WHO WE ARE
About MAAS
The national network of U.S. exchange alumni in Montenegro — our story, mission, and the people behind the work.
WHO WE ARE
The national network of U.S. exchange alumni in Montenegro
The Montenegrin American Alumni Society (MAAS) is a non-governmental, non-profit, voluntary association of alumni of U.S. Government-funded exchange programs in Montenegro.
Open to alumni of every USG exchange programme — of every generation and every profession — MAAS turns the experience of studying and working in the United States into long-term value for Montenegro.
Montenegrin alumni of U.S. exchange programs
15+
Years of organised alumni activity in Montenegro
10+
USG programs represented in our network
1
Shared mission — bridge between Montenegro and the U.S.
OUR STORY
From MAYAA to MAAS
A community that has been growing in Montenegro for more than fifteen years.
The founding idea
The organization began in 2010, when alumni of two U.S. Government exchange programs — the A-SMYLE high-school program (today FLEX) and the Global UGRAD undergraduate exchange — registered the first joint alumni association in the country under the name Montenegrin American Youth Alumni Association, or MAYAA. The founding idea was simple and stubborn: people who had spent a year of their life inside an American school, university, or workplace came home changed, and that change deserved a home.1
A growing track record
MAYAA organized the Montenegro Civic Education Week, ran the regional human rights camp “Connecting Generations, Connecting Communities” that brought together young people from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo, supported the Food Bank in Montenegro through volunteers and logistics, and joined ENAM to participate in pan-European projects such as “Bright Ideas at Work” on youth entrepreneurship. MAYAA representatives were received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, took part in regional youth peace-building projects supported by RYCO, and grew the Facebook community of Montenegrin U.S. exchange alumni into the largest in the country.
Outgrowing the youth frame
A clear truth had emerged. The alumni community in Montenegro had outgrown the youth frame. Fulbright scholars, Humphrey fellows, IVLP participants, SUSI graduates, journalists from the Media Exchange Programs and many others had no shared home. MAYAA was strong but narrow.
A new chapter: MAAS
On 12 February 2026, the Assembly adopted a new Statute transforming MAYAA into the Montenegrin American Alumni Society — MAAS in English, CAAU in Montenegrin (Crnogorsko-američko alumni udruženje). The change is not cosmetic. MAAS is open to the alumni of every U.S. Government-funded exchange programme in Montenegro, of every generation and profession, with one shared mission: to make sure that what alumni learned in the United States continues to benefit Montenegrin society, institutions, and the people who come after them.
MISSION & GOALS
Mission
MAAS strengthens the connection between Montenegro and the United States through the meaningful contributions of its members, ensuring that the knowledge, experience, and values gained through U.S. exchange programs continue to benefit our communities, institutions, and future generations.
Goals
As set out in the Statute of MAAS, the goals of the Society are:
- To improve cultural, educational, scientific, social, and economic cooperation between Montenegro and the United States.
- To strengthen networking and cooperation among alumni of educational and professional exchange programs supported by the U.S. Government.
- To contribute to the development of knowledge, skills, and competences of young people — particularly in leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital technologies.
- To support the development of educational policy, youth policy, and international cooperation between Montenegro and the United States.
- To promote volunteerism, social responsibility, and solidarity.
IN PRACTICE
What we do
To pursue these goals, MAAS:
Develops the alumni network and platforms for cooperation, mentorship, and professional growth.
Designs and delivers formal and non-formal educational programmes.
Initiates and supports exchange, mobility, and scholarship programmes.
Cooperates with state institutions, local self-governments, schools and universities, diplomatic missions, international organisations, and the civil sector.
Organises conferences, forums, seminars, training programmes, workshops, and round tables.
Participates in national and international projects and partnerships.
Publishes research, analyses, and recommendations in its fields of work.
Runs promotional activities and public campaigns.