2020 Young Alumni Challenge - School Year Abroad

Four SYA Campuses. 3,394 Young Alumni. Unlimited impact.

This year, we’re asking SYA’s alumni from 2005-2019 to demonstrate strength in numbers by coming together to support the SYA experience and sponsor a Young Alumni Scholar. Every part of the incredible SYA experience that we know and love is made possible by the generosity of our alumni, and every gift has an impact!

But that’s not all! A donation to the SYA Fund will also count as an entry to this year’s Fly Away with SYA Sweepstakes with a chance to win a $1,000 flight voucher. See details below.

Each campus must get to 10% participation and all young alumni must raise one full tuition by June 30, 2020 to sponsor one SYA student as the Young Alumni Scholar in 2020-2021.

April 2020 Update

Someday . . . when it's okay . . .Fly Away with SYA!

We wouldn’t be able to do our work without you, and now the impact of this global health crisis makes our need to rely on each other even greater. SYA Fund gifts of all amounts provide the unrestricted, flexible funding to ensure SYA can meet the unique needs of our students and faculty. Going forward, the SYA Fund will be especially important as we face economic uncertainty and must plan accordingly to keep our community together through need-based financial aid, innovative curriculum development and advanced technology infrastructure.

We understand that giving may not be foremost in your mind, but we hope you will continue to participate in the Young Alumni Challenge — by sharing words of encouragement with our students and faculty, inspiring your classmates and more. Thank you!

The Fly Away with SYA Sweepstakes will continue as planned with a winner drawn on after June 30, 2020. However, due to the health crisis currently affecting lives and travel worldwide, we have extended the deadline by which air reservations must be booked following the of acceptance of the prize, and are allowing the destination to be entirely of the winner's choosing. Details can be found in the official rules.

Sweepstakes

As part of the 2020 Young Alumni Challenge, a gift of any amount will count as an entry into the Fly Away with SYA Sweepstakes! The lucky prize winner, randomly drawn after the challenge ends on June 30, 2020, will win a $1,000 flight voucher!

One entry per person and donation not required to enter. Please read the official rules for further details on the drawing and prize.

Young Alumni Scholar

The goal of the of the 2020 Young Alumni Challenge is to sponsor a Young Alumni Scholar by raising one full tuition from 10% of young alumni from each SYA campus.

Did you know that around 50% of SYA students receive some level of financial aid each year? The SYA experience wouldn't be possible for many students without the support of the SYA community and those passionate about making incredible study abroad experiences accessible to all.

If SYA young alums meet the challenge, one student from the 2020-2021 class will be selected as the Young Alumni Scholar. Updates from this student will be shared during the year, including a letter in the fall and spring and pictures of their adventures. So what are you waiting for? Help make another life-changing experience possible for a future SYAer!

Volunteer

So, you want to help make the 2020 Young Alumni Challenge a huge success? That's great news! Here's how you can participate:

Make your gift to the SYA Fund today and help your campus (China, France, Italy or Spain) soar to the top of the leader board!
Become an advocate! Share with your classmates and friends, create a personal plea or create a matching opportunity or challenge. In general, encourage others to join the challenge and give! To learn more about becoming an advocate, email alumni@sya.org.
Share news about the challenge with fellow alumni on Facebook and Instagram.
Become a Class Ambassador! Class Ambassador volunteer for their alumni class, promoting and facilitating class engagement and strengthening relationships within the SYA alumni community. See if your class needs a class ambassador here.