Foreign Service Youth Awards 2007 - 2008

The Family Liaison Office is assisting the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) to encourage the nomination of candidates for the Clements International Foreign Service Youth Award for Community Service. The Clements Award honors teenagers who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts overseas either in community service or in service to their peers while facing the challenges of growing up in an internationally mobile lifestyle.

Two first place awards for community service include a certificate of recognition for their volunteer work and a $1500 savings bond. All award winners will be invited to the Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State to receive their certificates. The winners will be announced in late May 2008. Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, April 25, 2008.

Eligibility

Students in grades 7-12 are eligible. Nominees must be children of U.S. Government employees from any agency serving abroad under Chief of Mission authority or children of Foreign Service employees of a Foreign Affairs agency living in the United States. Previous award winners are not eligible.

Nomination Procedure

The Family Liaison Office will accept nominations on behalf of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation. Teens may be nominated by anyone who knows of their accomplishments.  They may also nominate themselves. Nominations from parents are encouraged since parents know the accomplishments of their children, which might have preceded the current post of assignment. The award nomination forms are available to download at http://www.fsyf.org/award/awards.html. You may also contact the Family Liaison Office for an electronic, faxed, or hard copy of a nomination form and full description of rules.

Awards Criteria

The nominee should have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts either in community service work or with peers. A selection committee will evaluate the volunteer efforts of the nominees. It is recommended that the nomination include support in the following four areas in order to give the nominee the best possible opportunity to be selected as a winner. The nomination form must:

A. Describe the project or volunteer activity.  Explain how this project or activity incorporated any or all of these elements:

• Increased the awareness of the needs, or served the needs of a particular group, or
• Encouraged relationships with the host country, or
• Kept alive an American tradition, or
• Met an emergency need .

B. Describe the level of impact the volunteer work made on the group it is meant to serve.

C. Describe the duration of commitment.  Be sure to include the number of years, or months, or approximate number of hours the nominee committed to this activity or activities.

D. Describe the uniqueness of the volunteer activity that makes this nominee's contributions extraordinary.

All nominations must include two supporting letters of recommendation from community members such as teachers, counselors, coaches, or other authority figures. Winning nominees traditionally have submitted outstanding documentation from people outside of their immediate family.

All nominations must also include the following contact information:

A. Name of nominee;
B. Date of birth;
C. Name of parent(s);
D. Post mailing address and summer address;
E. Post email and summer email addresses;
F. All appropriate telephone numbers at post, as well as any summer telephone contact information if known;
G. Post, if overseas; or former post, if in the United States;
H. School currently attending, and year in school;
I. Agency that employs the parent.
J. Several paragraphs of narrative description and examples of the nominee's contributions which provide information for the evaluating criteria stated in paragraph five.

Photos (especially digital photos) of the nominee involved in community service are encouraged though not required. Photos of the project in action but that do not have identifying facial features of the nominee are also welcomed for possible use on the U.S. Department of State website. Photographs become the property of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation and may be used in FSYF outreach materials. Videotapes and DVDS are not accepted.

Submission of an overseas nomination must include a signed statement from an appropriate person at the Embassy or consulate (the CLO Coordinator, Management Officer, or DCM are suggested) that verifies the nominee is a member in good standing in the Mission Community. The post official may add to the nomination but this is not required. There is no limit on the number of nominees submitted per post.  Posts are encouraged to forward all applications received.

Submission of a domestic nomination must include: a signed statement from an appropriate person from the nominee's school or other community organization verifying the nominee is a community member in good standing. This official may add to the nomination but this is not required.

Nominations should be completed and emailed, faxed (202-647-1670), or mailed to:

Education and Youth Officer
Family Liaison Office
Department of State - Room 1239
2201 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20520-7512

You may contact the Education and Youth Officer at (202) 647-1076 for further information, or email FLOAskEducation@state.gov. You may contact Melanie Newhouse at the Foreign Service Youth Foundation for more information at 301-404-6655 or fsyf@fsyf.org or visit http://www.fsyf.org

Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, April 25, 2008. Please contact the Education and Youth Officer (see paragraph 11) by phone, fax, or email if you have submitted an application via mail to assure its arrival is anticipated. Expect a confirmation from FLO that the nomination has been received. If you do not receive a confirmation please contact FLO.

Information provided by the Family Liaison Office.
Contact the Family Liaison Office