Deadline: March 30, 2018
The American Councils for International Education is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2018 YSEALI Professional Fellows Program! The program brings emerging leaders to the United States for intensive fellowships designed to broaden their professional expertise. The Professional Fellows Program (PFP) is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’, Professional Fellows Division.
Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the US Department of State’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. These two initiatives and programs have come together on the new YSEALI PFP to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community.
The program will take place in the US from October 9 – November 17, 2018. Fellows on program will live with volunteer host families identified by American Councils. This is a required part of the program.
American Councils will match Fellows with worksites in the US. While Fellows may express a preference early in the process for a particular type of site, please note that American Councils has final say over all sites and Fellows may not choose their own sites. Not every type of office will have an exact match in the United States, so fellows will need to keep an open mind about learning how US offices work around different issues.
Themes
- Economic Empowerment
- Governance and Society
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Benefits
Each finalist of the program will:
- Work in a full-time fellowship placement in a US worksite dealing with issues relating to his or her work at home. While there fellows will gain first-hand knowledge about US organizations and institutions and build networks and relationships with US counterparts.
- Participate in a fully-funded program with comprehensive on program support. Travel and living arrangements will be covered as well as emergency health insurance, and visa fees on program.
- Become part of prestigious networks -including YSEALI (for Southeast Asian participants only) and PFP. Alumni will gain access to tremendous resources and an international network of like-minded professionals spanning the globe.
Eligibility
To participate in the Professional Fellows Program you must:
- Be 25-35 years old;
- Be a citizen and current resident of either: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Georgia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Moldova, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
- Speak fluent English to work full-time in a US worksite;
- Interested in participating in a reciprocal program for Americans coming to your country.
- Have at least two years relevant work experience and be currently employed;
- Be current residents and citizens of the country cohort for which they are applying.
- Have demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills.
- Be a professional fit for the PFP theme that your country participates in
- Legislative – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Belarus, Russia
- Economic Empowerment – Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Fellows come from a variety of professional backgrounds including:
- Government offices – including local government, regional development agencies, national policy offices, and offices working to increase the presence of underrepresented citizens in the economy
- The business world – Members who are active in developing corporate social responsibility or efforts to mentor under represented populations in business and other similar themes could be eligible.
- Social innovation and social entrepreneurship organizations
- NGOs – including those increasing the role marginalized populations in the economy and workforce, building financial literacy and supporting other important efforts around economic empowerment
- Universities – incubators, accelerators, university-based centers or programs focusing on business development, financial literacy, tourism or economic development
Application
The application for the fall 2018 YSEALI PFP program will be open from February 1 – March 30, 2018 for the following countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The results will be announced in mid-May. The program will take place in the US from October 9 – November 17, 2018. Learn more on the specific page for your country!
The application for the Economic Empowerment Cohort of YSEALI PFP will be open from February 19 – March 30, 2018 for the following countries Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Results for the semi-finalist round will be announced by email in mid-May. The fall 2018 Fellows will be in the US from October 9 – November 17, 2018.
Complete the online application.
For more information, visit YSEALI PFP.
