Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders On Civic Engagement (Armenia)

Each Institute hosts 20 participants. The Institutes consist of a four-week academic residency with a balanced series of seminar discussions, readings, group presentations and lectures. Site visits, leadership development, cultural activities, and community service complement coursework and academic sessions. If conditions allow, the Institutes will include a one-week integrated study tour in the United States.  Note that if the program must take place virtually, participants would engage in similar activities online from their home countries. The program will feature student leaders from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey interested in the topic of Civic Engagement.

The SUSI on Civic Engagement will enhance participants’ knowledge of U.S. history, government, institutions, society, and culture within the context of the theme. Participants may also explore the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy; civil rights movements; social justice; gender equity; community-building; grassroots and youth activism; strengthening democracy while defending against authoritarianism; addressing and fighting corruption; promoting respect for human rights; media literacy and countering disinformation; and the role of volunteerism in society.

The Institute will focus on U.S. historical events and contemporary American life, including current political, social, and economic debates in a pluralistic society.

The five-week program will take place at the University of Washington in Seattle beginning in late June 2025.

Cost Covered

• The U.S. Government will cover all participant costs, including program administration; international and visa travel, travel allowances, domestic travel, and ground transportation; book, cultural, mailing, and incidental allowances; and housing and subsistence as well as arrange and pay for participants’ international and visa travel costs and travel allowances within set limits and in coordination with posts.

Eligibility Criteria

• The participants are expected to:
  • demonstrate English language proficiency (speaking, reading, writing, listening);
  • demonstrate interest in the topic of Civic Engagement;
  • be between 18 and 25 years of age;
  • have at least one semester left of their undergraduate studies, and be committed to returning to their home universities following completion of the program;
  • demonstrate strong leadership qualities and potential in their university and community activities;
  • indicate a serious interest in learning about the United States;
  • have a sustained high level of academic achievement, as indicated by grades, awards, and teacher recommendations;
  • demonstrate commitment to community service and extracurricular university activities;
  • have little or no prior study or travel experience in the United States or elsewhere outside of their home country;
  • be mature, responsible, independent, confident, open-minded, tolerant, thoughtful, and inquisitive;
  • be willing to respectfully engage with fellow participants representing different backgrounds and different points of view;
  • be willing and able to fully participate in an intensive academic program, community service, and educational travel; and
  • be comfortable with campus life, prepared to share living accommodations, and able to adjust to cultural and social practices different from those of their home country.

Application Requirements

• This is an intensive and rigorous academic Institute and participants are expected to fully participate in all aspects of the program.
• Participants must attend all lectures, participate in all required organized activities, and complete all assignments.
• Due to the intensive nature of the program, participants should not expect to fulfill professional or academic obligations, including remote work for jobs or internships, classwork, or examinations for their home university, while in the United States.
• Doing so will count as an unexcused absence from program activities.
• Family members and/or friends may not accompany or join participants for any part of the program.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Armenia.