The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) will welcome professionals from 21 countries worldwide back to Washington, D.C. for a final event in their four-month, U.S.-based Community Solutions Fellowship from December 15-16. The 64 fellows completed over 500 hours of leadership development training. They will return to their home communities with new skills, perspectives, and energy to engage in building local solutions through community development projects.
The concluding event of the fellowship program will profile the international fellows’ innovative work with their American counterparts. Participants will also highlight plans for sustainable collaboration when they return to their countries.
The Community Solutions Program is a professional development program for the best and brightest global community leaders working in the fields of transparency and accountability, tolerance and conflict resolution, environmental issues, and women’s issues. Fellows work in tandem with community leaders throughout the United States to enhance their practical expertise, leadership skills, and professional contacts to better address societal issues in their home communities while helping U.S. communities in 27 states and the District of Columbia gain fresh perspectives to common problems. Background information on the first cohort of Community Solutions Fellows including placements in the United States, areas of focus, and countries of origin, can be found here. The program is sponsored by an ECA grant and administered by the IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board).
For additional details, visit the Community Solutions Program or contact Carla Coolman, CoolmanCH@state.gov, 202-632-3356 or Linnéa Allison, AllisonLE@state.gov, or 202- 632-6060.
