RYEP Program Overview
RYEP Program
The Russian Youth Environmental Program (RYEP) is a four-week exchange program to the United States intended to provide Russian youth and young adults skills and knowledge in the areas of environmental stewardship, American culture and English language, leadership, and community service. Approximately 40 RYEP finalists will travel to the United States in June-July, and will spend three weeks at host universities for engaging classroom sessions, field trips, and visits to local organizations and cultural sites. Participants will stay with host families near the universities, gaining unique insights into the everyday lives and routines of American people. In the final week of the program, students will travel to Washington, DC for a multi-day closing event comprising workshops and tours of historic sites in the area. Upon return to Russia, participants will implement community service projects in their region that address relevant local environmental issues.
RYEP will cover all necessary expenses associated with the program, including roundtrip international airfare, domestic airfare, accommodation, living stipends, meals, and health insurance. For more information about the program, please view the RYEP flyer (both an English version and a Russian version are available.)
All RYEP activities embody the following values:
Environmental Stewardship
At its core, environmental stewardship is the practice of maintaining one’s natural environment in a sustainable manner that preserves it for others. Trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and cleaning up litter are all examples of activities that can be conducted in the spirit of environmental stewardship. Coursework and workshops delivered at host universities during the program will focus heavily on environmental stewardship, as well as on other themes mentioned in this list. RYEP host universities are specially selected in part due to their proximity to beautiful natural scenery requiring environmental protections.
Cultural and Language Exchange
RYEP is an exchange program and operates under the concept that the exchange of information, knowledge, and culture benefits everyone. We’re thrilled that through the program, participants will be able to examine American life through visits to natural wonders, tours to sites of historical importance, homestay experiences with American host families, and networking opportunities with local community heroes that work on environmental sustainability and stewardship. By living with host families, participants will have the unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in American culture by experiencing daily life, language, and customs of American families. In turn, participants will also be able to share their own culture with their hosts, allowing for a meaningful and lasting cultural exchange.
Community Service
An important aspect of American culture, community service (also called "volunteering”) involves voluntarily engaging in activities that support one’s local community. Examples of community service include picking up trash at a local park, serving food at a soup kitchen, mentoring young students, and helping coordinate a charity event. RYEP participants will engage primarily in environmental community service during the program, and will work with university instructors and other mentors to plan their own community service projects, which will be implemented in their local communities in Russia at the end of the program.