What is this blog and why do you need it?

Hello and welcome to our one and only FLEX GYSD blog! My name is Elina Mukhametdinova, and I will try my best to keep you updated on FLEX GYSD activity for the next month! :)

First of all, I would like to tell you more about myself:, since it is quite obvious that you must have questions like "Who is this person?" and "Why is she writing this?". I am a Global Youth Service Day Assistant at American Councils for International Education office in Moscow. Moreover, I am a FLEX alumna of 2010, that's why FLEX activity in GYSD is especially exciting for me! Just in case you are interested, I am majoring in journalism, study German and French and enjoy running! :)

And now I would like to tell you a little about American Councils for International Education, as you might not be aware of what it is. Founded in 1974, this organization develops partnership programs between the United States and the countries of Eurasia and Eastern Europe. It actively contributes to the development of Eurasian language and area studies in the United States. You can learn more about us on our website. 

Our organization is a GYSD Eurasia/Eastern Europe regional partner. That means we are responsible for Global Youth Service Day in a number of countries such as Russia, Greece, Georgia, Kazakhstan and a dozen of other great places!

Okay, now you see the conection between me, American Councils and GYSD. Let's get further! What is FLEX? And why does it take such an important place in this blog? The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program provides scholarships for high school students (ages 15-17) from Eurasia to spend an academic year in the United States, living with a family and attending an American high school. The program has been around for 20 years, and more than 20000 students have already become FLEX alumni! However, when alumni get back to their countries, their FLEX lives are actually just starting! Being a FLEX alumna myself, I can prove that with a great pleasure! :)

I am pretty sure that if you have somehow ended up on that page, you must know what Global Youth Service Day is! However, you never know! Global Youth Service Day is a worldwide event focused on community service development and it was set up by Youth Service America. Last year more than 100 countries with thousands of volunteers took part in GYSD. Probably, the sweetest thing about GYSD is that this year is its 25th anniversary, so it would be great to celebrate it on April 26-28 (GYSD 2013 days) with even more projects and participants all around the Globe!

FLEX alumni have taken part in GYSD actively for quite a long time! For already 10 years, alumni have had a great opportunity to organize GYSD community service projects and get grants up to 500 dollars from American Councils. This year is not an exception, and there are going to be at least 28 projects organized all over Eurasia by our FLEX alumni! Those projects are going to be the heart and the soul of my blog, and I will try to report about them as much as possible!

So, now you know about relations between me, American Councils, FLEX and GYSD! :) Got interested? Just keep up with the blog and see how ideas and wishes are turning into real projects! Or maybe you want to take part in GYSD yourself? Then here are some ideas of how you can make the World brighter on April 26-28!

Keep in touch! :)