HISTORY

Youth Exchange Service was founded in March 1974. It is a tax exempt, international self-financing, non-profit, educational organization as provided for under Section 501(c)(3) and a public foundation as provided for in Section 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Yes is uniquely and solely supported by foreign students fees as opposed to similar organizations that are subsidized by the U.S. business grants, U.S. community fund raisers. In the United States YES has been chartered as a non-profit corporation for the purpose of educational and cultural exchange, and it has been designated as sponsor of a teenage exchange program by the U.S. State Department.

Since its inception YES has helped thousands of participants, bringing to the United States, and sending to other nations, teenage students to live with Youth Exchange Service approved families for periods of one school semester or one school year to enable such students to acquire knowledge of American and foreign life.

The philosophy of this organization is to immerse future leaders at the teenage level totally and individually in the culture of a foreign country through a family living experience in which they can share joys, disappointments, and affection. A family will gain new insights by seeing itself through the eyes of an exchange student and an exchange student can learn to love another's culture through the eyes of his host family. The Youth Exchange Services is making their intercultural experience possible among countries of the world.

Youth Exchange Service, as sponsor of the exchange students, assumes complete responsibility and maintains jurisdiction over all aspects concerning the students/host families/school exchange experience. The program administers the selection and matching of the students and host families, clearance to attend high school, travel arrangements, supervision, counseling, orientation and medical-accidental expenses within insurance conditions and limitations.

Youth Exchange Service is contributing to the Educational and Cultural Exchange authorized by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Public Law 87-256, also known as the Fullbright-Hays Act), the objective of which is to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and other nations. This objective cannot be realized unless the students who participate in the Exchange Visitor Program return to their counties of origin to exercise the skills and knowledge acquired during the exchange thus strengthening the ties and communication which unite us with other nations of the world.