Page Title

2009 U.S. Holi= days

· Wednesday, De= cember 31: New Year’s Eve

· Thursday, Jan= uary 1: New Year’s Day*

· Monday, Janua= ry 19: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s

Birthday*

· Tuesday, Janu= ary 20: Inauguration Day*

= February: Black Histor= y Month

· Sunday, Febru= ary 1: Super Bowl Sunday

· Saturday, Feb= ruary 14: Valentine’s Day

· Monday, Febru= ary 16: Presidents’ Day*

· Tuesday, Febr= uary 24: Mardi Gras

· Tuesday, Marc= h 17: St. Patrick’s Day

· Sunday, March= 8: Daylight Savings Time begins

= (set your clock forward one hour)

· Sunday, April= 12: Easter Sunday

· Sunday, May 1= 0: Mother’s Day

· Monday, May 2= 5: Memorial Day*

· Sunday, June = 21: Father’s Day

· Friday, July = 3: Independence Day Observed

· Saturday, Jul= y 4: Independence Day*

September 15-October 15:

Hispanic Heritage Month

· Monday, Septe= mber 7: Labor Day*

· Monday, Octob= er 12: Christopher Columbus Day*

· Sunday, Octob= er 31: Halloween

· Sunday, Novem= ber 1: Daylight Savings Time ends

= (set your clock back one hour)

· Wednesday, No= vember 11: Veteran’s Day*

· Thursday, Nov= ember 26: Thanksgiving Day*

· Friday, Decem= ber 25: Christmas Day*

· Thursday, Dec= ember 31: New Year’s Eve

* indicates a federal holiday

&nbs= p; I want to hear from you!

Send a message to la= uren@aywc.org &n= bsp; and tell me what you would like to read about in our next e-newsletter= .

New Year, New Newsletter

Welcome to the in= augural issue of AYWC’s Practical Training Program’s quarterly =

e-newsletter. To our recently = arrived trainees: welcome and I hope you have enjoyed your training thus fa= r. Be sure to take advantage of all the cultural experiences that Ame= rican cities have to offer. To those who will soon be leaving: I hope= you all stay in touch, and don’t forget to complete the final progra= m evaluations to get your certificate of completion!

In th= is issue I will cover the approaching tax season, social networking w= ebsites, and the

current U.S. visa denial rate.= You may also contact me with ideas and you may submit interesting st= ories about your training. I would love to share them with the all the trai= nees! This newsletter is for you, so please provide suggestions. &nbs= p; = &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; &n= bsp; &nbs= p; =

*P.S. AYWC will have a new address in March; an update will be po= sted in the next newsletter.

American Youth Wo= rk Center ▪ 1200 17= th Street NW, 4th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036 ▪ Phone: 202/785-0= 764▪ Fax: 202/315-386= 1

U.S. Visa Denials on the Rise

Prospective train= ees’ visa requests have been denied at a higher than usual rate recen= tly. The U.S. embassies in Ghana and the Philippines have claimed the= y are unaware of any training programs for social workers, even though our = program has been in effect since 1986 and other applicants have obtained vi= sas from these same embassies that now claim to have no knowledge of our pr= ogram.

If yo= u have friends who are currently applying to the program, or any other U.S.= exchange program, please be sure to tell them to be well-prepared fo= r the visa interview. The consular officer’s purpose is t= o determine whether the applicant plans to immigrate to the U.S.; som= etimes the officer has made a decision prior to meeting with the applicant = based on the visa application. The ability to prove strong ties to yo= ur home country, via bank statements, ownership of property, or reference l= etters from local leaders can be beneficial in changing their opinion. = ; It is also important to be able to clearly explain your qualifications an= d how the exchange program will benefit you upon your return home.