meet with Sen. Todd Young.
On February 2, the Pulte Institute for Global Development’s Education and Entrepreneurship Division met with three Indiana legislative offices to share the importance of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a program funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX.
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. Beginning in mid-June, the Pulte Institute will host 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging business leaders for a six-week Leadership Institute. This will be the University of Notre Dame’s eighth year as an Institute Partner.
The Pulte Institute’s Melissa Paulsen, Jennifer Krauser, and Edward Jurkovic joined the virtual “Hoosier Huddle,” where we met with Senator Todd Young, Representative Jackie Walorksi, and Senator Mike Braun’s office, to talk about how the Mandela Washington Fellowship has benefited communities both in Indiana and in sub-Saharan Africa. The Notre Dame team was also joined by representatives from Institute Partners Purdue University and Indiana University.
The team conveyed appreciation for the bipartisan support of the Mandela Washington Fellowship and requested future support, highlighting two pieces of legislation that are important for the sustainability of YALI:
- YALI Act of 2021 (H.R.965) - codified the Young African Leaders Initiative into U.S. law. Passed in the House, currently pending full passage in the U.S Senate;
- The EAGLE Act (H.R.3524) - currently pending in the House, likewise seeks to codify YALI among other foreign policy provisions.
“The Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Notre Dame facilitates a unique connection between Fellows, campus, and the South Bend community. Engagement with local businesses, community service projects, and cultural activities makes a significant difference not only in the lives of our participants, but also with individuals in our local communities,” said Krauser. “We hope that our presentation to Sens. Young and Braun, as well as Rep. Walorski, will encourage future government support of this great program.”
For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute at the University of Notre Dame, please contact Jennifer Krauser (jkrauser@nd.edu) or visit our website.
Originally published by at pulte.nd.edu on February 21, 2022.