Spectacular Magazine (Sept 2014) | Page 28

THE MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOWSHIP FOR YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS President Obama Hosts Town Hall with Young African Leaders WASHINGTON, DC - On July 28, 2014, in front of 500 exceptional young leaders, President Obama announced the renaming of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in honor of Nelson Mandela. He also announced that the United States intends to double the number of annual participants in the Mandela Washington Fellowship to 1000 by the summer of 2016. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and embodies President Obama’s commitment to invest in the future of Africa. The first class of Mandela Washington Fellows arrived in June 2014 for six weeks of intensive executive leadership training, networking, and skills building, followed by a Presidential Summit in Washington, DC. Through this initiative, young African leaders are gaining the skills and connections they need to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security in Africa. of Wisconsin-Stout, and Yale University. • Civic Leadership Institutes are for those Fellows who are civically engaged and serving the public through nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, or volunteerism. Civic Leadership Institutes are hosted by Arizona State University, Presidential Precinct (a partnership in