[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICAN COUNCIL OF YOUNG POLITICAL LEADERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2006

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a concurrent 
resolution recognizing the accomplishments of the American Council of 
Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) as the organization celebrates its 40th 
anniversary this year.
  Since 1966, ACYPL has provided bipartisan international exchange 
programs, educational forums, and leadership training in order to 
better prepare young political leaders for future positions of 
responsibility in local, state, and federal government. ACYPL's 
programs offer young leaders, some who may have never traveled outside 
the United States, the opportunity to enhance their awareness and 
understanding of other cultures through in-depth study tours.
  Founded during the Cold War, the organization's efforts initially 
focused on Western Europe. Over the past four decades, however, ACYPL 
programs have expanded to include over 90 nations throughout the world, 
including the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Hemisphere, 
East Asia, and the Pacific Rim.
  Many of ACYPL's more than six thousand alumni worldwide have risen to 
positions of great responsibility. In the United States, alumni include 
members of Congress, the Cabinet, ambassadors, and many senior level 
officials who serve in local, state, and national government. 
Internationally, past participants of ACYPL programs now serve as 
cabinet members, ambassadors, parliamentarians and as other senior 
level policymakers. Establishing early relationships among such future 
leaders helps facilitate international dialogue and strengthen and 
promote U.S. policy objectives.
  As an alumnus of an ACYPL program to the then Soviet Union in the 
1970s, I can attest to the effectiveness of citizen-to-citizen 
exchanges in fostering cross-cultural understanding and cultivating 
international ties among young political leaders. I applaud ACYPL's 
work over the past decades and wish them continued success in future 
efforts.

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