FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program

The FLEX Program (Future Leaders Exchange), formerly known as the “FSA Program” and/or the “Bradley Program”, was originally conceived by former Senator Bill Bradley. He believed that true democracy could only be realized through the young people of the New Independent States. The development of the successor nations of the Former Soviet Union is seen as vitally important to our U.S. foreign policy.

The former Soviet Union ceased to exist in the fall of 1991 when the fifteen republics of the USSR declared their independence. The term “New Independent States” refers to only twelve of the former Soviet republics. These include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) do not consider themselves “newly independent@, because they were annexed unwillingly by the Soviets in 1939. Each new independent state had its’ own history, language, and religion before there was a Soviet Union.

“The Freedom Support Act” (FSA) was passed in 1992 by the United States Congress to extend a hand of friendship, to build bridges of understanding, and to promote cultural awareness between the USA and the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. The Freedom Support Act established the first large exchange program for secondary students from the NIS to travel to the USA for a one year school/homestay experience. This is a very prestigious full-scholarship program that is based upon academic merit and not on financial need. In 2002, 47,091 students applied for this program. Students are first pretested to select those that have at least the basic understanding of English. They were then given the Pre-TOEFL Test (Preliminary Test of English as a Foreign Language) this year as compared to the SLEP (Secondary Language English Placement) Test. Those students who make it through these first two steps, then go on to the final selection process. These students were then interviewed and approximately 1268 students were chosen to participate in this program.

This means the students that are currently participating in the program are of high caliber. The students in this program are unique from other countries as a result of their historical background, political views, and isolation from the world. As a result, they sometimes have very special issues and needs which can be more challenging and more rewarding then our typical exchange student. Students live with an American family and attend school in the host family’s community. Students participate in the family, school, and community in a wide variety of ways.

The FLEX students perception of the USA and of Americans are often challenged in numerous ways, which the student must make sense of based upon his or her own reality and experiences. Hosting a child from the FLEX Program is a very rewarding and life changing experience. Families come to have a better understanding of the many cultural differences and issues facing students from the former Soviet Union, as well as having many of their own biases challenged.

If your family has an interest in hosting a student from the FLEX Program or would like more information regarding this program, please contact Sandra Morgan, the Deputy Director and National Counselor of the FLEX Program, at our toll free number 1-888-722-6155 or by e-mail MnNacel@aol.com or by visiting nacelopendoor.org