The Community Engagement Exchange Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and implemented by IREX.

The Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program is a leadership initiative that equips emerging community leaders, ages 21-27, with the practical skills, professional experience, and American institutional exposure needed to strengthen communities at home and abroad. Through a three-month practicum with a U.S. host organization, participants gain firsthand experience with American approaches to entrepreneurship and accountable leadership while supporting local organizations across the United States.

CEE advances U.S. interests by building durable people-to-people ties, strengthening America’s international partnerships, and showcasing the beliefs, innovation, and generosity that define American communities.
 

• Prepare rising community leaders with the tools, professional experience, and exposure to American leadership models needed to strengthen accountable governance, local problem-solving, and community resilience in ways that advance stability and constructive partnership with the United States.
• Strengthen the capacity of emerging leaders and community-based organizations to address local challenges through service, entrepreneurship, and collaborative leadership while promoting principles that reflect American traditions of individual initiative and community engagement.
• Develop leaders who can work across sectors to address public challenges ethically and effectively while contributing to stronger, more secure, and more self-reliant communities aligned with long-term U.S. strategic interests.
• Build enduring international networks of leaders with firsthand experience in the United States who can deepen people-to-people ties and promote greater understanding of American society, institutions, and beliefs in their home communities.

• The CEE network includes more than 430 alumni from 92 countries.
• 95% of participants developed sustained professional relationships with Americans after completing the program, strengthening long-term international ties rooted in firsthand experience with the United States.
• 87% of CEE-eligible countries participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At the same time, 95% of participants reported that CEE improved their view of the United States, its people, and its institutions, reinforcing America’s role as a trusted partner and alternative to authoritarian influence.
• 88% of participants applied skills learned through CEE in their home communities, and 95% reported increased confidence in their ability to contribute to local problem-solving and community leadership following their experience in the United States.
• 96% of CEE participants engaged in their U.S. host communities outside their practicum, contributing more than 2,680 hours of support.
• An estimated 87% of CEE U.S. host organizations are small- and medium-sized organizations. Hosting a CEE participant helps strengthen staff capacity, support local initiatives, and expand organizational reach.
• CEE participants have contributed an estimated $5.1 million in in-kind labor value to U.S. organizations and communities.
   

• Three-Month U.S.-Based Practicum: CEE participants support American communities through a three-month professional practicum with a U.S. host organization, where they contribute to local initiatives while learning directly from American professionals and institutions. All surveyed host organizations indicated interest in maintaining relationships with participants after the program.
• Leadership and Civic Engagement Academy: CEE participants complete a hybrid leadership curriculum designed to strengthen practical leadership, communication, and community engagement skills while exposing them to successful American models of civic participation and institution-building. Ninety-eight percent of participants reported improved professional skills following the program.
• Community Engagement Projects (CEP): Following their U.S. exchange, participants implement community-based projects that apply lessons learned from American organizations and institutions to local challenges in their home communities. To date, these projects have benefited more than 31,800 people.

For more information, email info.CEE@irex.org.

The Community Engagement Exchange Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.