Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., 16 Japanese youth baseball and softball players, and four coaches participating in the U.S. Department of State’s first international sports exchange with Japan. The Secretary highlighted the role of sports to empower young people worldwide...

Representatives of Jewish and Roma, or Gypsy youth groups from eight countries are meeting in Hungary. The week long encounter, called "Volunticipate," begins Monday. The youth are gathering to discuss how to build partnerships, plan joint initiatives, and exchange experiences about minority identity and grass-roots civil activism.

As a supporter of the 100,000 Strong Initiative and to highlight the overall importance of educational and cultural ties between the United States and China, will.i.am will direct a concert in Beijing later this year to benefit the Initiative. The Beijing concert will celebrate U.S.-China educational and cultural exchanges and will include performances by will.i.am and other American and Chinese pop stars.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will host over 125 participants for the inaugural Around the World in an Afternoon, a cultural and academic festival. This is the largest ever gathering of Study of the U.S. Institute participants who represent 30 countries. More than 115 undergraduate student leaders from 20 countries will share information about their countries and cultures.

We are supporting initiatives like Partners for a New Beginning, which supports economic opportunity, education, science and technology exchanges between the United States and Muslim communities worldwide...We are connecting entrepreneurs with Diaspora communities in the United States that are eager to help fund new projects in countries where they have family ties.

The United States has increased its funding for the binational Fulbright Program to $8.5 million per year, making it one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world. The U.S. government has committed $15 million for a new five year Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science, and Technology Program – or FIRST Program - to support American and Indonesian students and scholars.

Education and exchange programs provide deep roots for the U.S.-India relationship. U.S.- India education cooperation enhances each country’s emphasis on building a knowledge society. These partnerships are critical to strengthening scholarship and research in each of our countries, improving and expanding access to a quality education, and developing greater mutual understanding.