2020 Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program

Letter of Recommendation for High School Student Applicants

A program sponsored and funded by the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad and the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State

Administered by World Learning

Instructions for the Applicant:

Give this form to a teacher and/or an adult leader and ask him or her to fill it out completely and submit
it by the application deadline. (At least one letter should be written by a teacher). Please write your
name and the email you use to register for the application on all letter of recommendation forms.

You should upload this form online with your application by the application deadline. If your professor
or other reference would like to send this form directly to IYLEP without showing it to you, he or she can
email it to IYLEP@worldlearning.org. Please make sure your reference includes the email address you
are using to register online.

Information about the Program for Teacher/Adult Reference

The Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program is a youth leadership exchange program based in the U.S.
for Iraqi and American teenagers ages 15-17 and several Iraqi adults. The program aims to develop a
cadre of young adults in Iraq and the United States who have a strong sense of civic responsibility, a
commitment to community development, an awareness of current and global issues, strong
interpersonal leadership skills, willingness to foster relationships among youth from different ethnic,
religious, and national groups in Iraq, and to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration
between the United States and Iraq.

Participants will be required to implement follow-on activities upon their return home that will help the
participants stay in touch with each other and reflect on their experiences and integrate that learning
into their day-to-day lives at home. An important goal of the program is that the student leaders, now
empowered, will train other student leaders through student led community-oriented service projects.
Applicant Name: Applicant Birth Date:

Applicant Email: Application ID:

Instructions for Teacher/Adult Reference:

Our program features a special kind of educational experience. This applicant will be involved in a youth
exchange program in the U.S. with close contact with young people and adults in a challenging learning
environment that will require cross-cultural adjustment and an extended period of living as a member of
a host family. To succeed, the applicant must have a high degree of motivation and the ability to adjust
to people of different social and cultural backgrounds. Please be very honest in your assessment of the
applicant to help us to determine whether the applicant is ready for this kind of program. Please
indicate your estimate of the following characteristics as to how they pertain to the applicant by
marking an “X” in the appropriate box. If you wish to add comments, please do so on another sheet of
paper. Your answers will remain confidential.

Name Email Address

Address Telephone

Job Title & Place of Employment

In what capacity have you known the applicant?

How long have you known the applicant? From to

year year

Excellent Good Average Poor Unknown

Consideration for others

Leadership potential

Ability to take direction cheerfully

Takes Initiative

Sense of responsibility

Ability to adjust to and cope

Intellectual curiosity and imagination

Ability to express self

Participation in community and

extracurricular activities
Ability to follow through with projects
Applicant Name: Applicant Birth Date:

Applicant Email: Application ID:

Please print your responses to the following questions in English.

What is this student’s biggest strength? What is this student’s biggest weakness?

How well will the applicant be able to adapt to living with a host family from a different culture?

How well will the applicant be able to work with others in the travel group to resolve problems?

What challenges might the applicant face in participating on this program?

Please comment on the applicant’s overall suitability for the program, including leadership and
interpersonal skills. Explain why this student deserves to be chosen for this program.

Signature

Please submit this reference form back to the applicant before the deadline. If you would rather
submit this form directly to World Learning, please email IYLEP@worldlearning.org and put the
following subject line: “[Applicant Name] – IYLEP High School – 2020 Recommendation”
Thank you!