National Security Language Initiative for Youth

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is part of a multi-agency U.S. government initiative launched in January 2006 to improve Americans’ ability to engage with people from around the world who speak Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajik), Russian, and Turkish. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils as the program administrator, awards full merit-based scholarships to American high school students for participation in summer and academic-year language programs in countries/locations where the seven NSLI-Y languages are spoken. Programs 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.

NSLI-Y scholars participate in intensive language classes, host family relationships, and volunteer projects to embrace formal and informal opportunities for meaningful language practice with native speakers.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens
• Age 15 to 18 at the start of the program
• Minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0 is required
• The U.S. Department of State and American Councils seek broad diversity, including but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, socioeconomic background, geographic location, and disability.

For more information and to apply, please visit www.nsliforyouth.org.