Appalachian State University is among 27 universities across the country selected to host the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in 2019. This summer, Appalachian will host 25 of Africa’s emerging civic leaders — ages 25–35 — for a six-week Leadership Institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, which began in 2014, is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The program was created to empower young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, professional opportunities, networking and local community engagement.
To date, Appalachian has hosted three institutes for the Mandela Washington Fellowship and has a network of 75 alumni of the program.
Originally published Feb. 8, 2019.