Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Clements International Announces Judges Panel for 2010 Expat Youth Scholarship

A diverse panel of expatriates will judge the 2010 Expat Youth Scholarship and help award a total of $10,000 to six students. Sponsored by Clements International, this scholarship program is designed specifically for expat students who acquire unique life experiences growing up abroad.

2010 Judges Panel

Kimberly Van Cleave Michaels,
Executive Director - Families in Global Transition (FIGT)

Jo Parfitt
Journalist, Teacher, Editor, Publisher & Mentor – Joparfitt.com

Alyson Rose-Wood,
2009-2011 Presidential Management Fellow with the National Institutes of Health, Foreign Service Youth Foundation Board of Directors, Former expat youth

Rosemary Whitcraft,
AFS Intercultural Programs Thailand, Writer & Teacher


Click here to read the official press release and learn more about our judges!

Reminder: The scholarship entry deadline is Thursday, May 13, 2010.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Now Accepting Entries for the 2010 Expat Youth Scholarship

Clements International is now accepting submissions for its 2nd annual scholarship program for expatriate students. Clements will award $10,000 in scholarships to six students who best answer the question, “Where would you go in your flying house?”

The scholarship contest offers expat students a chance to use their experiences living in a foreign country to imagine where their journey might take them next. Entries consist of an essay (500 – 750 words) and creative image or photograph that incorporates their own personalized flying house.

Students ages 12-18 of any nationality who have resided in a foreign country for at least two consecutive years are eligible to apply. The scholarship entry deadline is Thursday, May 13, 2010.

For more information about the scholarship and to submit entries, visit www.expatyouthscholarship.com.

Click here to read the official press release.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Clements Sponsors Award for Foreign Service Youth

Every year, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) organizes a series of contests for Foreign Service youth. The contests offer U.S. Foreign Service kids and teens the opportunity to showcase their talents, accomplishments and unique perspectives on the world. Winners receive cash prizes and recognition at the annual youth awards ceremony at the Department of State in July.

Clements International sponsors the Community Service Award, which honors U.S. Foreign Service youth who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts at home or abroad while facing the challenges of living an internationally mobile lifestyle.

Two winners will each receive a $1,500 U.S. savings bond.

Click here for complete contest rules and nomination forms.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Clements Applauds FSYF Award Winners

As part of Clements International’s ongoing community involvement, the company sponsored the Foreign Service Youth Foundation’s Community Service Awards once again this year. The awards honor outstanding U.S. Foreign Service youth who have served their community either at home or abroad while tackling the challenges of growing up all over the world.

The contest was open to all U.S. Foreign Service youth and teens, and the winners were honored on Friday, July 17 at an awards ceremony at the U.S. Department of State, hosted by the Foreign Liaison Office. Two first place winners each received a $1,500 savings bond. Vice President Tom Lentz attended the ceremony to honor this year’s recipients:

Cristin Middaug, age 16, was selected for her support of the Pichincha School of Morochos, Ecuador. Cristin’s parents are currently posted in Quito. She recently completed the 11th grade at the Academia Cotopaxi. Her project began in December 2007, when she chose to sponsor the Pichincha School instead of receiving Christmas presents. One year later, support for the school had increased dramatically, due in part to many Embassy community members. Cristin also serves as president of the National Honor Society, plays soccer and volleyball, and participates in the Model United Nations.

Sean Titus, age 13, was selected for his water well-building project in the village of Santa Emilia, El Salvador. Sean’s parents are currently posted to San Salvador. He recently completed the 8th grade at the Academia Británica Cuscatleca. His project began as a Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “repairing the world”) as part of his Bar Mitzvah and culminated with the inauguration of a well on March 26, 2009. Sean is also an Honor Roll student, an active member of the Boy Scouts, and plays basketball, tennis and cricket.

Maryam Ahson, age 14, was awarded an honorable mention for her “Fabric NOT Plastic” campaign in Beijing, China. Maryam’s parents are currently posted to Cairo, Egypt. She recently completed the 8th grade at Cairo American College. Maryam also swims, plays team volleyball and loves dolphins. In addition to this recognition, she won a speechwriting competition sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.

Clements congratulates these outstanding expat youth!

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Clements International Presents at 2009 FAWCO Conference in Lithuania

Representatives from Clements International recently attended the 39th Biennial Conference for the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO) in Vilnius, Lithuania. The five-day conference, titled "Open Doors to New Horizons," was held March 18-22, 2009 and covered topics of interest to American women abroad with a focus on education, the natural and human environment, multicultural understanding and international goodwill.

As a long-standing sponsor of FAWCO, Clements has served as a resource and partner to its worldwide membership on the topic of international insurance. During the conference, Director of Marketing Michael Crossett delivered a presentation to attendees called, “Insurance for Individuals Living Abroad.” Click here to view a PDF version.

For more information about FAWCO and the 2009 Conference, visit www.fawco.org.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Rewarding Expat Youth for Making a Difference Abroad

Clements is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation’s Community Service Awards. The awards honor outstanding U.S. Foreign Service youth who have served their community either at home or abroad while tackling the challenges of growing up all over the world.

The contest is open to all U.S. Foreign Service youth and teens, and the winners will be honored at an awards ceremony hosted by the Foreign Liaison Office in Washington, D.C. in July 2009. Two first place winners will each receive a $1,500 savings bond. The deadline for entries is April 24, 2009.

For more information about the FSYF Community Service Awards or to download application materials, click here: http://www.fsyf.org/pdfs/Community_Service_Award.pdf

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

New York Times: Assignments Abroad are Tough on Entire Family

An interesting article in the New York Times today highlights something that's practically old news to any expatriate families - moving to a new country is incredibly stressful for the entire family.

The article interviews several members of the expatriate community, as well as relocation professionals who say if the family is unable to adapt to their new surroundings, it is even more likely the employee with not succeed at the new assignment. Spouses and children going through feelings of culture shock, depression, and isolation can put a strain on the employee, resulting in underperformance on the job.

At the end of the article, a former expat says the frustration she felt while living abroad could only be understood by fellow expats. To find blogs and sites by expats near you, try our list of resources.


Would you like to meet other expat families? Each March, the Families in Global Transition Conference (FIGT) takes place in Houston, TX, bringing together individuals and families who have spent their lives outside of their home countries. The conference has workshops an panels on everything from helping children transition abroad to understanding the perspective of trailing spouses. Register now to take advantage of early bird savings.

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