Presidential Precinct to Host Mandela Washington Fellowship for Fourth Year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – For the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. Department of State has selected the Presidential Precinct as a host of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI brings 1,000 African civic, business and community leaders aged 25–35 to the U.S. for six weeks of academic coursework, leadership training and networking at U.S. universities.

The Presidential Precinct, a consortium of two of America’s leading universities and four historic sites in Virginia, will host 25 of Africa’s brightest emerging civic leaders for a six-week academic and leadership institute in the summer of 2017.  The Precinct is 1 of 38 total institutes selected to host the Mandela Washington Fellows and 1 of 12 hosting a Civic Leadership program. These Fellows are selected from over 64,000 applicants in 2017.

The Young African Leaders Initiative is a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. It is not just a fellowship, or an online community, or a place to go for regional leadership training – it is, in fact, all three. 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 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 and Cultural 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 program offers leadership training, academic coursework and mentoring in Charlottesville, Orange, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

“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, Executive Director of the Presidential Precinct. “The Mandela Washington Fellowship has deeply impacted our Precinct community over the past three years, and we look forward to hosting this year’s cohort of exceptional leaders.”

Through the Presidential Precinct Network, the 2017 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 120 countries including 1,500 Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni, this 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.

2017 Fellows will be announced by name in the weeks preceding the program. For more on the Mandela Washington Fellowship, see http://www.presidentialprecinct.org/mwf/.

Press Contact:
Drew Precious, Marketing & Communications Manager
dprecious@presidentialprecinct.org

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