The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, begun in 2014, is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. More than 700 Fellows from across sub-Saharan Africa are selected annually through a highly competitive process. Through OID, IU has hosted Mandela Washington Fellow cohorts since 2016 for a Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute, including an all-virtual program in 2021.
Fellows return to Indiana in Summer 2022
On June 8, Indiana University welcomed 24 of Africa’s bright, emerging civic engagement leaders and is hosting a six-week Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute. During the Institute, this cohort of accomplished young professionals from 18 countries across sub-Saharan Africa will develop skills, experiences, and technical capacity in areas such as community development, volunteerism, grassroots activism, leadership, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and fundraising for non-profits. Engaging young African Fellows with IU faculty and surrounding communities also creates mutually beneficial opportunities for learning and exchange as Fellows share their personal and professional experiences, meet with Americans and peer collaborators, offer diverse cultural perspectives, and work toward building strong networks for sharing ideas and best practices. One-on-one coaching and mentoring around individual “focus projects” will further empower them to make an impact on important issues in their home countries and communities.
