International Research Funding Alert July 2021

 

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders has started at Texas Tech University, with 30 fellows virtually attending the Institute focused on public management and leadership. This year marks the third time Texas Tech has been selected to be one of the hosts for this highly competitive initiative, which is the flagship program of the U.S. government's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since its inception, YALI has brought 4,400 young leaders from countries across Sub-Saharan Africa to the U.S. for leadership training.

The program will run until July 30th. The thirty participating fellows are some of the brightest and most tenacious young leaders across Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these men and women either run their own business or lead a nonprofit. This year, 49 countries will be represented, with fellows ranging from 25-35 years old.

The TTU management team for this project, comprised of Dr. Darren Hudson, Dr. Conrad Lyford, Dr. Ian Lértora, and Mr. Michael Johnson, has prepared a detailed curriculum focused on academic and leadership lectures. This year mental health counseling is part of the experience, as well as cultural connections, networking, community service and one-on-one coaching. The fellows are also required to complete three hours of cultural connections, and the team was able to film iconic West Texas experiences, such as the musical “TEXAS” at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The Texas Tech fellows will also share experiences with the University of Texas cohort by having them complete a joint social media campaign that creates donations and awareness for food scarcity and nutrition issues throughout both Texas and Africa.