June 13, 2005, President George Bush welcomed to the White House Rose Garden and addressed 200 exchange students from PARTNERSHIP FOR LEARNING, YOUTH EXCHANGE AND STUDY PROGRAMS. The students are in DC from June 12 - 17,
participating in a program organized by the Close Up Foundation. Close Up is one of C-Span’s “long standing collaborations.” The students in attendance from Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, the West Bank and Gaza, and the Arab communities of Israel.

AYUSA, a non-profit organization, founded in 1980, is based in San
Francisco. Since its inception, AYUSA has provided opportunities for more than 37,000 students from the U.S. and around the world to participate in study abroad programs. Close Up Foundation is a non partisan citizenship education organization founded in 1970, working to promote responsible and informed participation in the democratic process through a variety of educational process. More than 20,000 students, teachers and others participate in Close Up’s DC programs.

The President cited an essay that Maria from Pakistan wrote in which she described a lesson she learned from her trip. Maria wrote, "The very important thing I learned about America is that it's a melting pot where you can find the world in one place living together.”

The President said, “I believe freedom is universal. I don't believe
freedom is America's gift to the world; I believe there's an Almighty God who speaks to different faiths, and I believe freedom is a gift from that Almighty. And that's why I'm so confident and optimistic that freedom will prevail.”

The President applauded the students to look at themselves as “bridge builders,” said, “There's a lot of people here in this country, now when they start thinking about the Middle East, they're going to think about it differently because of the impact you've had on them, because you were willing to share your culture and your way of life,” hoping they “look at this experience as the beginning of a journey that will -- in which you'll become leaders.” He said, “I hope you
understand that you have a fantastic opportunity to make a difference.. And with this experience, go home and continue making differences.”

The President said, “By the way, if you feel like going to college, come back. We've got some great universities here. We want people from all around the world coming to our universities. Tell your buddies, your friends and neighbors, to think about coming to America to go to university.
The more exchanges there are of people of like age, the better off the world will be.

The President concluded saying, “I ask for God's blessings on you all, and your families, and the peoples of your country.” Echoing for the students as the President waved and walked back into the White House, were his words, ”I know you're looking forward to going home. But when you get home, I hope you remind people about what you found here -- that the people of this country care deeply about others; that we respect religion; that we believe in human rights and human dignity; that we believe every person has worth; and that we do want to have a world that's more peaceful
and more free.”

The Partnership for Learning, Youth Exchange and Study, sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provides scholarships for secondary-school students from countries with significant Muslin populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States with the goal of “expanding communication between the people of the United
States and the partner countries in the interest of promoting mutual
understanding and respect.” The students live with host families, attend school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures. Upon their return home, the students apply their leadership skills by conducting service projects.