国际学生交流协会（Youth For Understanding International Exchange,简称YFU）成立于1951年，是一个包括全世界50多个国家的国际性非赢利教育文化交流机构。它起始于二战之后，主要目的是通过美国与德国之间的青年互换交流化解战争仇恨，增进民间交流和理解。今天，YFU已成为世界上历史最久、规模最大、最受尊敬的国际交流机构之一。迄今为止已有 20多万名国际学生参加了YFU交流计划。每一年都超过5000名学生参加世界各地的YFU交流项目。 YFU的宗旨和共识：为青年人在这不断变化、相互依存的世界里担负起他们的责任并获得发展机会做准备。YFU交流的目的是增进国际间的了解、不同文化间的沟通和学术交流，促进世界和平。 Youth For Understanding (YFU) is a non-profit organisation which organizes high school and other exchanges between countries all over the world. Its goal is to enhance an understanding of the host country's culture as well as giving the host family a glance at the exchange student's culture, thus promoting tolerance and peaceful global cooperation.[1] History Youth For Understanding was established in 1951 in the Detroit area, in Michigan, and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1956. In its early years, the agency brought students from post-war Germany to live in the United States to experience the USA, and by 1955, the agency sent high school students from the USA on ten-week trips to Germany. The first trips across the Pacific and to Mexico were established in 1958, and South America in 1959. YFU, Inc., the non-profit educational organization, was established in 1964, and the agency's offices were moved to Washington, D.C. in 1978.[2] During most of the 1990s, YFU, Inc. served as the primary administrative organization for applications and interviews in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship program, overseen by the now defunct United States Information Agency (USIA). With the dissolution of the USIA towards the end of 1999, the CBYX scholarship program began to be reorganized on a regional basis, and YFU ceased its central administrative control. By the start of the 2000s, a financial crisis forced YFU, Inc. into bankruptcy. The agency's offices were moved to Bethesda, Maryland, in 2002 and the agency was reorganized as YFU USA Inc. Ulrich Zahlten, founder and former chair of YFU in Germany became the new Chairman of the board of YFU USA. After YFU, Inc. declared bankruptcy, it was entirely removed from the CBYX program due to its reorganization. The reorganization also reversed the agency's misfortunes — the annual report for 2005 reports four consecutive years of budget surpluses. YFU USA currently has 5 District offices (Cambridge, Massachusetts; Azle, Texas; Bridgeport, Michigan; Des Moines, Iowa; and Seattle, Washington). YFU remains a volunteer-based organization as YFU USA has 1,200 active volunteers. There is also an active US Alumni Association, headed by an elected National Alumni Council.[3][4] Current programs Each year YFU arranges the exchanges of more than 2500 high-school students between over 50 nations. YFU offers a diverse range of educational opportunities for students, families, volunteers and schools. All YFU programs center on the family living experience. The YFU USA American Overseas Program provides opportunities for United States high school students to live with a host family and study abroad for a year, semester or summer. Each year, YFU USA awards over 3500 full and partial scholarships. The YFU USA International Student Program offers American families the opportunity to host an exchange student. In 2006 YFU welcomed more than 2000 students from over 50 countries. The YFU USA Community College Program brings the host family experience to young adults and is present on the campuses of fifteen community colleges across the United States.
