With much excitement, the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC (ATA-DC) invites all local high school students, who aspire to broaden their horizons about different cultures and take the initiative to make an impact in their communities by building bridges, to apply to the 2023-2024 Young Cultural Ambassadors Program (YCAP).

This unique program was launched by ATA-DC in 2017 with the objective of engaging a selected group of high school students from the DC-MD-VA metropolitan area in various fun, cultural, and educational activities in order to encourage volunteerism and cross-cultural dialogue among youth.

In 2020, the YCAP became virtual and expanded nationally, allowing for high school students from all around the U.S. to apply for the Program. Since 2017 nearly 85 high-school students have participated in YCAP.

This year, the YCAP program will offer up to 25 high school students in the DC-MD-VA metropolitan area and beyond a chance to learn more about the Turkish culture, take part in numerous fun events as a volunteer, while at the same time virtually meeting with members of both the Turkish-American and international community and start building a network! 

YCAP runs from October through April for about six months. This year’s YCAP will again be offered in a hybrid (with a few in-person components, including the Turkish Festival) format to enable broader youth participation. Most YCAP activities will take place virtually, along with a few in person activities. This year’s DC Turkish Festival will take place on Sunday, October 15 on Pennsylvania Ave. NW, between 3rd and 6th St. NW in DC.

The program is an amazing opportunity for those who want to spare time for volunteer community activities, enhance their communication and diplomacy skills, make new friends and indulge in Turkish culture through arts and crafts, dance, music, and much more!

Young Cultural Ambassadors (YCAs) – Program Application Guidelines

ATA-DC’s YCAP is an initiative launched to encourage the youth to appreciate and celebrate diversity through volunteerism and become future’s informed and concerned global citizens equipped to be actively engaged with their communities!

Up to 25 applicants will be granted the opportunity to join the program and asked to take part in activities listed below:

• Attending the virtual and in-person orientation and YCAP community and leadership activities. Please watch these videos to learn more about YCAP 2018, 2019 and 2022 activities.
• Strengthening Turkish-American relations by attending and promoting the events.
• Supporting coordinating teams of the Turkish Festival streams of their choice, such as Culture, Art, Kids, etc.
• As cultural ambassadors, representing the Turkish heritage at schools by sharing the knowledge they gain about Turkey, Turkish culture, and the Turkish-American community with other students and faculty.
• All selected YCAs will be recognized on ATA-DC and Turkish Festival website and receive certificates of appreciation. 

Please note that this is an unpaid volunteer position, which may be approved by school administrations to be counted as part of community service hours. 

Qualifications:

• Must be attending high school 
• Must be a resident of the U.S. (Typically the program is for DC-MD-VA Residents only; however, due to YCAP’s hybrid (both virtual and in-person) format this year, U.S. residents from other states will also be admitted). 
• Must have the means, throughout the program, to commute to the meeting and events sites, which will mostly be metro-accessible; face-to-face activities are expected this year. 
• Turkish language skills or previous volunteering experience is NOT necessary! 

To apply: 

Please fill out the online application form which includes a section for you to include your short bio and a brief statement of interest (not exceeding 300 words). After completing the online application form, please forward a proof of residency in the U.S. to ycap@atadc.org with the subject line of YCA Program Application – Your Full Name

The last day to submit your application is September 30, 2023! After the evaluation process, the selected candidates will be contacted in October.