iEARN-USA is proud to announce the launch of the new National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program Interactive website. The site is a showcase of the language learning and cross-cultural experiences of American students on the U.S. Department of State sponsored program. NSLI-Y provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students and recent high school graduates to learn less commonly taught languages–Hindi, Arabic, Korean, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Chinese–in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs.
The multimedia stories on this new site share the experiences of students on the NSLI-Y program with youth, educators, and language learners in the U.S. for further cultural exchange and language learning:
Follow NSLI-Y Taiwan student Ryan around the Shou Shan Zoo as he introduces the names of various animals in Chinese and English.
NSLI-Y students attending Daewon Foreign High School stepped back in time by celebrating their own coming of age at a traditional ceremony held in the school’s district. The students wore the ceremonial hanboks and put their hair up as a symbol of their new adulthood. The ceremony also performed the traditional rituals and provided other cultural activities. 
On Tuesday, November 18th at 8pm-9pm (EST), join iEARN-USA Program Coordinator William Stewart and several NSLI-Y alumni during the Global Education Conference as they present, “Bringing the Study Abroad Experience Home: Using Tech to Share Your Stories.” Anyone interested in study abroad and story telling can join this virtual event to learn from NSLI-Y alumni about the craft of creating effective blogs and videos, hear their stories, and find out about study abroad opportunities. Participants will learn about the benefits of the cultural immersion experience, best practices for documenting their observations, and the newfound understanding that comes from a more participatory approach to the exchange experience.
NSLI-Y aims to provide opportunities to American youth that will spark a lifetime interest in language learning. We are excited to launch this site during International Education Week 2014 to support this goal.
iEARN-USA 