Meridian Partners With the U.S. Department of State to Develop the Next Generation of Young African Leaders
In August 2016, Meridian International Center continued its important work - for a 3rd consecutive year - of developing the next generation of African leaders through the U.S Department of State’s 2016 Pan African Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP). The 2016 PAYLP participants, from Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Senegal, benefited from dynamic programming in youth leadership, community engagement, entrepreneurship, and cross cultural exchange. The Washington, DC phase of the program involved numerous meetings, workshops on leadership and action planning, as well as site visits to national landmarks.
A key highlight of the 2016 PAYLP program is a “Cultural Conversation ExCHANGE Event” hosted at Meridian International Center, with local DC youth leaders from DC GlobalKids. Global Kids, a local youth organization that exposes teens to global perspectives on youth leadership and community engagement, helped facilitate a cross-cultural discussion that allowed the young African leaders to exchange ideas and insights with high school-aged kids in DC. A pervasive sense of connectivity and mutual understanding won the day as the event broadened the attendees’ perspectives on youth leadership and community issues across cultures and continents, while also advancing the merits of cultural diplomacy. According to one PAYLP participant: “We learned that our similarities are far greater than our differences.”
PAYLP participant Private Mchenga of Malawi also expressed his appreciation for the program and described how the program will directly affect his work back home: “I am sure this (PAYLP) will breed a group of young leaders with a hunger for success.”
The 2016 PAYLP participants also engaged in 2 weeks of youth leadership development classes at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The program will culminate with a closing conference in Chicago, Illinois, where the participants will deliver presentations on their action plans to affect positive change in their home communities.
Since March of 2016, Meridian welcomed young African leaders from the following participating countries: Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, In August we hosted students and mentors from Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Senegal. In October we will be welcoming a fantastic final cohort in October from Benin, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
