Presidential Precinct to Host Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders for 3rd Year

Charlottesville, VA – For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Department of State has selected the Presidential Precinct as a partner with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative.

The Presidential Precinct, comprised of two of America’s leading universities and three presidential sites in Virginia will host 25 of Africa’s brightest emerging civic leaders for a six-week academic and leadership institute this summer.  The Precinct is 1 of 40 institutes, and the only consortium, to be selected for the fellowship that will bring 1,000 emerging African leaders to the U.S. this year.

The White House initiative empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and support for activities in their communities.  Fellows are young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa who have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries. These exceptional young leaders will meet at the end of their institutes in Washington, D.C. for a Presidential Summit; select Fellows will also spend six weeks in professional development training with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Working closely with the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Affairs and its implementing partner, IREX, the Presidential Precinct has designed an academic program that will challenge, inspire, and empower these inspiring young leaders from Africa.

The Presidential Precinct will host the YALI program for six weeks beginning in June, offering leadership training, academic coursework and mentoring in Charlottesville, Orange and Williamsburg.  The Precinct tailored the curriculum to focus on the skills leaders need to run better ministries, start and grow businesses, as well as serve their communities and countries.

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship helps the Presidential Precinct achieve its goal of strengthening global communities by empowering the next generation of influential leaders through education, collaboration and digital networking, said Neal Piper, Managing Director of the Presidential Precinct.  “We were honored to host the Mandela Washington Fellowship for the past two years and we look forward to hosting this year’s cohort of exceptional leaders.”

Through the Presidential Precinct Network, the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellows will have the opportunity to engage with a powerful network of experts representing government, business, academia, and civil society. With members from more than 100 countries including 1,000 of the 2014 and 2015 Mandela Washington Fellows, this global virtual meeting place provides an exclusive and secure online resource that enables members to learn new skills, find expert advice, exchange ideas, access professional development resources, and solve the most pressing challenges in their communities.