Fully Funded Young African Leaders Fellowship
- Organization: AFS Youth Assembly (AFS Intercultural Programs)
- Type: Fellowship
- Location: Global
- Deadline: November 19, 2026
- Age: 18 to 35
- Funding: Fully Funded
The AFS Youth Assembly, a global gathering of young changemakers run by AFS Intercultural Programs, is choosing 10 leaders aged 18 to 35 from Sub-Saharan Africa for the third edition of the Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leaders Program, with grant support from the Sir Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation. AFS calls it a 12-month fully funded scholarship: a virtual intercultural course and preparation workshops, a trip to Switzerland in August 2027 for the Youth Assembly and a changemaking workshop, then six months back home running your own impact project with seed funding and mentorship. The last edition drew almost 6,000 applications for its 10 places. **What you get:** - A 12-month place that AFS describes as fully funded, covering the costs of every programme element below - Travel and accommodation for the AFS Youth Assembly in Switzerland, August 2027 - Enrolment in the AFS Global Competence Certificate, a virtual intercultural skills course taken before the Youth Assembly - Preparation workshops before the Youth Assembly - A place at the AFS Youth Assembly, which draws 700 to 900 participants from over 100 countries, with special recognition at its Closing Ceremony - The Effect+ in the Community intensive changemaking workshop in Switzerland, August 2027 - Seed funding for your own impact project, with six months of mentorship and support from the AFS Youth Assembly Impact Network - Recognition as a Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leader, alongside the 2025 and 2026 cohorts **What you'll do:** - Complete the virtual Global Competence Certificate and the preparation workshops before travelling - Attend the AFS Youth Assembly and the Effect+ in the Community workshop in Switzerland in August 2027 - Back home, run the Effect+ in the Community workshop for at least 100 young people in your community - Launch your own impact project with the seed funding and work on it for six months with mentorship **Key dates:** - Applications close 19 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC, and are reviewed first come, first served - Virtual Global Competence Certificate and preparation workshops before the Youth Assembly (dates not yet published) - AFS Youth Assembly in Geneva, 11 to 13 August 2027, per AFS's apply page, home page and FAQ (one line on its terms page says 12 to 14 August); the Effect+ workshop is also in Switzerland in August 2027 - Six months of impact project work after returning home **More information:** - AFS encourages early applications because visa processing can take several months; selected leaders receive an official scholarship offer letter to support the visa application - AFS highly discourages using AI to write the narrative parts of the application - Apply through the scholarship form only: AFS's FAQ says scholarship applicants should not create a regular Youth Assembly application, which is the self-funded route with its own registration fee - The application is a Google Form that asks you to sign in to a Google account - Earlier cohorts of 10 came from Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, South Africa and Ghana (2025), and from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Namibia (2026)
