Below you will find the English training programs for students.
Martin Luther King, MLK Program
In 2006, Embassy Bogotá launched the Martin Luther King (MLK) English language Fellows Program for Afro-Colombian and indigenous minority youth as a means to expand their academic and economic opportunities. Although Afro-Colombian and indigenous peoples constitute more than 25 percent of the total population of Colombia, many have long been neglected and disadvantaged. The MLK Fellows Program is meant to promote their economic and social empowerment.
The MLK program began in Bogotá as a pilot project and has since expanded to Cali, Medellin and Quibdó.
English Access Microscholarship Program
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides a foundation of English language skills to talented youth from economically disadvantaged sectors. This program gives participants skills that may lead to better jobs and educational prospects through after-school classes and intensive sessions.
Participants also gain the ability to compete for and participate in future exchanges and study in the United States. The program was initiated in Colombia in 2009 and it is implemented by the bi-national centers. The program has been present in Pereira, Medellín, Armenia, Manizales, Cartago, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Pasto, Quibdó, Cali, Apartadó, Turbaco, Chinchiná, Rionegro, Belén de Umbría, Palestina, and Bogotá.
Please note that this program does not accept direct applications as participants are selected from Colombian public schools by the administrators/operators.
College Horizons Initiative
The College Horizons Outreach Program is a social impact project designed to serve the ever-increasing need to provide quality English instruction and mentoring to high-achieving Afro-Colombian and indigenous students from underserved communities. This program focuses
primarily on preparing participants for college entrance while offering a better understanding of the United States. Additionally, College Horizons offers a mentoring component designed to provide new volunteers with an understanding of their roles and responsibilities and the culture of volunteering. Participants develop and maintain a healthy mentoring relationship that empowers young people to successfully pursue higher education. This program does not accept direct applications. Participants come from public schools selected by the program administrator in each city.