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 and professional exchange initiative that equips emerging European leaders, ages 22-27, with the skills, experience, and networks needed to strengthen communities through free expression, open inquiry, constructive dialogue, and civic participation. Through a U.S.-based exchange that includes a professional placement with an American host organization, engagement with local communities, and applied learning opportunities, participants gain firsthand experience with how Americans address complex challenges, navigate differences, and turn civic engagement into community action. 

CEE advances U.S. interests by fostering enduring people-to-people connections, strengthening partnerships between emerging international leaders and American communities, and highlighting the principles that support a vibrant democracy. By promoting the responsible exercise of free speech, community leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration, CEE helps build lasting relationships and shared solutions that benefit communities in the United States and around the world.
 

• 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.
• 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. 
• 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.
• Since 2022, CEE participants have contributed an estimated $5.1 million in in-kind labor value to U.S. organizations and communities.

• Connect emerging leaders from Europe with American institutions, communities, and constitutional traditions.
• Advance understanding and the responsible exercise of freedom of speech through direct experience in the United States. 
• Demonstrate how Americans engage in public discourse, address disagreements, and strengthen communities through local problem-solving. 
• Combine professional placements, applied learning, and reciprocal exchange with U.S. organizations and communities.
• Build enduring partnerships that support American interests at home and abroad.

• U.S.-Based Professional Placement: CEE participants complete a customized four- week professional placement with a U.S. host organization, gaining hands-on experience with American approaches to free expression, civic participation, community leadership, and public problem-solving. Through collaboration with U.S. professionals and local communities, participants build practical skills while contributing to initiatives that strengthen civic engagement and constructive dialogue. 
• First Amendment and Civic Leadership Academy: Participants engage in a hybrid leadership curriculum focused on freedom of speech, open inquiry, constructive dialogue, and accountable leadership. Through virtual and in-person learning, participants develop the knowledge and tools needed to navigate differences, foster civic participation, and strengthen their effectiveness as community leaders. 
• Reciprocal Exchange and Community Collaboration: CEE supports ongoing collaboration between participants, American partners, and local communities through reciprocal exchange activities and professional networking opportunities. These engagements promote mutual understanding, strengthen people-to-people ties, and encourage the practical application of lessons learned to support more resilient and engaged communities. 

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.