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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 849 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 849

Recognizing the 16th anniversary of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) 
  program, a program funded by the Government of the United States to 
 provide an opportunity for high school students from the countries of 
the former Soviet Union to study and live in the United States in order 
     to promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia, and 
supporting the mission, goals, and accomplishments of the FLEX program.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 20, 2009

 Ms. Kaptur submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing the 16th anniversary of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) 
  program, a program funded by the Government of the United States to 
 provide an opportunity for high school students from the countries of 
the former Soviet Union to study and live in the United States in order 
     to promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia, and 
supporting the mission, goals, and accomplishments of the FLEX program.

Whereas the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program is a program funded by the 
        Department of State and the United States Agency for International 
        Development to provide an opportunity for high school students from the 
        countries of the former Soviet Union to spend one academic year 
        attending schools and living with host families throughout the United 
        States in order to promote democratic values and institutions in 
        Eurasia;
Whereas since its inception in 1992, more than 14,000 high school students from 
        Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, 
        Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine have participated in the 
        FLEX program;
Whereas the FLEX program affords talented and motivated high school students 
        from Eurasia the opportunity to study abroad, an opportunity in which 
        they may otherwise be unable to partake;
Whereas by participating in the FLEX program, students receive a first-hand 
        experience with democracy and civil society;
Whereas many students who participate in the FLEX program return to their home 
        countries with the knowledge and tools necessary to promote democracy 
        and civil society among their peers;
Whereas, as a result of their participation in the FLEX program and alumni 
        associations, many alumni of the FLEX program have joined or established 
        nongovernmental organizations that foster social, economic, and 
        political development in their home cities and regions; and
Whereas the FLEX program and its alumni have directly contributed to the spread 
        of democracy and civil society in post-Soviet Eurasia: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 16th anniversary of the Future Leaders 
        Exchange (FLEX) program;
            (2) supports the mission, goals, and accomplishments of the 
        FLEX program;
            (3) commends the FLEX program for its dedication to 
        democracy and to the role that young people play in the 
        development of democracy;
            (4) acknowledges the positive changes that many alumni of 
        the FLEX program have made in their home countries as a result 
        of their experiences in the United States; and
            (5) encourages the FLEX program to continue to provide the 
        invaluable opportunity for high school students from Eurasia to 
        study abroad in order to learn the benefits of democratic 
        values.
                                 <all>
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