On Thursday, 28 June 2012, the Embassy of Malaysia hosted the 39 Malaysian students of the AFS-YES programme and 6 American students under the YES Abroad programme. They were accompanied by chaperones and volunteers from the programme. The Malaysian students had completed their six month stay in various parts of the U.S. with American foster families and were in Washington D.C. before returning to Malaysia.
AFS-YES was created in 2002 by the U.S. Department of State in response to the events of September 11, 2001, to offer high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations exposure to life in the U.S., to foster understanding and mutual respect between our countries.
In his welcoming remarks, His Excellency Datuk Othman Hashim, Ambassador of Malaysia to the U.S., highlighted the important role the students were playing in promoting people-to-people contact. He said that such programmes provided an important opportunity for Malaysians and Americans to learn about each others culture and religion and move beyond stereotypes. He urged the students to share the positive aspects and best practices of their experience in the U.S. when they returned to Malaysia.
Two Malaysian students also spoke and provided their insights and shared their experience of the programme. The speeches were then followed by an informal luncheon, during which the students exchanged views with members of the Embassy staff of their experience of living in the United States under the AFS-YES programme.
