Youth Ambassadors Program Overview

The Youth Ambassadors (YA) Program provides young people (typically ages 15-18) and adult mentors with the opportunity to explore civic engagement, leadership, and pluralism through short-term exchanges in the United States.

YA-AF offers participants from sub-Saharan African countries the chance to take part in various activities, such as workshops on civic education, visits to community sites related to the program's themes, and homestays with American families.

After returning home, participants are encouraged to apply what they have learned by implementing projects that benefit their communities. The program should include multiple opportunities for participants to interact meaningfully with their U.S. peers.

Program Goals and Objectives

The program aims to:

• Prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and active members of their communities.
• Empower participants to engage with and address local issues upon their return.
• Promote mutual understanding, tolerance, and respect through shared cultures and values.
• Build relationships among youth from diverse ethnic, religious, and national backgrounds across sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S.

The objectives of the program are for participants to:

• Gain a deeper understanding of participatory democracy in practice.
• Enhance critical thinking, problem-solving, and empathetic leadership skills.
• Develop program planning and implementation skills to carry out community projects.

Program Themes

The main themes of the program are:

• Civic Engagement: Topics like citizen participation, community service, participatory democracy, rule of law, and volunteerism.
• Leadership Development: Topics such as ethical leadership, team building, public speaking, negotiation, goal setting, and project planning.
• Pluralism: Including issues related to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and disabilities.

Applicants must focus on these core themes for each exchange. Additional topics that help elaborate on these themes are encouraged, especially those relevant to the African context, such as entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, and media literacy.

Don't miss out on the application deadline which is 31 January 2025.