The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs will host the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program (YSEALI AFP), funded by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Twenty-five young leaders from Southeast Asia will begin a five-week intensive program at Maxwell in April 2025.  

The YSEALI Academic Fellows Program is part of the wider Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, which is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. It provides skills training to youth, aged 18-25, from eleven countries in Southeast Asia including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The program is designed to strengthen leadership across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), deepen engagement with young leaders on key regional and global challenges, and strengthen people-to-people ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia.   

Each year, the fellowship brings approximately 500 exceptional young leaders to 12 different universities and colleges in the United States. Institutes focus on one of four themes: civic engagement; sustainability and environment; innovation, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment; and society and governance.

During the fellowship, participants learn to design and implement projects to be completed upon returning home and may receive small grants to fund their implementation. Programs occur twice per year, in the fall and spring. To date, the YSEALI AFP has nearly 2,000 alumni who are actively engaged across the region. 

Some highlights of the Maxwell program include:

• A five-week academic residency at Syracuse University focusing on society and governance
• Leadership development
• Educational study tours to federal, state and local governments

• Engagement with community-based organizations—including volunteering—to experience first-hand the work of U.S. public charities and local nonprofits
• Multiple interactions between the fellows and U.S. citizens including Syracuse University faculty and staff, host families, and the Central New York community

The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana.