Gulf Coast Diplomacy has been an enthusiastic host of U.S. Department of State Youth exchanges since 2011, when we received our first cohort of Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) participants.
Over the years, we have hosted teens from Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, France, Guyana, Honduras, Iraq, Jamaica, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
Many of these exchanges go by the name Youth Ambassadors. All of them have three things in common:
- They are short-term, with participants spending one or two weeks in Northwest Florida.
- The youth stay with local families.
- They are a fun and engaging way to learn about other cultures.
In 2021, we began hosting IYLEP and Youth Ambassador exchanges in the virtual realm. Local host families joined the IYLEP experience, and students at local high schools participated in Youth Ambassadors. We have returned to in-person exchanges and occasionally work online with other youth exchanges.
We post our upcoming exchange opportunities on our website and social media and look forward to meeting you.
