The University of Georgia is proud to announce that it has been selected as an Institute Partner for the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning in mid-June, UGA will host 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging Civic Engagement leaders for a six-week Leadership Institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 3,700 young leaders from 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaborations with U.S. professionals. The cohort of Fellows hosted by UGA will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 27 educational institutions across the United States. This summer, all Fellows will receive a letter from President Trump welcoming them to the United States for their program. At the conclusion of their Leadership Institutes, these exceptional young leaders will convene in Washington, D.C., for the sixth annual Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit, where they will take part in networking and panel discussions with each other and with U.S. leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Following the Summit, 70 competitively-selected Fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.
During the institute, Fellows will hear from influential community leaders and grass roots activists as they travel to various cities across the South. In Atlanta, they will visit local civic organizations to learn about organizational development, and advocacy skills will be reinforced with a visit to Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the U.S. civil rights movement. In New Orleans, the Fellows will explore the complex intersection of civil society and government through the lens of post-Katrina reconstruction efforts.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and working closely with its implementing partner, IREX, host institutions will offer leadership programs that will challenge, motivate, and empower these inspiring young leaders from Africa.
For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute at UGA, please contact Brian Watkins at brianw@uga.edu.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit yali.state.gov/mwf and join the conversation at #YALI2019.