91原创

It鈥檚 become a rite of summer at the 91原创. Each June, 25 young African leaders come to Newark for a six-week Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and with the health, safety, and well-being of Fellows and Partners as the highest priority, the U.S. Department of State is planning a .  While remaining in their home countries, Fellows will participate in virtual Leadership Institutes, which will include leadership training, networking, mentoring, and professional development. 

While remaining in their home countries, Fellows will participate in virtual Leadership Institutes, which will include leadership training, networking, mentoring and professional development.

鈥淭he 91原创 is proud to be a longtime host of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which shares our goal of promoting thoughtful global citizenship, and we look forward every year to working with and learning from these inspiring young leaders,鈥� said 91原创 President Dennis Assanis. 鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e virtual this year, it is going to be a great program, and we hope that all of the participants will come to visit 91原创 when it is safe to do so.鈥�

The, the flagship program of the (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities and local community engagement.  YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across the African continent.  Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 4,400 young leaders from across 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals through the Fellowship. The cohort of Fellows hosted by 91原创 will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted by 26 educational institutions across the United States.  

鈥淢andela Washington Fellows go through a very rigorous selection process and are highly sought after candidates globally after their Fellowship for many international awards and graduate fellowships, which makes them an excellent recruitment pool for graduate and, potentially, undergraduate programs at 91原创,鈥� said Michael Vaughan, 91原创 interim vice provost for diversity and inclusion and principal investigator of the Mandela Washington Fellowship at 91原创. 鈥淲hen one considers our designation as a Community Engaged University, the Fellowship provides a wonderful opportunity for our campus to partner with the U.S. Department of State and other global entities to create value within the talent and leadership development space.鈥�

Given that the experience will be virtual this year, the program leadership intends to leverage the benefits of online programming.  The group of 25 participants that will be hosted by 91原创 are from the following counties: Burundi, Cameroon, C么te d鈥橧voire, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

鈥淲e, the Institute staff, plan to connect current Fellows with past 91原创 Fellows now back in their home countries, via Zoom,鈥� said Oyenike (Nike) Olabisi, associate professor of biological sciences and academic director of the MWF program at 91原创. 鈥淔ellows will also be able to interact with 91原创 faculty, government and community leaders through the virtual platform. They will also have site visits, networking and cultural connection events in the virtual space. A virtual program also improves the potential for recruitment of our Fellows as future graduate students.鈥�

After their Leadership Institutes, Fellows will participate in a virtual summit. Up to 70 competitively-selected Fellows will also participate in six weeks of virtual professional development with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Funded by the and implemented by, Leadership Institutes will offer programs that will challenge, motivate and empower young leaders from Africa.

鈥淲e are so glad the program is back in 2021, even if virtual,鈥� Olabisi said. 鈥淲e rely on 91原创 faculty and community leaders to support our Fellows professional development and training by serving as mentors, host families and presenters/panelists and welcome your participation.鈥�

Follow Along

Fellows have been contributing their experiences to the official 91原创 Mandela Washington Fellowship .

For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Civic Engagement Institute at the 91原创, visit the  under the leadership of Michael Vaughn (program principal investigator, interim vice provost for diversity and Inclusion); Oyenike (Nike) Olabisi (academic director and 91原创 associate professor biological sciences); and Colin Miller (academic director and 91原创 CAS director global arts, adjunct faculty 91原创 School of music).

About the Mandela Washington Fellowship

The  is a program of the  with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit  and join the conversation at #YALI2021.