreign languages in support of strengthening national security, building mutual understanding, and preparing for the global economy. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations, may submit proposals to cooperate with ECA in the overall administration of NSLI-Y organizational responsibilities and the implementation of overseas summer and academic year language programs for approximately 661 participants.
NSLI-Y program activities funded by this award will take place during summer 2023 and academic year 2023-2024 in locations where Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki or Farsi), Russian, and Turkish are widely used in everyday life. The award also supports programming for NSLI-Y alumni of all program years. The award recipient will manage the comprehensive organizational and administrative responsibilities of this program and will identify qualified sub-award recipients to implement many of the overseas language programs.
Purpose: NSLI-Y increases the number of American youth (ages 15 to 18) with the language skills necessary to advance international dialogue, promote economic prosperity and innovation worldwide, and strengthen national security by building understanding across cultures. NSLI-Y programs accelerate and improve participants’ language skills through a combination of structured classroom language instruction and less formal interactive and applied learning opportunities.
Goals
NSLI-Y Program Goals:
- To develop a cadre of Americans with exceptional linguistic skills and related cultural understanding to advance international dialogue, develop skills for the global economy, and promote mutual understanding;
- To provide a tangible incentive for the learning and use of foreign languages by providing overseas language study opportunities for American high school students; and,
- To spark a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures among American youth.
Distribution of Scholarships by Language, Duration, and Location
The approximate target distribution of scholarships by language, duration, and potential locations are detailed below. Programs should be proposed for all eight languages, but do not need to be proposed for all potential locations. Specific locations should be where the target language is widely used in everyday life.
- Arabic: 95 for summer; 15 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. If security considerations permit and ECA concurs, programs in additional countries may be added at a later time.
- Chinese (Mandarin): 200 for summer; 35 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.
- Hindi: 35 for summer; 5 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for India.
- Indonesian: 15 for summer. Programs may be proposed for Indonesia.
- Korean: 85 for summer; 15 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
- Persian (Tajiki or Farsi): 15 for summer. One program may be proposed for Tajikistan.
- Russian: 110 for summer; 16 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, and Russia. The majority of participants should be placed in Russia if conditions allow.
- Turkish: 15 for summer; 5 for academic year. Programs may be proposed for Turkey.
Scholarship Coverage
Ensure that the NSLI-Y scholarship is comprehensive and consistent across all implementing organizations, and covers the following expenses:
- Travel: Round-trip travel between the participant’s city of official residence, to the predeparture orientation location, and to the overseas NSLI-Y program location
- Orientations: Pre-departure, arrival, mid-program (academic year only), and re-entry
- Visas: Host country entry/exit and transit visas, as needed
- Tuition and related academic expenses: Including support and testing for placement and language acquisition
- Educational and cultural programming: Including overseas language-focused excursions, volunteer opportunities, and guided internships, if applicable
- Meals: Three meals per day
- Accommodations: A host family for the entirety of each program is preferred; if students are in a dormitory or other supervised group housing for part of the exchange, there must be a host family stay for part of the program
- Health Benefits: Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) health benefits, provided by the U.S. Department of State, or equivalent health benefits
- Stipend: To cover additional living expenses if needed, as determined by in-country implementer and approved by award recipient
The NSLI-Y scholarship does not cover the following:
- Passports: Costs associated with obtaining a valid U.S. passport, except in cases of unusual hardship, as determined by the award recipient
- Medical: Required medical examinations and immunizations needed to travel to the host country or routine medical checkups
- Incidentals: Pocket money for souvenirs or additional events such as movies, ice skating, etc., except in cases of unusual hardship, as determined by the award recipient, in collaboration with ECA.
Eligibility Criteria
Ensure that the following minimum criteria are used for recruitment. NSLI-Y applicants must be:
- U.S. citizens;
- 15 to 18 years of age at the approximate beginning of the program (beginning of the program can be defined as early as when the scholarship is accepted; one cut-off date for summer programs and one for academic year programs is allowed);
- Enrolled in high school or equivalent home school program at the time of application; and,
- Have a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale or equivalent.
Adhere to the ECA eligibility policy for alumni of NSLI-Y and other ECA Youth Programs Division exchange programs.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336877