Deadline: 11-Mar-22
The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division, of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has announced an open competition for the FY 2022 Pan Africa Youth Leadership Program, an exchange program for African high school students and adult educators.
The Pan Africa Youth Leadership Program began in FY 2013 and directly supports the U.S. foreign policy goal of youth empowerment and development by equipping exchange participants with the knowledge and skills to become active and responsible members of their communities.
Youth Leadership Programs offer an examination of democratic principles within U.S civil society and provide leadership development training. Participants should engage in workshops on leadership and service, community site visits related to the program themes and subthemes, interactive training, presentations, visits to high schools, local cultural activities, and other activities designed to achieve the program’s stated goals, while living with American families for a significant period of the exchange. Additional opportunities for participants to interact meaningfully with their American peers must be included. Follow-on activities with the participants are an integral part of the program, as the students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired by planning and carrying out service projects in their home communities.
Goals
The program goals are to:
- Promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of Sub-Saharan Africa;
- Prepare African youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities; and
- Foster relationships among African and American youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups.
Objectives
The program objectives are for participants to:
- Demonstrate a better understanding of the elements of a participatory democracy as practiced in the United States;
- Demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills; and
- Demonstrate skill at developing project ideas and planning a course of action to bring follow-on projects to fruition.
Themes
The primary program themes are listed below:
- Civic Education (citizen participation, grassroots democracy and rule of law);
- Community Service (social/corporate responsibility, volunteerism, and philanthropy);
- Respect for Diversity (including ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and disabilities); and
- Youth Leadership Development (team building, public speaking, negotiation, goal setting, and project planning).
Funding Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $4,800,000.
- Approximate Average Award: $1,600,000; pending the availability of funds.
- Ceiling of Award Range: $1,600,000; pending the availability of funds.
- Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2022; pending the availability of funds.
- Anticipated Project Completion Date: December 31, 2025.
Eligible Countries
Participating countries may include: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, exchange-of-persons, and other not-for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition.
- Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=337176