The Medallion Member School Program is a recognition that the U.S. Department of State has created for schools that enroll a U.S. Department of State-sponsored scholarship student. These future leaders participate in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), and Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programs. Host schools help build diplomatic bridges with other nations by leaving positive, lasting impressions of the United States on their exchange students.
The recognition comes in two parts. First, the schools are granted access to a digital medallion that they can place on their website, their school profile, their weekly newsletter, signage, or their email signatures as a way to highlight their commitment to academic and cultural enrichment for their students and community. AFS-USA sends an email to school principals in the fall (~October) for academic year placements and in the spring (~February/March) for semester-only students.
The second part of this recognition is a physical certificate. Historically, the certificate does not arrive from the U.S. Department of State to AFS-USA until June making it difficult to get the certificates in the hands of volunteers to present at a local school board meeting. AFS-USA is advocating that this timeline be changed to earlier in the spring to allow for in-person presentations of the certificates while the students are still on program.
More information about the Medallion Member School Program can be found on the U.S. Department of State’s website here (scroll to the bottom of the page).