The U.S. Department of State and IREX seek academic, professional, and regional experts to read and score applications for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship. Over the first eight years of the Fellowship, the program received nearly 300,000 applications from 49 sub-Saharan African countries for 5,800 Fellow slots.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).  The Fellowship brings young leaders to the United States for academic coursework and leadership training and creates unique opportunities for Fellows and U.S. citizens to collaborate as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa and the United States.
In summer 2023, the Fellowship will bring up to 700 young leaders to the United States for a comprehensive executive-style program designed to build skills and empower Fellows to lead in their respective sectors and communities.
Readers will be responsible for evaluating program applicants based on set guidelines and a scoring rubric. Â The reading period will begin September 15, 2022, and will comprise up to three separate reading phases, each lasting approximately two weeks, from mid-September through early November. Â Selected readers will be assigned to one of the reading phases and will review approximately 40 applications each.
Responsibilities and Reading Period
- Readers will be responsible for evaluating program applications based on set guidelines and a scoring rubric.  This is a great volunteer professional development and résumé -building opportunity for professionals or degree-seeking individuals.
- The reading period will begin on September 14, 2022, and will comprise up to three separate reading phases, each lasting approximately two weeks, from mid-September through early November.
- Selected readers will be assigned to one of the reading phases to review approximately 40 applications.
- Each application takes about 10-15 minutes to read and score; the total time commitment is estimated at 10 hours.
Eligibility
- Ideal readers are academics and/or professionals with expertise in one or more of the Fellowship’s thematic areas (business, civic engagement, or public management), have experience working in Africa, or experience working on sub-Saharan African issues. U.S. Government employees and Fellowship Alumni are eligible.
- Applicants for the 2023 Fellowship are not eligible to be readers.
Application Procedure:
- If you are interested in serving as a reader, please complete the application form as soon as possible.
- Submit the application form by September 2, 2022 to be eligible for the reading pool starting from the first phase.
- IREX will confirm via email whether you are selected to be a reader before the Fellowship application closes on September 13, 2022.
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