This past weekend, former NERVE President Gina Curtis was awarded her Silver Award. Presenting the award was her dad (and Region Associate Advisor) Stephen. The National Venturing President, Dustin Readenour, and Vice President, Sarah Mittrucker were also in attendance for the ceremony. Congratulations Gina on this well deserved accomplishment!

U.S. Department of State Youth Exchange Scholarships for U.S. High School Students

The U.S. Department of State announces scholarships for American high school students to study abroad:

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)offers merit-based scholarships to U. S. high-school aged students for overseas study of seven critical foreign languages:  Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajik), Russian and Turkish.  The NSLI-Y program is designed to immerse participants in the cultural life of the host country, giving them invaluable formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures.  Applications for summer 2013 and academic year 2013-2014 programs are due November 1, 2012. Visit www.nsliforyouth.org for more information.

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program offers scholarships to American high school students to spend the 2013-14 academic year in countries that may include Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali (semester), Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey. This post 9/11 program focuses on increasing understanding between people in the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations. The application deadline is January 16, 2013. Visit the YES Program’s website for more information.

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX)was established in 1983 to celebrate German-American friendship based on common values of democracy.  Secondary school students live with host families, attend local schools, and participate in community life in Germany.  Young professionals (undergraduates) and high school graduates of vocational studies ages 18-24 study and participate in practical training. Scholarships are now available for academic year 2013-14; application deadlines vary by U.S. region and range from September 2012 to January 2013.  For more information and application deadlines, visit the organization in charge of recruitment for your state atUSAGermanyScholarship.org.

The American Youth Leadership Program offers opportunities for American high students and educators to travel abroad on a three- to four-week-long exchange program to gain first-hand knowledge of foreign cultures and to collaborate on solving global issues.   Several different organizations implement this program, and each has organized an academic and experiential educational exchange focused on dialogue and debate, leadership development, and community service. Recruitment areas and application deadlines vary, so please check the American Youth Leadership Program website for more information.

Michelle Holmes founded coed Crew 56 of Cambridge MA in 2004, after a conversation overheard between tents while camping with her son’s troop.
She said, “I felt if they camped with girls, they would have the basis to think of them as friends and not objects. I knew there were girls who would love our outdoor activities, and our local Girl Scouts no longer offered that opportunity.”

Crew 56 soon merged with Troop 56. Michelle innovatively used the BSA’s Learning for Life program to incorporate girls under age 14 even down into Pack 56. Troop/Crew 56 now operates as a fully coed, international-style scouting unit, offering monthly high-adventure outings to young men and women ages 11-20.

Michelle is currently Committee Chair of Troop/Crew 56. She serves on the Executive Board of the Boston Minuteman Council. She has held such posts as Council Training Chair, Wood Badge Course Director, Jamboree 2005 Asst. Scoutmaster and is an Order of the Arrow Brotherhood member. She has completed 4 Philmont treks and attended the Philmont Training Center twice, once as faculty. She has also received the Silver Beaver and Council Venturing Leadership Awards.

Professionally, Michelle is a physician-researcher, studying how diet and exercise affect cancer risk. She has worked to establish large studies of diabetes, cancer and heart disease across Africa. She is active at St. James’s Episcopal Church as a lay Eucharistic minister and Chair of the Anti-Oppression Team. Her hobby is section-hiking the Appalachian Trail, of which she has completed 950 miles.