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2007-12-18 issue:

Exchange program within global South

by Mennonite World Conference

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STRASBOURG, France/AKRON, Pa.—A South-to-South exchange for young people is being described as “the missing piece” in a group of programs for Anabaptist young adults. YAMEN! (Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network), the third program, is a joint Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) venture.

For many years North American young people could travel and work abroad in MCC’s SALT (Serving and Learning Together) program, and North Americans hosted young people from many countries around the world in another MCC program, IVEP (International Volunteer Exchange Program). Both programs are administered from MCC’s binational office in Akron.

But there was no learning and service exchange program between Anabaptist young people within the Southern Hemisphere until MWC and MCC joined forces and launched YAMEN! in 2001. Now YAMEN! is being restructured. MWC and MCC continue to work at details on funding, facilitating and accountability.

The program for single young adults ages 18-30—primarily but not exclusively in the global South and who are committed to service and to church-to-church relationships within the global Anabaptist family—now has one-year terms (August through July). Applications, with the support of the applicant’s local church, are made through in-country MCC offices where a committee of church leaders and MCC staff processes them and forwards them to MCC’s international headquarters. Placements always have a connection to an Anabaptist church or MCC partners in the host country.—Mennonite World Conference

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