Kennesaw State is continuing its Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative fellowship for the 2018 spring semester starting with the arrival of Southeast Asian fellows in Atlanta on Jan. 31.
KSU will host the YSEALI Academic Fellows Institute on Civic Engagement program entitled “Advancing International Civil and Human Rights Through Civic Engagement.“
The program lasts five weeks, and the selected students will live on KSU’s campus for four weeks. Those students will examine civil and human rights through the lens of the U.S. civil rights movement.
The last week will consist of an educational study tour where participants will learn about international, civil and human rights issues including immigration issues, diversity and inclusion, women’s rights and LGBTQ issues.
Over the course of a four-week academic stay, students will participate in five class modules on international civil and human rights, peace studies, social entrepreneurship, conflict management and cultivating a global intellect.
The program totals 51 hours of instruction that includes 16 hours of leadership and ethics training, 16 hours of hands-on community service, biweekly guest speakers, visits to metro Atlanta cultural sites and a weekend visit to Selma and Birmingham, Alabama.
During their educational study tour to Alabama, fellows will learn about the American Civil Rights movement, Atlanta and its metropolitan area. The intent is to increase their understanding of international human rights.
YSEALI fellows will then travel to Miami, Florida, to study immigration and refugee issues. The concluding trip to Washington, D.C. includes a visit the Smithsonian Museum to study conflict management.
YSEALI fellows will also create and implement service projects with faculty members that will help them submit project proposals for their home communities. The winners will receive mini-grants for their projects during the institute’s follow-on activities period.
The program concludes with the chance for students to attend a regional symposium that is tentatively planned to be held in Singapore in May 2018.
YSEALI was started in 2013 by the U.S. Department of State to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. The program offers opportunities such as educational and cultural exchanges in the U.S., regional exchanges and seed funding.
These opportunities help build leadership abilities for youth in the region to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
Those participating in the YSEALI Academic Fellows Program are undergraduates or recently graduated students selected to come to a U.S. college or university and spend five weeks in the nation.
Each school has a theme that covers civic engagement, environment and natural resources management, entrepreneurship and economic development. Fellows will engage with policymakers, governmental representatives, businesses and think-tanks in Washington, D.C.
KSU’s winter 2016 and 2017 fellows and KSU students will focus on Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) challenges and will be the theme of environmental leadership in Southeast Asia.
They will also focus on its opportunities, leadership skills, professional skills, relationship-building and networking. This year’s fellows will then be awarded their project mini-grants at the symposium.
Detailed information, including a schedule of events for the YSEALI, can be found on KSU’s Division of Global Affairs website, https://dga.kennesaw.edu/yseali/index.php.