The International Four-H Youth Exchange, or IFYE was an international exchange program supported and funded by the National 4-H Council up until 1992. In 1999 continued support and funding for the program was, "accepted," by the IFYE Association, and in 2012 IFYE officially changed its name to the, "IFYE Association of the USA, Inc."
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History
At the end of World War II, 4-H teens attending a national 4-H conference asked themselves, "Why can't we solve our problems in a more humane way?" Thus, a two-way cultural exchange known as the International Farm Youth Exchange began in 1948 conducted by the National 4-H Council.
In 1992 the National IFYE Association (composed of exchange alumni and others interested in promoting the International 4-H Exchanges) accepted the responsibilities to support the continued funding of these programs.
Thus, the National IFYE Foundation was developed in 1996-97 with a Board of Directors and officers named in 1997. Recommendations for directors were received by the established regions of the IFYE Association at its annual conference in Savannah, Georgia in 1996. The first annual meeting of the board was held in St. Louis, Missouri on July 23, 1997.
Because of the IFYE, thousands of young people from all over the world have lived and worked on farms, small towns and cities of another country, sharing these one-in-a-lifetime experiences with thousands of people.
Mission
The International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) Association of the USA, Inc., in cooperation with the Cooperative Extension System, will