Young Leaders Fellowship Program
About the Program
The Young Leaders Fellowship Program is a one-of-a-kind leadership opportunity open to all young people between 18 – 26 from all over the world who wish to address community projects in the areas of education, health, and economic security. The year-long program prepares young people to become leaders of change in their communities through leadership development, global citizenship, self-awareness, and vision planning.
The program team, mentors, and mentees all work together to impact communities through innovative ideas and concrete projects, hence truly accomplishing the purpose of Local Change Through Global Exchange®.
Contents of the Program
MCW Global’s Young Leaders Fellowship begins with the Community Needs Assessment – A one-month community needs mapping that prepares young people, between the ages of 18-26, from around the world to understand their local communities better. After the community needs assessment, Young Leaders participate in a one-month intensive Virtual Program that helps them become leaders of positive change in their communities. After Virtual Learning, participants spend 10-months developing their action plans with support from alumni mentors.
Virtual | Community Needs Assessment
- 1 Month
- The Fellowship begins with an intensive community mapping and needs assessment.
- Young Leaders will be provided with the tools and knowledge to assess their community.
- This phase is implemented prior to starting the in-person training, as it will give the young leaders a better understanding of the community’s needs.
In-Person | Vision Planning & Project Development
- 10 Days
- Participants come to the Fellowship with an idea of a community issue they want to address. Vision planning is the process of transforming passion into a concrete, tangible plan for change.
- Through the in-person training program, which includes diverse speakers, workshops, events, and facilitated group work, participants can put their local issues into a larger global context while understanding why they are uniquely positioned to change their community.
- Participants will also determine which tools and skills can be applied to an actionable plan.
- 10 Months
- To further develop and execute their actionable plans, Young Leaders are paired with alumni mentors, who will guide them in the in-person program toward creating an actionable plan. These mentors have gone through the Fellowship program and successfully graduated from it.
- During the year, alumni mentors support participants by facilitating quarterly “hangouts” and ongoing remote communication.
- Alumni mentors undergo customized training prior to the start of the program to support team building and cultural competency among the diverse group of Young Leaders.
Young Leaders Must:
- Demonstrate commitment to their community;
- Identify an issue in their community in the areas of education, health, or economic security;
- Be between the ages of 18-26 at the start of the program (June 1, 2023);
- Be fluent in written and spoken English;
- Commit to doing the Community Needs Assessment in June, attending the 10-day in-person program in July, and spending the following year aiming to execute their community project;
- Have access to email and the internet to allow for consistent communication with the MCW Global Team and Young Leaders Fellowship alumni-mentor for the duration of the year-long program;
- Adhere to Young Leaders Fellowship graduation guidelines (to be provided upon acceptance to the program);
- Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (and be able to provide proof) or in case of an exemption from this requirement due to a medical reason, contact MCW Global Leadership directly for further steps;
- Be eligible for appropriate visa and travel documentation;
- Submit a completed application on or before Friday, November 18, 2022, 11:59 PM (NYC EST time).
