U.S. Mission to India: Experience America: Enhancing Student Mobility in Northeast India

Overview

Northeast India is one of the most diverse, economically dynamic, and significant geographic areas of South Asia, linking India to China and Southeast Asia.  The U.S. Consulate in Kolkata sees an opportunity to forge ties with young people in the region who could become future leaders in business, civil society, and public service.  The Northeast is home to high caliber colleges and universities, although those exist in primary cities with more access to resources.  The focus of this cooperative agreement is primarily on the four Northeastern cities which have limited exposure to U.S. government’s educational, cultural, and exchange opportunities for the student community.

The project goal is to increase student mobility to the U.S. from the northeastern states of India by promoting U.S. higher education, highlighting student exchange opportunities, and building strategic partnerships.  As this programming is happening in a geopolitically strategic location, awareness raising is a successful result in this case as Consulate Kolkata is trying to establish a U.S. footprint in the northeast at this nascent stage. 

The project is expected to advance this goal by:

Highlighting the prospect of a wholesome U.S. university education, culture, opportunities for income, jobs, and professional development which will increase their employment prospects when the students return.  

Program Objectives: 

By late 2024, Consulate Kolkata, in collaboration with EducationUSA and the grantee will significantly boost student engagement in Northeast India and establish connections with 3,000 emerging young leaders through USA Road Shows, “Experience America” fairs, and other cultural and media outreach initiatives resulting in an increased  number of students applying to U.S. universities, at least 30 nominees for U.S. exchange programs, and overall increased awareness among young leaders about U.S. culture and values.  

Project Deliverables 

The recipient must be prepared to work closely across Itanagar, Shillong, Dimapur, and Imphal to implement various public diplomacy programs during the performance period, leverage the network of EducationUSA in colleges and universities, and build upon past engagements to the four cities to maximize the scope of outreach, knowledge sharing and ensure that we have an informed cohort of student community aware of our services and tools, generating interest in them about U.S. and its higher education opportunities. The recipient should be able to build a connection with local media outlets, create synergy between media influencers, university management, and student communities, and use media effectively to highlight U.S. programs in the region. The project recipient must highlight the benefits of a stronger U.S. collaboration in these cities, and should be able to achieve the following outcomes: 

• Increase U.S. engagements in Northeast India by promoting higher education in the U.S. among university-age students and youth leaders.
• Engage with young audiences in select cities of northeast India to build lasting ties through exchanges, cultural programs, EducationUSA fairs, “Experience America Road Shows,” and partnerships.  
• Expand educational, professional, scientific, technological, and technical exchange opportunities to build partnerships in areas of shared focus.
• Support democratic values that acknowledge the importance of youth in leadership roles in northeast India as a key strategic connector to the success of the Indo-Pacific vision. 
• Highlight the importance of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion on U.S. campuses.

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per organization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Federal Award Information 
Length of performance period:  Not to exceed 18 months 
Number of awards anticipated:  1 award