The University of Notre Dame partnered with Bisk in the summer of 2015 to document the experience of 25 young African leaders who came to the Notre Dame campus for a six-week business, entrepreneurship, and leadership institute. These leaders were participants in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a program of the U.S. Department of State. Notre Dame has been hosting Mandela Washington Fellows each summer since the program began in 2014, and will again welcome a cohort of 25 exceptional leaders this summer.

Bisk, one of the largest online education facilitators, partnered with Notre Dame to capture the entrepreneurial journey of 25 Mandela Washington Fellows with “The Business of Good: Young Africa Rising,” a 41-minute documentary.  The film features several Fellows and their educational and cultural ventures; site visits to great American cities and companies; day-to-day leadership activities of the Fellows around the Notre Dame campus; and even the Presidential Summit held in Washington, D.C. The full documentary, trailer, and bonus videos can be found at www.businessofgoodfilm.com.

On June 17, 2016, Notre Dame welcomed a new cohort of 25 Fellows representing 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The incoming Fellows are, as in previous years, an impressive array of leaders in their communities, with entrepreneurial ideas and ventures to move their countries forward.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and support for activities in their communities.  Fellows are young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa who have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries.  The cohort of Fellows hosted by the University of Notre Dame will be part of a larger group of 1,000 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at institutions across the United States this summer. The institutes focus on either business and entrepreneurship, public management or civic leadership. At the conclusion of their institutes, these exceptional young leaders will meet in Washington, D.C. for a Presidential Summit before heading back to their home countries. Select Fellows will spend an additional six weeks in professional development training with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Notre Dame is proud to partner with the IBM Corporation, Coca-Cola Foundation, Bisk, and Capsim again on the 2016 institute. More information on Notre Dame’s program can be found at yali.nd.edu.

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The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a U.S. government program that is supported in its implementation by IREX.  For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit MandelaWashingtonFellowship.state.gov and join the conversation with #YALI2016.

Originally published by Joya Helmuth at ndigd.nd.edu on June 01, 2016.