BOONE, N.C. — Several former participants of Appalachian State University’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institutes have maintained relationships with local Appalachian staff and graduates, partnering on programs to create a positive impact in African communities.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative, bringing approximately 700 leaders age 25–35 each year to the United States from Africa for academic coursework and leadership training. Since 2016, Appalachian has hosted 100 Fellows in on-campus Leadership Institutes focused on civic engagement.

Appalachian was one of 27 U.S. educational institutions selected to host participants in 2019. For 2020, Appalachian is again among this select group of institutions and will host 25 leaders for its six-week Leadership Institute. Fellows experience the following:

• Training and workshops on topics such as grant writing, use of technology and social entrepreneurship.
• Volunteer sessions at local charities.
• A weekend homestay with local resident hosts.
• Networking and engagement with local community organizations, including nonprofits and local government.
• Visits to area attractions.

Relationships between the Fellows and local individuals have resulted in continuing collaborations, some involving travel to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Appalachian's ongoing Mandela partnerships

Mentoring youth in Benin

Feb. 20, 2020

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at Western Youth Network (WYN) in Boone, is partnering with 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus Abiona Jean Bamigbade to develop a youth mentorship program in the Republic of Benin in West Africa to bolster students’ confidence and improve their performance in school.

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The Nature Network in Zimbabwe

Feb. 20, 2020

Amy Renfranz ’07, president of the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, will travel to Zimbabwe in May to work with 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus Dr. Suleiman Makore in developing The Nature Network — a program to connect students in the two countries and increase participation in the conservation and protection of wildlife.

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Dreaming for Change in Burundi

Feb. 20, 2020

Dr. Connie Green, professor emeritus in Appalachian’s Department of Reading Education and Special Education, has helped raise funds and supplies for the charity organization Dreaming for Change. The organization, founded by 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus Janvier Manirakiza, has fed more than 400 malnourished children in Burundi, Africa, to date. Green is traveling to Burundi in February to introduce a model early childhood education program based on the U.S. Head Start program.

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Ndinephupha Youth Talks in New Brighton

Feb. 20, 2020

Appalachian’s Macki Snyder, assistant director for community service for Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), will travel to New Brighton, South Africa, in April to share best practices for community engagement with 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus Xolisa Ngubelanga. They will celebrate the launch of Ndinephupha Youth Talks, a program that encourages youth to express their dreams for society through public speaking.

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The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by IREX. Appalachian is a sub-grantee of IREX and, through its Office of International Education and Development and Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), has implemented U.S.-based Leadership Institutes as a part of the Fellowship since 2016. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.

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App State to host 5th Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute

Feb. 20, 2020

As part of the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship, Appalachian will host 25 of Africa’s emerging civic leaders — ages 25–35 — for a six-week Leadership Institute. Fellows will participate in volunteer service opportunities, meet with state and local government officials, and more.

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Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian 2020

Office of International Education and Development

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement.

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About the Office of International Programs

Appalachian State University combines a strong liberal arts foundation with a comprehensive, pervasive and integrated commitment to global engagement. The Office of International Programs assists App State in fulfilling its global engagement mission by working to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences — in both domestic and international contexts — in the university’s students, faculty and staff, as well as in the surrounding communities. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.