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Apply For: The Obama Foundation Scholars program for emerging leaders

The Obama Foundation Scholars program will provide opportunities for emerging leaders from the United States and around the world who are already making a difference in their communities to advance their work through an immersive curriculum that combines academic, skills-based, and hands-on learning.

Throughout the academic year, the Obama Foundation will provide a robust curriculum of leadership development, training, networking activities, and customized support to help Obama Scholars gain the real-world skills, tools, and experiences they need to expand the impact of their work when they return home.

Eligibility:

The Obama Foundation Scholars Program seeks rising leaders from around the world who meet the following criteria:

Have a demonstrated commitment to service and leadership in a community, region, or country outside the United States, as well as a demonstrated commitment to use their enhanced training, skills, and connections for the benefit of these communities on a long-term basis.
Are emerging leaders who have made significant contributions to their field and are now at a “tipping point” in their careers.
Is fluent in English (verbal, written, and spoken).

Program Overview

The Obama Foundation Leaders program began in 2018 and has created a network of over 700 leaders from over 100 countries and territories around the world. These leaders work across sectors and issue areas and are united by a commitment to values-based leadership rooted in President and Mrs. Obama’s legacy will commence its 2023 Leaders Africa program and will be a six-month non-residential, virtual journey for 35 emerging African leaders.

The program in 2023 will focus on honing leadership skills, developing deep relationships with fellow leaders, and exploring how to drive, scale, and sustain change. After graduation, this group of Leaders will become part of a pan-African community of like-minded changemakers, as well as a lifelong Obama Foundation community with access to a vast network.

The virtual Leaders Africa program seeks to identify exceptional leaders in government, civil society, and the private sector who are committed to a specific issue and can demonstrate the impact of their work. The goal is to create a network of values-driven leaders who create positive, innovative change in their communities, across Africa, and around the world.

The program will run from February 2023 to July 2023.

Program structure

Monthly Virtual Video Calls
The main method of group interaction will be live virtual meetings. These connections will provide a mix of fresh content (conversations with experts, introductions to leadership frameworks, skill-building, etc.) and engaging small-group work in breakout rooms on average four times per month.
Monthly Community Groups
Leaders will participate in peer learning groups that promote deeper interpersonal connections, peer learning, and provide a forum for reflection on or discussion of unresolved issues from the group sessions.
Individualized coaching for leaders
In order to increase self-awareness, define goals, generate ideas, accomplish development goals, and realize their full potential, coaches will be paired with leaders.