Since 2002, over 15,000 high school students have said “YES”, immersing themselves in a host country through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. These students live with host families and attend local high schools, sharing their cultures, learning critical languages, and building life-long relationships. The YES program facilitates citizen diplomacy through cultural exchange at a community level. The impact contributes to global security as students build positive ties between future leaders and their host countries.