A New Decade for Civic Engagement: the Mandela Washington Fellowship Returns to the Presidential Precinct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2020

The Presidential Precinct is proud to announce its selection as an Institute Partner for the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning in mid-June, the Precinct 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.

YALI was created in 2010 and is celebrating its 10^th anniversary supporting young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.

Since 2014, through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 4,400 young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. The cohort of Fellows hosted by the Presidential Precinct 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 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 nonprofit sectors. Following the Summit, up to 70 competitively-selected Fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX, Leadership Institutes will offer programs that will challenge, motivate, and empower young leaders from Africa.

This year’s Leadership Institute at the Presidential Precinct is marked by the Fellowship’s longstanding commitment to impacting everyone it reaches – including communities throughout the U.S. As part of their time at the Precinct, Mandela Washington Fellows will directly engage local communities in Williamsburg, Orange, and Charlottesville, Virginia through volunteering, home hospitality dinners, and other community events – from joining American Independence Day celebrations on the 4^th of July to leading a local Mandela Day event on the 18^th of July.

For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship’s Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute at the Presidential Precinct, visit our website. Opportunities for engagement with the Mandela Washington Fellows will be shared through the Precinct’s newsletter as the Institute approaches.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. State Department with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org and join the conversation at #YALI2020.

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Contact: Drew Precious, Director of Communications
dprecious@presidentialprecinct.org
434.841.6259