Deadline: March 13, 2022
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®.
Given the situation with the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, we are implementing the program fully virtual through e-modules, Zoom discussions, and virtual one-on-one learning between mentors and mentees.
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.
Community Needs Assessment
The Young Leaders Fellowship begins with an intensive community mapping project and community needs assessment, where Young Leaders will be provided with the tools and knowledge to assess their own community.
This phase is implemented prior to starting the Virtual Learning, as it will provide the young leaders with a better understanding of the needs of their community. (1 month)
Project Development Through Virtual Learning
Participants come to the Young Leaders 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 online sessions with speakers, discussions, e-modules, and assignments, participants will be able to put their local issues into a larger global context while understanding why they are in a unique position to make a change in their community. Participants will also determine which tools and skills can be applied to an actionable plan. (1 month)
Alumni Mentorship & Ongoing Support
To further develop and execute their actionable plans, Young Leaders are paired with alumni mentors, who will guide them during the Virtual Program toward creating an actionable plan. 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 in order to support team building and cultural competency among the diverse group of Young Leaders. (10 months)
Location:
Online
Benefits
- The Young Leaders Fellowship is free of charge to make the program accessible to all participants. .
- MCW Global will also cover the costs of program tools, e-modules, speakers, and additional program expenses during the community needs assessment period, virtual learning, and the remaining part of the program between September 2022 – July 1, 2023.
Eligibilities
Young Leaders Must:
- Demonstrate commitment to their community;
- Identify a project in their community in the area of education, health, or economic security;
- Be between the ages of 18-26 at the start of the program (July 1, 2022);
- Be fluent in written and spoken English;
- Complete the Community Needs Assessment over the summer, attending the one-month Virtual Learning program, and spending the following year aiming to execute their community project;
- Have access to email and internet to allow for consistent communication with the MCW Global Team and Young Leaders Program alumni-mentor for the duration of the year-long program;
- Adhere to Young Leaders Access Program graduation guidelines (to be provided upon acceptance to the program);
- Submit a completed application on or before March 13, 2022 end of the day (NYC EST time).
