Argentine Students Travel to the United States as “Youth Ambassadors”

February 22, 2011

From left to right: Daniel Portugal Nahum from La Rioja, Lola Boffo from Ushuaia, the Chargé d'affaires ai Jefferson Brown, Barbara Liechti from Formosa, from Tucumán Catrihel Caillava Greppi and Julian Fontanazza from Junin de los Andes, Neuquén

The Charge d’ Affaires Jefferson Brown bid farewell to five argentine students who will be visiting the United States from February 23 to March 16 as participants of the Youth Ambassador 2011 Program. Daniel Portugal Nahum from La Rioja; Barbara Liechti from Formosa; Lola Boffo from Ushuaia; Catrihel Greppi Caillava from Tucumán; and Julián Fontanazza from Junín de los Andes, Neuquén, are the selected participants amongst hundreds of public high school students from around the country. 

“These students have been selected because of their academic achievements and their commitment to their communities.  For three weeks they will be Argentine youth ambassadors in my country; they will be able to share their culture with American families and other youths,” Charge d’ Affairs Brown commented.

The Youth Ambassadors will visit the city of Washington, DC, to be received by various US representatives, visit important landmarks and attend some cultural functions. They will then live for 10 days the life of an ordinary American teenager: they will be welcomed by a host family from Montana or Tennessee states, attend school and give presentations on Argentina.

This is the fifth edition of the Youth Ambassador program, an initiative of the United States Embassy together with the Fulbright Commission, Partners of the Americas and other public and private institutions from both countries. The students were selected from over 200 applicants between the ages of 14 and 18 years old: they all come from public schools, have good level of English and have never travelled abroad, besides being chosen for their important social commitment in their communities. The program allows them to form strong, lifelong friendship ties, improve their English skills and discover new ways to do social and community work. More than 39 students from 19 Argentine provinces have participated to date in the program.