National IFYE Program for 2025
Kansas 4-H has participated with the IFYE (International Four-H Youth Exchange) program since its beginning in 1948. In the past 75-years, Kansas 4-H has sent hundreds of IFYEs to countries around the world and hosted thousands of IFYEs with Kansas 4-H host families.
The IFYE Association of the USA, Inc. earlier in 2024 placed the exchange program on hiatus for several reasons. IFYE works with the Kansas IFYE Association and Kansas 4-H Youth Development to sponsor the program, in Kansas.
During summer 2024 a pilot IFYE program with Chile in South America was organized. Six Chilean IFYEs came to USA for two-months and were hosted in Virginia, Kansas, Colorado and Illinois. Four USA IFYEs went to Chile for a three-month exchange. This pilot program ended in December 2024.
Any IFYE changes do not affect the exchanges with States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs in summer 2025.
The IFYE program is planning to operate again in 2025.
Current plans call for a limited National IFYE program in 2025 likely with a few, perhaps 6-8 outbound USA IFYEs to countries around the world, and a few inbound IFYEs to the USA. 4-H Alumni aged 19-25 may elect to spend two, three or six months abroad depending on their travel location preferences. Applications for 2025 are preferred by November 1, 2024, unless you have permission to submit later. Please notify Mary Kay Munson at 785-375-3189 or email her at mkm2@ksu.edu when you submit an application to the National IFYE Assocation, and also send a copy of your downloaded application and list of 3 references to Mary Kay Munson. A required in-person interview will be held on Sunday, November 24 in Junction City, KS.
Current countries are not known for June-August (2 months) or June-September (3 months). The updated list is pending and will be listed as it becomes available is on the national IFYE web site: www.ifyeusa.org.
