Get Involved
There are a number of ways individuals, businesses, and organizations can get involved with the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Northwestern:
Become a Peer Collaborator
In order to garner mutual understanding between US and African citizens, we are seeking Peer Collaborators that will be able to meet regularly with Fellows throughout the 6 week Institute. These interactions will be on an individual basis in order to best develop an impactful relationship, both professionally and personally. Peer Collaborators will also be welcome to our various events and visits throughout the Institute.
Peer Collaborators should be:
- located in the Chicagoland area
- 25-35 years old
- interested in building relationships internationally
- leaders or emerging leaders in their field
- available to meet during the Institute
For more information, contact Tiffany Williams-Cobleigh, MWF Program Coordinator.
Host a Fellow for a Professional Development Experience (PDE)
The professional development component of the Fellowship should assist Fellows in honing transferrable skills and expanding their professional networks. As a professional development host, organizations will:
- Offer an unpaid, challenging six-week professional development experience for the Fellow(s)
- Work with the Fellow(s) to develop a Work Plan
- Assign a designated supervisor who is willing and able to provide professional insight and guide the Fellow(s)
- Expose the Fellow(s) to day-to-day workings of the institution and U.S. workplace culture
- Facilitate informational interviews for the Fellow(s) with staff at the institution and within the field
- Encourage the Fellow to participate in training and development opportunities, when possible and appropriate
- Coordinate Work Plan and logistical arrangements with IREX, implementing partner of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
If you are interested in hosting a Fellow for PDE, please email Meredith Lopez, Corporate Relations Manager at IREX.
Attend events with Fellows
Several of our events will be open to the public and we will be sure to invite those interested! Email Tiffany Williams-Cobleigh, MWF Program Coordinator, if you would like to stay up to date on Northwestern's MWF Institute.
Host site visits, community service events, or cultural exchanges
We are always interested in working with Chicagoland-based businesses and organizations to schedule site visits, community service events, or cultural exchanges. These visits can either be for the entire group of 25 Fellows or we can split up the group into smaller factions based on interest.
Site visits should have content provided by practitioners and experts in that field and would ideally be hosted at that organization's office.
Community service events should begin with an explanation of the organization's mission, the type of servicing they will be doing, and the impact of that service. They should also engage Fellows directly with the community members they are serving.
Cultural exchanges can vary from networking nights to individual meetings to hosting Fellows for activities such as dinners or movies. These events can be either informal or formal, but should allow Fellows to engage directly with Americans.
If you are interested in hosting any of these events, please email Tiffany Williams-Cobleigh, MWF Program Coordinator.
Provide support
Through making a gift to the Mandela Washington Fellowship, you will be directly supporting the young leaders that are spurring economic growth, establishing better governance, and breaking down the barriers of inequality in their respective African nations.
If you would like to make a gift or learn more about how you or your organization can give, please contact Meagan Keefe, Associate Director for the Program of African Studies.