U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
Washington, District of Columbia
Founded 1961
The U.S. Department of State bureau that runs academic, cultural, sports and professional exchanges between the people of the United States and other countries, from high school students to professionals.
Opportunities from U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
FLEX Global Program
by U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
A U.S. Department of State exchange in which students from India in Grades 8 to 11 spend an academic year in the United States, living with a host family and attending a U.S. high school. It builds on the FLEX and Kennedy-Lugar YES programs.
What your child could gain:
About
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is part of the U.S. Department of State. As mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, it works to build friendly, peaceful relations between the people of the United States and other countries through academic, cultural, sports and professional exchanges, and public-private partnerships. Its exchanges engage people from high school students to professionals. It funds and administers FLEX Global, an exchange in which high school students spend an academic year in the United States with a host family and attend a U.S. high school. FLEX Global builds on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.
Affiliations
Programs offered
- Fulbright Program (operates in over 160 countries, including India)
- International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)
- EducationUSA (advising centers in India)
- Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
- Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
- National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
- Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program
- Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
- Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program
- TechWomen
- Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP)
- Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)
- Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program
- Alumni TIES (Thematic International Exchange Seminars)
- U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation
- Sports Visitor Program (including participants from India)
- Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA)
- Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars and Secondary Educators (SUSI Scholars)
- English Access Microscholarship Program
Achievements
- Over 1 million exchange program alumni worldwide
- Alumni include more than 75 Nobel Laureates and nearly 450 current and former heads of state and government
- Instrumental in fostering peaceful relations and mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations
- Supports over 300,000 exchanges annually
- Approximately 16,000 alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs in India, one of the largest and most diverse alumni communities globally
- Alumni in India include four prime ministers, two presidents, multiple ministers and legislators, and luminaries from media, civil society, and business fields
- Consistently recognized as a top producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards
Leadership
- Darren Beattie, Senior Official, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (U.S. Department of State)
- Scott Weinhold, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) (U.S. Department of State)
- Rebecca Pasini, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange (U.S. Department of State)
- Yolanda Robinson, Executive Director for the Executive Office (U.S. Department of State)
Contact information
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