(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia hosted a luncheon on July 2 for a group of Saudi students participating in the Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES). Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir met with the students and discussed their experiences living in the U.S.

YES brings students between the ages of 15 and 18 to the U.S., where they live with an American family while attending a semester or a full year of high school. The program was created to fulfill a critical component missing in recent diplomatic relations, youth exchange programs. The goal of YES is to build cross-cultural understanding and to help build bridges of understanding between citizens of the U.S. and countries around the world. The program is managed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.