Institute on Civic Engagement

Welcome to the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) at Kennesaw State University (KSU)!

What is YSEALI?

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. Through a variety of programs and engagements, including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the U.S. and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community.

What is the YSEALI Academic Fellows Program?

The YSEALI Academic Fellows Program welcomes undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 to the U.S. for a four-academic residency held on the campus of a U.S. college or university. Each five-week Institute covers a YSEALI theme, including civic engagement, environment and natural resources management, and entrepreneurship and economic development.

• Institute on Civil Engagement

  Kennesaw State University (KSU) is hosting a YSEALI Academic Fellows Institute on Civic Engagement titled Advancing International Civil and Human Rights Through Civic Engagement.

  This four-week, intensive program consists of a four-week academic residency on KSU’s campus examining civil and human rights through the lens of the U.S. civil rights movement, and a one-week educational study tour examining present-day international civil and human rights issues including immigration issues, diversity and inclusion, women’s rights, and LGBTIQ issues.

  The Four-Week academic residency includes the following:

  • 4 class modules on International Civil & Human Rights; International Conflict Management; Peace Studies; and Social Entrepreneurship, cultivating a global intellect for a total of 40 hours of instruction;
  • 18 hours of Project Development Training;
  • 18 hours of hands-on Community Service;
  • Biweekly Guest Speakers and Panel Discussions;
  • Visits to metro Atlanta cultural sites;
  • One weekend excursion to Selma and Montgomery, AL;
  • One weekend excursion to Birmingham, AL”

  Fellows will have the opportunity to meet and interact with KSU students through joint classes, as well as with the broader metro Atlanta community through dinners and other social events.

  The trips to Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham, AL will offer Fellows a firsthand glimpse of the origins of the American Civil Rights Movement. Fellows will enhance their understanding of International Human Rights through visits to the metro Atlanta area. Following their four-week academic residency at KSU, Fellows will embark on an educational Study Tour, including numerous visits to places of cultural significance in Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

  Fellows will also develop and implement service projects for their home communities with faculty mentorship through a service project development program spanning pre- and post-Institute activities. This service project development program will culminate in the submission of project proposals and the award of project mini-grants during the Institute’s follow-on activities period.

  Last, Fellows will reunite at a Regional Symposium to take place in Southeast Asia in Summer 2020. The Symposium, which will include KSU YSEALI Fellows from 2019, will focus on ASEAN challenges and opportunities, leadership and professional skills, relationship- building and networking, and feature a keynote theme of civic engagement leadership in each Fellow’s community in Southeast Asia. After, Fellows can anticipate the award of their project mini-grants at the Symposium.