Deadline: 5-Aug-22
Applications for the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program 2023 are now open.
The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) is a fully-funded exchange program sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The program is designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance Fellows’ leadership and professional skills, and build lasting and sustainable partnerships between emerging leaders in Southeast Asia and the United States. YSEALI PFP is administered under four Institute themes: Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment, Governance and Society, and Sustainable Development and the Environment.
Thematic Areas
The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program offers leadership and professional development opportunities under each of the following Institute themes:
- Civic Engagement: The Civic Engagement Institutes will support professionals involved in: non-governmental management; community development; advocacy; education and capacity building; media and journalism; law; health equity; youth initiatives and programs; and civic activism for marginalized populations.
- Economic Empowerment: The Economic Empowerment Institutes will support professionals involved in: small and medium-sized business development; business administration; business education; economic development policy; social entrepreneurship; and community training programs.
- Governance and Society: The Governance and Society Institutes will support professionals involved in: the legislative process; governance at the local or national level; public administration and management; policy-making; fiscal management; political campaigns and initiatives; health and human services; public-private partnerships; public safety; transportation and urban planning; and law and judicial reform.
- Sustainable Development and the Environment: The Sustainable Development and the Environment Institutes will support professionals involved in: food and water security; public health; eco -tourism; the innovative development and management of agricultural and food systems, energy, housing, and transportation resources; natural disaster response; natural resource conservation and restoration; and waste management.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible to apply, individuals must:
- Be a citizen and resident of one of the eleven YSEALI nations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Applicants living outside of the eleven eligible countries or on a long-term program will not be considered eligible to apply.
- Be an emerging leader in government, civil society, or the private sector who has demonstrated expertise pertaining to the respective theme under which he/she is applying.
- Be currently employed with at least two years of relevant professional experience at the time of application.
- Be between 25 and 35 years old at the start of the program (born on/after March 1, 1986 and no later than March 1, 1997).
- Be self-directed and able to work effectively in a cross-cultural setting.
- Be able to identify an objective/project of their own selection that the applicant would like to implement in their home workplace or community.
- Have demonstrated proficiency in both written and oral English.
- Have demonstrated rated leadership and collaborative skills.
The following individuals are NOT eligible to apply:
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States
- Individuals who are currently participating in academic, training, or research programs, or who are currently working in the United States
- Individuals residing or working outside the eligible YSEALI nations at the time of the program
- Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the U.S. government (e.g., Public Affairs Sections at U.S. embassies or other U.S. government agency) and who have not fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the time of the application
- Individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years and are awaiting change of status by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
For more information, visit https://www.ysealipfp.org/