2024 YSEALI Professional Fellows Program is now accepting applications!

The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program gives Myanmar participants ages 25-35 the opportunity to spend five weeks in the United States, including four weeks working directly with American counterparts in individually tailored work placements with relevant private and/or public sector organizations. During these placements, Fellows build their practical expertise, leadership skills, and professional networks. The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program offers exchange opportunities under the following themes:

• Civic Engagement (designed for emerging civil society/NGO leaders who focus on underrepresented populations).
• Economic Empowerment (designed for emerging entrepreneurs and community leaders who focus on economic development).
• Governance and Society (designed for emerging policymakers, political leaders, public administrators, journalists, and NGO leaders who focus on legislative/governance processes and practices).
• Sustainable Development and the Environment (designed for emerging urban and green space planners, planning and sustainability directors, natural resource managers, and other private and public sector leaders who focus on sustainable development and environmental issues).

YSEALI PFP will be offered as a hybrid in-person/ virtual program with contingency plans that will allow the program to pivot to all-virtual programming in the event future travel is not possible for some and/or all the program participants. This rendition of YSEALI PFP will include substantive virtual activities that will be tentatively followed by a five-week U.S.-based exchange.

PFP Cycle Information

The YSEALI PFP will be administered in two cycles in 2024. Applicants will only participate in one cycle and can indicate their preferred cycle in their application.

There will be one application for all four YSEALI PFP themes and two program cycles, with in-person programming tentatively scheduled in 2024. Applicants will be able to select their preferred theme and program cycle in the application.

• Cycle 1: Feb 2024 Hybrid program virtual activities take place; April 22-May 31, 2024, Cycle 1 Institutes in U.S. (Pending travel restrictions).
• Cycle 2: June 2024 Hybrid program virtual activities take place; September 9-October 18, 2024, Cycle 2 Institutes in U.S. (Pending travel restrictions).

Application Link: https://ais.americancouncils.org/ysealipfp

Website Link: https://www.ysealipfp.org

Sign up to be a YSEALI Member: https://asean.usmission.gov/yseali/

 

Program Requirements:

Participants must be:

• emerging leaders in civil society, or the private sector who have demonstrated expertise pertaining to the respective theme;
• mid-level professionals, 25 to 35 years old at the time of participation in the program, who, at a minimum, are currently employed and have two or more years of relevant professional work experience;
• candidates who have demonstrated proficiency in both written and oral English that qualifies them to have “working-level knowledge of English” (verified by the implementing partner);
• candidates who are self-directed and able to work effectively in a cross-cultural setting; and
• candidates who are genuinely interested in developing an individual project of their own selection in their home workplace or community.

 

Deadline to apply for the program is August 1, 2023.

 

For inquiries, please contact Cultural Affairs Unit, U.S. Embassy in Yangon at RangoonUSECA@state.gov  or 01-7536509, ext.: 4869.